Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1915-06-03

Slight OF Apple and Pear.
Blight is now prevalent on apple
and pear trees in nearly all parts of
Maryland. On some apple trees
practically all the fruit has been de-
strcyed. The loss in many orch
ards in the State is very serious.
This disease has been present TO
some extent ever since fruit was
first grown in this country, but some
years become verse than usual. II
is also found on wild hawthorn,
crab apple, service berry, and on
many similar cultivated shrubs. 1t
is very injurious TO ounces.
The blight first appears in the
blossoms. where the bacteria, which
causes it, are carried by bees or
sometimes other insects. The germs
multiply in the nectar of the flowers
and from a single such flower bees
may infect the whole orchard.
The disease spreads downward
from the flowers between the wood
and bark, killing two to ten inches
of the twig day, but later it pro-
crosses more slowly, and in apples
usually dies out on the young twigs;
but sometimes, and usually in pear,
1t keeps extending, killing large
branches, or the whole tree, or form
ing cankers in the bark in which
tie bacteria begins to multiply in
the exudIng sap around the cankers,
or sometimes in late infected twigs.
This is the source of infection in the
spring.
The blight often goes through
short spurs or sprouts or wounds of
any kind into the body of the tree,
even near or below the ground.
Many trees or large branches are
girdled and die i'm this way every
year.
CONTROL.
The most effective treatment con-
sists in cutting out the diseased
parts. In young orchards and in
nurseries where there is naturally
but little blight, and in old orchards
m seasons when blight is not serious,
by cutting out every blighted twig
and canker as soon as possible, Civ
ing special attention to the body
and base of the tree, bad outbreak
may be prevented i'm following
years. II is also necessary to de-
stroy all blight in the neighborhood
on wild or cultivated trees, as the
bees may carry it a long distance.
Bees are, however, necessary to
pOllenate the flowers.
When old bearing trees are badly
infected, winter is the best time TO
cut out the blight. The cuts on
large branches or in the trunk should
should be brushed with a disinfec-
tant and when dry protected bv
painting with white lead in linseed
oil. In cutting blight in the grow
ing season, II is important TO wipe
the pruning instrument after each
cut on cloth or sponge wet with
either carbolic acid, concentrated
lime-sulphur, per cent. formalin,
or other disinfectant to prevent re-
infection of the next cut. Cut
twigs several inches below where
the blight shows, as in spring the
germs extend much farther in than
they show on the outside.
Keep water sprouts and all spurs
off the trunk and main limbs of pear
and susceptible apple varieties SO
that one useless bllghted spur or
sprout may not girdle and destroy
whole branch of tree.
Some varieties, such as Yellow
Transparent, Wealthy, York I'm
perial and Fall Pippin apple and
Bartlett pear are very susceptible;
others like Keiffer ard Winesap are
less injured.
IL viii be seen from the above
that little can be done now in badly
affected orchards to prevent further
injury this season, but the commun-
ity should organize to prevent the
spread of this serious disease anoth-
er year. j. b. >. NORTON,
State Pathologist.