The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-12-02

ter OCher crops nave been SaISIy HAT vested, that is most convenient for do- ling some of the careful work in the control of certain diseases and, pests. The control of peach borers and insect pests and fall spraying for San Jose fungous and bacterial diseases, parti- cularly pear blight and apple canker, which are best worked upon at this time. These diseases are principally controlled by the eradication methods rather than by. spraying. With both fthese diseases it is not only a matter of convenience but 1t 8 fortunate thing
 that some of the most important work of the season can best be accomplish ed at the time when it is most con- venient. The mild autumn days be- 1 fore the snow flies or disagreeable, rainy or cold weather comes give the very best opportunity for careful work and close. inspection.
 Pear Blight
 Pear blight is a bacterial disease which works mostly in the fleshy, growing, tender parts of the tree, in | cluding the blossom clusters, young twigs, and the bark of larger branches, and even on the body, collar, and root system of the tree Under certain | conditions the bacteria spread into the wood to a considerable extent. The
 disease attacks the pear, apple, quince, and other related fruits of the pome family. While the leaves are attacked i to some extent, particularly the leaf stems and nidribs of the younger leaves, the main killing of the foliage results from the death of the twigs and branches or which the leaves are located. The dead branches and other parts given no evidence to the naked eye of the cause of their death and thus resemble somewhat limbs killed | by fire; hence the name fire blight, particularly with blight on the apple, is often applied.
 How the Tree is Infected
 The germs get into the tree in sew LeraI ways. First and most important | is the blossom blight. Flies and other 1 insects carry the germs from the gum
 my exudate on the ho1d-over blight to the opening blossoms and infect the rnectaries of the flower. Bees and other insects carry Nthe germs from blossom to blossom and tree to tree and even 7 adjacent orchards and spread the disease rapidly during the blooming period. During the present season pear blight has been parucu- 1arly bad, especially the blossom blight on both pears and apples The Eoutbreak of 1915 stands out as. one sof the worst in history, particularly on account Of the unsua1 amount of blossom blight on the apple.
 Next in importance after the blos- som blight and in some cases the most SeT1OuS pAaSO OF the Q1SSASS, IS the infection of the tender tips of growing twigs. Thousands of these young twigs may be killed on a single large apple or pear tree. The blight may extend from the twigs down on to the larger branches, thence to the body of the tree. The branches, bod ies, and more particularly the collar and even the root system of the tree, may come from 8 fruit spur, water sprout, or even 8 sprout from the root, or the germs may be introduced by punctures by insects, birds. imple-
 nents, or other means. directly into the fleshy bark, or even may enter, in certain cases, through growth cracks. Ordinarily the cuticule of the tree protects it from the entrance of the germs. otherwise there would be much more destruction of trees than actually occurs.
 Each infection, no matter where it occurs, should be looked upon as an individual case of pear blight. The diseases resulting from the various modes of attack for convenience are given various names. such as blossom blight, twig blight, body blight, collar blight, and root blight The lower down on the tfee, as a rule, the more dangerous is the blight. The tree may have a thousand or more twigs and blossoms killed in the top and not be seriously or permanently injured, while a single case of body blight or collar blight may result in it's death. Each infection is to be looked upon as a definite, limited, diseased area. l The part attacked is usually destroy ed, though the disease may occur in the outer nesny bark of the limbs and branches without always penetrating to the cannbiuIn. When the cambium or vital layer between the wood and l bark is killed, death of that particu- lar area of course, results. Secondary Control Measures
 For various reasons spraying has not been practically successful in com trolling the disease. The eradication method, or actually cutting out the diseased area is the principal way of l controlling pear blight. Other meth ods, such as withholding stable man lure and nitrogenous fertilizers, mod crate cultivation withholding it | completely. seeding the orchard down | to grass or clover, or sowing rank i growing cover crops after the blight 1 appears in the spring, such as cow | peas and sorghum in the Middle 1 States, oats, Inillet, or similar crops | in the Northern States, all help in a, l secondary way in reducing the sever ity of the blight In the irrigated | orchards the use of the minimum | visable,
 Direct Eradication
 The main method of controlling pear blight, however, consists in cut ting out the diseased tissue wherever found and disinfecting the wound and the instruments to avoid spreading the , disease. In the great majority of i cases fortunately the blight comes to a definite standstfl1 in the bark, after killing a certain distance, and stops. | The germs die out in the dead bark, crack or crevice forms between the | live and dead bark, and the case ends itself naturally and heals out. In many eases, however, the disease, while dying out in the older parts, keeps on spreading on the margin, the germs renewing themselves by