The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1913-03-27
O'GARA MAKES TALK
ON BLIGHT
OREGON EXPERT BELIEVES CON
DlTlONS HERE DEMAND
CLOSEST ATTENTION.

Professor O'Gara of oregon deliv-
cred a lecture on blight yesterday
morning at the Isis theater. Despite
the early hour the professor was
| greeted by a fair-siZed audience which
paid the closest attention to the mes
sage brought by him who is recog-
| chard experts in the country. The
professor followed his Introductory re-
marks with a description of what the
| blight really is. He described the
germ which causes the blight and
showed hof it increased with startling
rapidity. Then he took up the effects
of the disease and concluded his re-
marks with a description of how 1t
should be handled. His lecture was
illustrated with slides which made the
| professors remarks much more i'm
pressive. Professor O'Gara sounded a
warning to the fruitgroWers of this
country. He told of his experiences in
practically every blighted district in
the United States and showed that
eternal viligance was the only thing
which could effectually cope with the
disease. He told the audience of the
havoc which the blight germ has
wrought in various parts of the coun~
try and just what steps should be
taken to combat it's progress. The
professors remarks were well received
and the fruitgrowers who failed to
hear his talk yesterday morning
missed a discourse which could not
but prove helpful.
At the close of his talk, Professor
1,1.~,. 49, ,,1~ ~+ 1-l~~-
given by State Inspector M. L. Dean.
1t was here that he showed exactly
how much he Is wrapped up in his
work; how much of his time and
thought have been devoted to the
eradication Of the disease and JUS,
how competent he Is to Judge the
conditions and the remedies needed
Speaking Of the Bitter Root valley
and the fruit section around Missoula,
Professor O'Gara said:
Your conditions here are not what
might be called bad, but they are
serious enough SO that care must be
taken. However, I will say that there
is no place in North America where
blight has ever made its appearance
that the utmost care should not be ex-
ercised. | only wish that / could i'm
press on your fruitgrowers the abso-
lutte necessity for complete eradica-
ton of every affected part of eacf
tree. I don't advocate taking out
every tree that has the blight because
it Is a local disease inc can be oper-
ated on just as a doctor operates fol
blood poisoning. However, if there is
any doubt as to how far the disease
! hos p,arnaI in, n trnn a " tn toRn II
out and lose no time about it. because
there is no other way in which 1t car
be cured. The closest inspection
should be made during the month:
when the tree growth is dormant, be.
cause with the spring comes the
swelling of the sap and the germ
which has been lying dormant begins
its operations with increased vigor
Hundreds Of thousands of trees have
been wiped out by this disease.
have seen localities that We're swep'
bare of orchards by the blight. After
some years trees would be planted in
these same districts and although
they had suffered the loss of many
thousands of dollars a shor time be.
fore the necessity for vigilance would
not yet be sufficiently impressed or
the fruitgroWers' minds. AS a conse.
quence they would suffer exactly the
same experience. There Is no tenn.
porizing with blight. 1t Is a question
of fight all the time. / believe yol
car conquer the disease here and
know that some of your fruitgrowers
will, but there will always be som
who are careless and they will pay
the penalty by seeing their orchard
swept away.
Il AVE enjoyed my stay here i'm.
mensely. 1t is not my first tril
through this part of the country, but
am always glad to get back and an
sorry hat | could not speak in Mis-
soula this evening. l realize that the
morning is a bad time to expect much
of an audience, but business engage.
mentS on the coast made 1t absolute.
ly impossible for me to stay Longer
than No. 3 today"