The Grangeville globe. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho) 1907-1922, 1913-09-25
PEAR BLIGHT
REMEDY is o. X.
Government Defends Recon-.
mendations to the
Public.


ton that certain people are spreading
the idea that pear blight is not a bac-
terial disease, and that the Depart.
ment IS recommendation that pear
blight can be dealt with by cutting
out the diseased portions of trees is
not an effective measure. In the
fear that these unscientific opinions
may stop orchardists from following
the highly successful practical meas
ures recommended by federal spec
ialsts, and thus lose their own orch
ards and spread the disease among
neighboring orchards, the department
has issued the following special state
ment:
The pear blight is a bacterial
disease of the pear tree is not open
to question. The scientists have clear
" established the existence of these
bacteria by means of microscopic ex-
animation, and have reproduced the
disease by inoculating fruit and trees
with them. The germ is the Bacil-
lus amylovorus. 1t is an oval shaped
body, and is 1-1S0OO of an inch long
and 1-2500O of an inch across, and
can be clearly seen with a high-pow-
er microscope. Moreover, the scien-
fists have raised these bacteria in
their laboratories and have used them
q large number of times in expert
ments to infect healthy trees and
fruit. Wherever this bacillus has
been introduced into a healthy tree
or fruit the pear blight followed. The
scientists also have proved that the
pear blight can be communicated
from the blossoms of an affected tree
to healthy trees by bees and other
insects, and that blight held over
through the winter can be communi-
Gated to healthy portions of the same
tree or to other trees by flies or
other insects.
The pear blight has a purely local
effect and attacks certain blossoms
twigs, branches, or a section of the
bark, and leaves the rest of the tree
uninjured except where girdling has
occurred.
In thousands of orchards, and in
the case of hundreds of thousands Of
pear trees, especially in California
and Oregon, particularly In the Med
ford district, 1t has been proven that
by cutting out the portion of the tree
affected by the pear blight and wash
ing the cut with a solution of one
part corrosive sublimate Ia highly |
poisonous substance) to 1000 parts
OF water orchardists can save most |
OF the individual trees and prevent |
the spread of the disease throughout |
their orchards. 1t therefore strongly
urges orchardists in districts affect
ed by pear blight to continue to cut
out affected portions of the trees and
wash the cuts with this mixture. In
cutting they should wash their tools
IN this disinfectant, so that the tool
ltsef cannot communicate the bacter-
Ia to healthy parts of the trees. Es-
peclally orchardists are strongly ad-
Vlsed to go over their orchards very
carefully in the fall and cut out all
cases of hold over blight, in order to
prevent the spread of infections in
diseased trees or the communication
OF Infection to other trees in the
olossoming period.
In addition to the cutting out and
disinfecting process, the department
ADVISES orchardists to take steps to
Keep their trees healthy and strong,
out not over vigorous, so as to be
mighty resistant to pear blight. 1t
warns orchardists to be careful in {
the use of manures and fertilizers !
around fruit trees, as anything which t
increases the rate of growth of the {
Tree hastens the spread of the local t
allied infection. /
The department has throughly I
tested all known or suggested meas t
ufes for coping with this blight. 1t
nas fund the cutting out and washing v
Win the solution the one reliable and
pfactical measure, and recommends it a
aS fully tested and successful il
remedy
Ihls cutting out methd will not
save all trees, nor is it effective with
'ertain varieties of pear trees which e
'fe particularly subject the ravages G
VI The pear blight. 1t has, however, b
saved the pear industry of California b
and portions of Oregon. h
~O IL