The log cabin Democrat., 1911-06-23

tsasSsssasslsl tsasSssasss s conditions favora- '1T8'I'-ia = Iasa szas ble it takes prac- tically all of the crop in the most sus- ceptible varieties. In Arkansas the Jonathan, Grimes and Winesap are es- pecially susceptible to this disease. Ben Davis is somewhat less SO, but 1t and a great many other varieties are sometimes badly injured when the weather conditions are favorable and when the disease has gained g good foothold in an orchard.
 Description: On the apple at first the bitter rot appears as very small pale brown, sometimes watery looking speck. These grow and become darker in color and sunken, the mar gin remaining light coIored. As the | routed spots get to be as large as a dime there may be seen at the center of each spot circular ring of dots, slightly raised, which burst and give off a pinkish or gray moist mass of | spores. Very soon another similar | ring of dots appears just outside of | this, and it in turn gives off the | masses of light-colored spores. AS the spot grows the rings continue to form, being larger and larger as they are successively formed. The rotted area is shrunken, soft and dark brown, with the concentric rings of light-colored spore masses, and is quite characteristic. The routed spots are deep, often reaching to the core of the apple, as the fungus grows about as rapidly into the apple as it spreads on it.
 On the limbs of the trees the same fungus causes oblong, black, sunken, 1 cankered spots, covered with cracked, shrunken bark. These cankers are in appearance somewhat like other apple | tree cankers and are very apt to be confused with them by the average person.
 Damage: The cankers are not usu. ally large enough or numerous enough to cause serious injury to the trees. So most of the damage is caused by the -otting of the apples. In severe cases practically the entire crop of the tree, or even of an orchard, may be destroyed in few days. Bitter rot does not spread in cold storage. 1 out apples with the rot started on them before they are placed in stor. age, even if the spots are so small as 10 be invisible, will rot quickly when removed from storage.
 | Spread: The gray or pinkish spores | of the rot are the means it has of | spreading from one apple to another Each one of these spores is so small as to require a high-power micro scope to see it, but just as soon as it is washed onto the surface of an- other apple by rains or dew 1t germi- nates and grows and starts a new rotten spot. The spores can be pro- duced within two days after a spot is started on the apple, and, since there are many millions of spores produced from single rotten spot, the disease can spread very rapidly, and it does spread rapidly.
 Bitter rot grows and spreads in warm, moist weather and is checked Q: even stopped altogether by cool, | uIy weather.
 It lives over winter on the limb cankeTs and on the rotten mummies CT apples on the ground or hanging on the trees and begins to spread actively to the new crop about the first of July at Fayetteville, perhaps earlier in some parts of the state.
 Remedy: First, spray six weeks lfter the blossoms have fallen (not more than six weeks) with 5-5-50 Bor- ieaux mixture. This spraying is to 'oat the apples thoroughly with the nlXture, so as to keep the spores
 rom germinating on them, and it hust be thoroughly done. Second.
 f the season is moist and hot spray (gain in two weeks; If cool or dry pray in three weeks. Tn either case lse the same mixture that was used
 efcre, the 5-5-50 Bordeaux mixture. Third, repeat the spraying according
 o the weather until gathering time.
 n a very moist, warm summer five ipTayings will be necessary.
 Prevention: A great deal can be done to lessen the danger from this disease by pruning out all cankered .imbs. It is not sufficient to scrape off the canker, but the limb which bears it should be cut out. Also gather and destroy all rotted apples. They may be raked into wind7ows in the middles and turned under with a blow. These things alone will not stop the disease entirely, and cannot be depended upon to replace spraying Remove all old, half-dead apple trees from the orchard. And last, but by no means least, get your neighbors to clean up their orchards.
 An old. neglected orchard !s often the cause of diseased trees and rot ten apples for mile or more in every direction. Such an orchard may have in it bitter rot brown rot, scab, blotch, San Jose scale, codling moth,