Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1913-08-22
,eRICULTURAL DEPARTMENT
DEFENDS CUTTING OF TREES
Answers Critics OF Its
Methods of Combating
Pear Blight

y WASHINGTON, D. c., Aug. 20
hrbe departm ent of agriculture has
notice by telegraph from
.tizens in the state of WASHINGTON
,hat certain people are spreading the
lie aea that the pear blight is not a
bacterial disease, and that the de-
oartments recommendation that
blight can be dealt with by cut
n rEtng out the diseased portions of
+ Vrees is not an effective measure.
" In the fear that these unscientific
u laminions may stop orchardists from
u Hhllowing the highly successful prac
atet Edcal measures recommended by the
a. Federal specialists, and thus lose
90 tbeir own orchards and spread the
bohEdisease among neighboring orchards,
Eha department has issued the fo,-
~ hcVing special statement:
"That pear blight is bacterial
~ disease of the pear tree is not open
10 question. The scientists have
Heearly established the existence Of
these bacteria by means OF micro
EsCopic examination, and have repro
Hduced the disease by inoculating
Ffruit trees with them. The germ is
m Hthe bacillus amylovorus. 1t is an
ss ual-shaped body, and is l-1S000 of
= an inch long and I-2500O of an
inch across, and can be clearly seen
with a high power microscope.
W q Moreover, the scientists have raised
Il these bacteria in their laboratories
Z 81 and have used them large number
~ u Of times in experiments to infect
A healthy trees and fruit. Wherever
this bacillus have been introduced
into healthy tree or fruit the pear
s. q blight has followed. The scientists
: q also have proved that the pear bIigl.
1 can be communicated from the bios
/ SONS of an affected tree to healthy
enp trees by bees and other insects. and
II. Il that the blight that is held over
II through the winter can be commune
Gated to healthy portions of the same
tree or to other trees by flies or other
urn Insects.
ant Pear blight differs radically from
,sr the peach yellows in the way it at
iects a tree The peach yellows does
not show itself outwardly in tree
0u until the entire tree is affected and
can not be saved. The pear blight,
on the other hand, has purely local
effect and attacks certain blossoms,
twigs, branches, or a section of the
w 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, it has been proven that
by cutting out the portion of the
tree affected by the pear blight and
Washing the cut with a solution of
one part of corrosive sublimate Ga
highly poisonous SUBSTANCE to 1000
parts of water, orchardists can save
most of the individual trees and pre-
vent the spread of the disease
A. throughout their orchards. 1t there
n lore strongly urges orchardists in
districts affected 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 disin-
lectant, so that the tool itself can
not comm unicate the bacteria to
NJ healthy parts of the trees. Especial
4 y orchardists are strongly advised to
Al 80 over their orchards very carefully
IN the fall and cut out all cases of
y hold-oyer blight, in order to prevent
the spread of infections in diseased
u trees or the communication of in
lection to other trees in the bios
soming period.
In addition to the cutting out and
A. Olslntecting process, the department
advises orchardists to take steps to
Keep their trees healthy and strong,
Dut not oVer-Vigorous, so as to be
hlghly resistant to pear blight. 1t
warns orchardists TO be careful in
TIE use of manures and fertilizers
U around fruit trees, as anything which
increases the rate of growth of the
Tree hastens the spread of the local
lied infection.
ii The department has thoroughly
tested all known or suggested meas
ufes for coping with this blight. 1t
mas found the cutting out and wash
ing with the solution the one reliable
ana practical measure, and recon-
mends it as a fully tested and sue
d cessful remedy.
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