The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1911-06-28
CONTROL OF FIRE BLIGHT
Treatment Identical with That for
Our Pear Blight

Professor H. S. jackson, oregon
Experiment station: AS is well
known, the only method of combat
ing fire blight is the removal of all
cases of infection. Unless a person
is an expert, 1t does not pay to take
any chances with fire blight, therefore
it is recommended that all cases of
blight in any of its forms be promptly
removed.
The method of cutting out fire
blight has everything to do with the
success of treating this disease. No
cutting should be done blindlN. In
all cases the extent of infection
should be determined before the cut
is made. AS general practice, It is
recommended that where it is found
necessary to remove branches or
limbs, the cut be made at least foot
below the apparent extent of infec-
ton. Frequently IA branch may be
saved by cutting out canker. form
ing clean wound. Always make a
clean cut: never break off 4 branch or
fruit spur, but cut It smoothly.
Another very important matter is
the disnfection of all cut surfaces.
Wherever branch is cut off or Il
cankiar cleaned out, disinfect the
wound with corrosive sublimate in
the proportion Of 1-1,000. Never use
any other disnfectant. Dsintect the
tools frequently as an added precau-
ton.
Inspection of the orchard should
be made frequently and thoroughly.
While it is an excellent practice TO
ALWAYS be on the watch for blight
during general orchard work, it is
essential that special, inspections be
made for the sole purpose of remoV-
ing blight Inspections should be
thorough and made by competent
persons thoroughly familiar with the
disease Infested orchards or or
chards in infected districts should be
inspected at least every week during
July and August, and frequently at
other seasons of the year. inspectors
should work toward removing every
possible canker that may hold the
germs over the winter. IL it would
be possible to remove all cases of
hold-over blight there would be no
source of infection in the spring,
and blight would be eradicated since
the blig..t organisms are known to
hold over only in the bark of cankers'
The difficulty occurs in the fact that
blight germs are carried long dis
tances by insects and to eradicate the
disease, all hold-over cankers through
out an infested area would have to
he reoooyed II is not reaSOna BILE to
expect that this condition will ever be
naalized in any blight infested dis
trict. Each grower must, however.
do his part and if any are found who
will not conscientiouslY inspect his
orchard and remove the blight then,
the law should be brought into ef-
feet.
Perhaps the most important factor
for the suco essfu eradication Of
blight is proper education of the
growers to know blight in all its
phases and to practice the proper
methods of eradication. Public sen'
timent must be aroused and all grow
ers work together
Fire blight is spreading rapidly, and
! if adequate steps are not soon taken
to arrest its spread we may expect il
in the Yakima valley in short time
If It is found that the people in the
infested districts are not sufficiently
interested or have not the means to
hold the disease in check, then the
horticultural interests Of the Stat.
should demand state aid in the con
| troll Of this disease.