Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1913-11-24
The Talent Tidin9s
Experiment Station
And the Pear Blight

The subject of pear blight is up
permost in the minds of our fruit |
growers at the present time. Dur
ing the past week l have had many
inquiries from fruit growers in re-
gard to the work this experiment sta
ton is doing with pea: blight II
have also found that some of the
fruit growers present at the fruit
growers meeting at Medford last
week did not fully understand my
remarks regarding our pear blight
work. Hence this explanation
1t is universally admitted by pear
blight experts that the hest treat.
ment known for this disease at the
present time consists in cutting out
all affected parts and disinfecting the
wounds. 1t is also admitted by prac-
| tically all of those who have made
careful study of this disease that the
riost promising experimental work
| that can be done relative to this dis
ease consists in introducing or orig
mating varieties that are naturally
resistant to the disease. X is very
F, probable that eventually varieties of
pears will be grown which are not
seriously affected with blight.
A good illustration of this can be
| nnn1nC in fhic U0l1axr OF
the present time. One of the chief
reasons why the Yellow Newtown is
gradually supplanting the Sptzen-
berg is because it is less subject to
blight.
This experiment station is now test.
ing hundreds of valuable or promis-
ing varieties of pears from all Sec
tions of the world to determine their
adaptability to the conditions in this
valley and also their resistance to
pear blight. Nearly four hundred
varieties are in cultiyetion at this
station at the present time, and sew
eral hundred more will be planted
|, this winter. 1t is hoped that We will
, obtain from this large collection sew
eral varieties which will be well
adapted to local conditions and also
reasonably resistant to blight. 1t is
well known ever from the small num-
Der of varieties grown in this valley
: at the present time that varieties OF
/ pears vary considerably in their sus-
5 ceptibility to blight For example
2 the Comice, Anjou, and Seckel are
not nearly as subject to blight as are
Bartlett and Howell.
The most fatal work of blight is
done when it attacks the trunk
crown or root system of the tree. L
we could prevent the disease from at
, tacking the trunk and root system
of our pear trees we probably woult
have reduced its ravages at least 81
6 per cent The writer feels certail
, that this can be done. There are Ger
, tain pears which so far have proved
absolutely resistant to blight. TIL
writer knows of certain strains o
Chinese pears which have neve
@ been known to blight, although the
o have long been grown in sections o
C the southeastern states where bligh
is unusually severe, and in orchard
G where all other varieties of pear
= have succumbed to the disease. Ur
v der these severe conditions thes
q trees have never shown trace @
7 blight in blossom, branch, trunk o
+ root, system. This experiment sta
7 ton is now growing these resistan
trees and such other resistant strain
/, as can be obtained for the purpose o
k top-working (by budding and graf
d ing) with our standard local varit
q ties. If our local varieties succee
# when top-worked on these resistan
I strains then a tree can be grown /
+ which pear blight can be entirel
avoided in the trunk and root system
0 1t should be emphatically state
D, that when such resistant pears ar
d top-worked with Bartlett (or an
other susceptible Variety the Bar
- lett top, does not become any NOR
resistant to blight than it would b
on its own root system, or on tn
e French stock. Blight would have t
be fought in the Bartlett top just a
e vigorously as at present. But ever
l. pear grower realizes the importanc
A. of saving at least the root systei
l. and trunk of the tree. The Kieffe
IS is already being used by many grow
G ers in this valley for this purpose.
r Another very promising line G
o work carried on by this station is tn
,e origination by breeding of varietie
4. which are resistant to blight an
f. which will also be of good qualit!
n That this can be done is beyond
'e shadow of doubt. The Chimes
* strains of pears which have been re
farred IN as resistant to blight ar