Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1914-04-02
The Strawpile
RIiuht in Fruit Trees.

Blight was bad last year in Mis-
souri, Many an orchardist knows TINS
TO his cost 1t is likely to be bad
again this year If no work Is done In
the orchards before the coming grow
ing season.
II YOU are one Of the many whose
trees suffered from the blight last
wear. you should get out into your or
chard as soon as possible-get your
neighbors out, too-to look Tor signs
OF the disease. They will not be hard
to find Wherever the blight bacteria
have been at work, they leave trail
of dead fruit spurs. with dead BIOS
SONS, or fruit. or leaves still hanging
to them; dead spots In the bark
around the base Of dead fruit spurs
or water sprouts: and dead areas even
in the bark of large limbs and the
main trunk.
And when you find these signs OF
blight, hunt up the pruning knife and
the saw Get all your neighbors to do
the same thing. One badly blighted
orchard in a community, not cleaned
up, can furnish infection enough-car-
ried by bees or other insects-to cause
trouble in all the others that have
been cleaned up.
But when you are ready to go to
work. don't waste time and money on
cutting out the numberlcss blighted
fruit spurs There are no living germs
in them, or at least. only very few.
Careful investigation In various parts
of the country has shown that they
have little to do with spreading infec-
ton in the spring.
The principal use for the pruning
tools is on water sprouts and on
limbs from one-fourth of an inch to
one and half inches in diameter,
where blight cankers have been formed
| at the base Of fruit spur or water
! sprout Cut out all such limbs, maxi
ing the cut at least four inches below
the canker. This is done to remove
germs which may be alive in the green.
! healthy looking bark around the can
/ ker.
1t is not certain that blight can be
! spread from all twig and limb cankers,
but it Is certain that it can be spread
from some Of them. Pears are worse
than apples in this respect, but the
danger is real and serious on apples
alone. So, to be on the safe side, cut
out all Of the limb cankers.
| Scrape out and cut out blight can
kers on the trunk and large limbs
clear down to the sound wood, and
out three or four inches into the seem
iingly healthy bark around them. Take
care, OF course, not to girdle the tree
II that should seem necessary. to get
all the canker, the tree is in such bad
condition that it would be benefited
very little by any sort Of treatment.
Cleanse all wounds made in thit
work with disinfectant made by dis.
solving fourteen one-grain tablets Of
mercuric chloride in one quart Of wat
er. This solution is poisonous ant
must be handled carefully. Dip tn.
saw and pruing shears in the sam.
solution after each cut is made o.
canker dug out, or at least after each
tree is finished. This may seem ar
unnecessary waste Of time. it is not
however. for it prevents all possibilit,
Of carrying the disease from one lint
or tree to another.
d After disinfecting. paint all wound!
with mixture Of pure white lead ant
raw linseed oil or with some one p
the pruning compounds put out b!
paint and chemical companies.
And, finally. finish the job, and fin
! ish It right by burning all the deaf
. and diseased material you have Gu
out, Not to do this would be as sensi
BILE az to leave cholera hogs wher
they die and trust the other hogs no
to ret the disease.-State fruit expert
ment station, Mountain, Grove, Mo.
Some Spoiled SiIase Experiences.
Many Of our correspondents haV
| had trouble with spoiled silage TIL
year. Instead Of its being mold