The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-12-04
Time TO DOCTOR
The FRUIT TREES
Pear Blight and Apple Canker
Should Be Eradicated.
Diseases Which Do Not Sue
cumb Readily to Spraying.
GERMS LURk IN DEAD LIMBS
No Evidence Is Visible to the
Naked Eye.
Bees and Other Insects Are
Busy Distributors.
GERMS LURK IN DEAD LIMBS

Now is the time for Kansas or
chardists to do some of the careful
work in the control of diseases and
pests, especially those of the apple
and pear. There are certain fungus
and bacterial diseases, particularly
pear blight and apple canker, which
are best worked upon at this time.
These diseases are principally con-
trolled by the eradication method,
rather than spraying. With both
these diseases it is not only a matter
of convenience, but a fortunate thing
that some of the most important work
can be done at this season.
Pear blight is a bacterial disease
which works mostly in the fleshy,
growing, tender parts of the tree, in
Guiding 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, ounce
and other related fruits of the pomt
family. While the leaves are attacked
to some extent. particularly the leaf
leaves, the main killing of the foliage
results from the death of the twigs
and branches on which the leaves are
located. The dead branches and 9TH
er parts give no evidence to the naked
eye of the cause of their death and
thus esemble somewhat limbs killed
by fire; hence the name fire blight.
particularly with blight on the apple,
is often applied.
Bees Carry Disease.
The germs get into the tree in sew
eral ways First and most important
ic- z he hi &c O. a mr. nj ar
insects carry the germs from the gum
my exudate on the hold-over blight
to the opening blossoms and infeSt the
hectares of the flower. Bees and
other insects carry the germs from
blossom to blossom and tree to tree
and even to adjacent orchards and
spread the disease rapidly during the
blooming period. During the present
season pear blight has been particu-
larly bad, especially the blossom blight
on both pears and apples. The out
break of 1915 stands out as one of
the worst in history, particularly OF
account of the unusual amount of
blossom blight on the apple.
Next in importance after the bios
som blight and in some cases the
most serious phase of the disease, Is
the infection of the tender tips OF
growing twigs. Thousands of these
young twigs may be killed on single
large apple or pear tree. The blight
may extend from the infections on the
blossoms or from the twigs down onto
the larger branches, thence to the
body of the tree. The branches,
bodies, and more particularly the col
lar and even the root system of the
tree, may be infected directly by the
germs. The infection may come from
a fruit spur, water sprout, or even n
sprout from the root, or the germs
may be introduced by punctures by
insects, birds, implements, or other
means, directly into the fleshy bark,
or even may enter, in certain cases,
growth cracks. Ordinarily
the cuticle of the tree protects it from
the entrance of the germs, otherwise
there would be much more deStruc-
ton of trees than actually occurs
Each infection, no matter where 1t
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 an the tree, 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 its death. |
Zach infection is to be looked upon as /
a definite, limited, diseased area The T
part attacked is usually destroyed, (
though the disease may occur in the 4
outer Heshy bark of the limbs and 4
branches without always penetrating |
TO the cambium. When the cambium