The log cabin Democrat., 1911-04-29

Efss9Hss. z, ###s4 cnard and finds $sssssssssssih ESs# conditions favora. l-l--.sa'..---s IsssA- asasa be it takes prac- tically all of the crop in the most sus- ccptible varieties. In Arkansas the Jonathan, Grimes and Winesap are es- pecially susceptible to this disease. Ben Davis is somewhat less so, but it and great many other varieties are sometimes badly injured when the weather conditions are favorable and when the disease has gained a 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 a circular ring of dots, slightly raised, which burst and give off 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 routed ! 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, cankered spots, covered with cracked, shrunken bark. These cankers are in appearance somewhat like other apple Cree 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 1 to cause serious injury to the trees. So most of the damage is caused by the rOtting of the apples. In severe eases practically the entire crop of the tree, or even of an orchard, may be destroyed in q few days. Bitter rot does not spread in cold storage, but apples with the rot started on chem before they are placed in stor- age, even if the spots are so small as to 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 it 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 a 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 . Or even stopped altogether by cool dry weather
 It lives over winter on the limt cankers and on the rotten mummies of 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 week:
 after the blossoms have fallen (no
 more than six weeks) with 5-5-50 Bor
 deaux mixture. This spraying is tt
 coat the apples thoroughly with tho 9 mixture, so as to keep the sporel from germinating on them, and i r must be thoroughly done. Second g if the season is moist and hot spra, . again in two weeks; If cool or dr! l spray in three weeks. In either cast use the same mixture that was useC 3 before. the 5-550 Bordeaux mixture Third, repeat the spraying according , to the weather until gathering time ' In very moist, warm summer tiv,
 sprayings will be necessary.
 Prevention: A great deal can b, g done to lessen the danger from thi = disease by pruning out all cankeret = limbs. It is not sufficient to scrapt s off the canker, but the limb whicl s bears it should be cut out Alst t gather and destroy all routed apples ? They may be raked into windrows il the middles and turned under with {; blow. These things alone will no stop the disease entirely, and canno 7 be depended upon to replace spraying Remove all old, half-dead apple tree
 rom the orchard And last, but b! no means least, get your neighbors tc clean up their orchards.