The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1915-06-03
BLIGHT OF APPLE And PEAR
Prof Norton, Of The Experiment.
Station, Gives Instruct ions For
Its Control,

Blight is now prevalent on apple and
pear trees in nearly all parts of Mary
land. On some apple trees practically
all the fruit has been destroyed. The
loss in many orchards 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 becomes
worse than usual. 1t is also found on
/ wild hawthorn, crab apple, service
berry and en- many similar cultivated
shrubs. 1t is very injurious to ounces.
The blight first appears in the bios
SONS. 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 /" God and bark,
killing two to ten inches of the twig
day, but later 1t progresses more slow
ly, and in apples usually dies out on the
young twigs; but sometimes usually in
pear. it keeps extending, killing large
branches, or the whole tree, or forming
cankers in the bark in which the bac-
terra begin 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 in
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 in seasons when
blight is not serious, by cutting out
every blighted twig and canker as soon
as possible, giving special attention to
the body and base of the tree, a bad
outbreak may be prevented in follow
ing years. 1t is also necessary to de-
stroy all blight in the neighborhood on
wild or cultivates trees may carry it
long distances. Bees are. however,
necessary to, polenate the flowers.
When old bearing trees are badly in
fected, winter is the best time to cut
out the blight. The cuts on large bran
ches or in the trun!, should be brushed
with disinfectant and when dry pro-
tected by painting with white lead in
linseed oil. In cutting blight in the
growing season, it is important to wipe
the pruning instrument after each cut
on cloth er sponge wet with either
carb Ole acid, concentrated lime-sulfur,
5 per cent. formalin, or other disinfec-
tant to prevent reinfection of the next
cut. Cut twlgs 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
and susceptible apple varieties so that
one useless blighted spur or sprout may
not girdle and destroy whole branch
of tree.
Some varieties, such as Yellow Trans
parent, Wealthy, York Imperial and
Fall Pippin apple and Bartlett pear are
very susceptible, others like Keiffer
and Winesap are less injured.
1t will be seen from the above that
little can be done now in badly affected
orchards to prevent further injury this
season, but the community should
to prevent the spread of this
serious disease another year.
j. B. S. NORTON,
State PathOlOpist