The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1913-09-04
CAUSE AND REMEDY
FOR CHERRY GUMOSTS
BY W. H. Adds.

Now is good time to fight gumosis
IN young cherry trees. Gumosis is a
very bad thing for the trees and if left
unchecked often grdles and kills them.
We all know it when we see it, but
il is only recently that the authorities
have agreed on what it is and why, and
the more reasonable ones admit that
their theory is not yet proven, but
claim that experiments, so far as made,
point to the correctness of their theory.
Their theory is simply an application
of the disease germ theory. They find
that where gumois exists there are
bacteria, and they also find that there
are bacteria in dead bark and by the
process of deductive reasoning, one
must conclude that the bacteria grad
ually transforms diseased and dead
bark, the gumosis bacteria transform
ing diseased tissue into dead tissue and
the other bacteria destroying the dead
bark or other part of the tree. But all
our authorities stop short OF the final
and logical deduction and attempt to
prove that gumosis is and of itself
makes but little difference, but that If
the gummed spot becomes infected, -
1t Immediately becomes a serious mat
ter. They do not know but are trying
to prove, that once a gummed spot is
infected it spreads up and down the
trunk of the tree, or limb, as the case
may be, as result of the infection.
The gumosis expert at Corvallis admits
that he does not know, but asserts that
he believes that infection causes the
spread of gumosis, and is searching for
evidence.
1t seems to me to matter but little to
the practical fruitgrower whether the
bacteria causes the spread of gumosis
or not. Even the authorities agree
that there are many things that cause
cumming, and if infection is the cause
of the spread of the cumming, then the
most important thing for them to tell
us is how to prevent infection.
Their treatment is to to cut out the in
fected bark and swab with corrosive
sublimate. That is all right but as a
matter of fact, the cutting away of the
dead and dying bark has been prac-
ticedby orchardists for many years.
and many splendid, big, fruitful trees
OF today were badly affected by gum
osis, some of them having the bark cut
for three fourths of the distance
around the body when young, and no
treatment being given them other than
to cut away the bark and scrape out
the sour sap, as il was then called.
Many persons still think that gumosis
is caused by sour sap, and it NAV be
that If perfect balance between the
acid and the alkali in the sap were
maintained. there would be little, if
ntYnaAgtu . 20 g.,
that gumosis bothers worst on sour
land. Land that does not drain out
well, land that grows a good crop of
sorrel. and heavy land that is not
broken up deep and well ariated, are
the kinds of land on which cherry
trees gum worst. This indicates that
cherry orchards should be set on land
that drains out well, both summer and
winter, and is not of such consistency
as to run together. Ariation of the soil
is an important item, and that can be
done only with difficulty if the land be
too heavy and stiff. When the land is
of such composition that it tends to be-
come too acid, and the sorrel becomes
hard to control. then it should be
treated with lime or land plaster, air
Stacked lime by preference. and stock
salt in quantities enough to kill out the
sorrel should be spread under and
around the trees.
If this method is pursued there is
but little danger of gumosis. Gum |
ming will occur where scars are made |
on the trees by tools or harness, or
otherwise, and in the crotches and
where limbs start out, but in such in
stances it will usually amount to about
assmuch as pitch on the bruised part of
a fir tree, unless the trees be on land
that is excessively acid.
One thing all are agreed upon is that
whenever gumosis is seen it should be
cut out and all affected parts cut