The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1914-02-27

Where cankerS occurring on the
larger, limbs and trunks are not too
extensive, the limb or tree may fire.
quently be saved by carefully shaving
Off the diseased bark down to the sap
wood. Here again one should cut well
beyond the evident area of infection
especially above and below the cank-
ers, since the germs spread most rap
idly up and down from the point of in
|fectiOn. Fig. 6 shows branch treated
N this way.
Sanitary Measures
In cutting out blight, it is necessary
that all cut surfaces be thoroughly
moistened with some substance that
will kill any germs which by chance
may have been left. A disinfectent,
in order to be ideal for this purpose
must be one that will act on the germs
quickly and yet not injure the tissues
TO any depth. The best disinfectant
for this purpose has been found to be
Corrosive Sublimate (Bichloride of
Mercury) 1t should be used in a So
luton of one part of the poison to
1000 parts of water and kept in wooden
pals or glass bottles. No other dis
infectant should be used. 1t is con-
venient to carry a sponge or cloth
which is kept moist with the disin-
fectant and used to wipe the surface
of every wound. One should never
fail to disiniect any wound made in
cutting out Light.
1t is also highly important that all
tools used in cutting out blight be
frequently sterilized. This is done by
dipping them in the solution or by
wiping them with a sponge or cloth
moistened with the disinfectant 1t
should be made regular practice to
steriIize the tools after each cut.
If, in cutting out canker or branch,
an accidental cut is made at the edge
of the canker or in some adjoining
branch, any such wound should be
carefully cut out so as to make an
open wound which can be easily steril-
lied.
All large wounds should be carefully
painted with some good pruning paint,
after the surface becomes thoroughly
dry, in order to prevent the entrance
of wood-rotting fungi.
All pruned branches should be taken
Immediately from the orchard and
burned. This is especially important
If cutting is done in summer.
In infested districts frequent steril-
ization of all tools used during both
summer and winter pruning should
be made a regular practice, since 1t
may happen that an active canker
may be accidently cut into, the tools
become infected, and the disease thus
spread throughout the orchard. 1t
is good plan to sterilize the pruning
tools after pruning each tree, so that
if the tools should become infected
the disease would not be spread be-
yond the tree in which the source of
infection occurred.
Inspection
Every orchardist in an infested dis
trict should examine all pear and
apple trees at frequent intervals dur
ing the growing season and cut out
all diseased portions. The trees should
be particularly examined for cases OF
the collar rot. 1t is this form of the
disease that causes many trees to be
killed outright.
In infested regions, it has been found
practical by the most successful own.
ers of commercial orchards to keeI
in the orchard during the summer ant
fall one or more men whose sole duty
II is 10 locate and cut out all cases o.
blight cankers as soon as they ap
pear. This work of inspection ant
eradication can very profitably be car
ried on during the summer, and spec
ial attention should be given to in
spection in the fall, early winter, ant
early spring. If an orchard is gone
over carefully by trained inspectors II
fall and spring, and all cases of thi:
so-called "hold-over" blight are GU
out there will be no source of infec
ton in the spring and consequent!
no blossom blight.
| On account of the manner of dis
semination of the fire blight, this dis
ease is peculiarly a community prob
lem. While each individual growel
should take an active interest in tn,
disease and inform himself regardinl
(COntinued On mage AZ