South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1916-12-24
NE Willy PORTED
DISEASE OF TREES
Dangerous FUNGUS Malady
Attacking POpIarS Comes
From Europe.

WASHINGTON, Dec. %. The
p3plars Of th,s country are now
threatened By a dangerous fungous
disease which has evidently been
imported in recent years from Eu-
rope. This disease attacks the
twigs. limbs, and trunks of the
black and Lombardy poplars CpOpu-.
lus nigra) and of the Carolina pop
lars or cottonwoods (pOpulis delto-
ides), and may be expected 10 at
tack other species OF poplars and
cottonwoods i'm regions not yet in
vestigated, according 10 the plant
Psychologists of the United states
department of agriculture.
This disease is caused by the
fungus dothichiza populea- 1t oc-
ours first in the form of cankers or
depressed dead areas in the bark
much in the same manner as i'm case
Of the blight of chestnut trees.
which is caused by a distinctly diff
ferent fungus The effect OF the
fungus on poplar and cottonwood
trees is as follows: Cankers are
formed at the point of attack,
spread rapidly and often girdle the
twig. Emb. or trunk at the point of
attack. killing the part above the
canker. Trees attacked on the
trunk become spike topped" The
death Of limbs and twigs gives the
trees a ragged appearance, which
spoils their beauty, and later kills
them. This is especially the case
with black poplars which are fire.
quently planted in rows along bou-
levards and avenues.
The European poplar-canker is
most severe i'm its effect on stored
and transplanted nursery stock.
Trees when I'm transit and when
heeled in the ground, or freshly
ransplanted i'm tbs spring, are read
lily attacked by the fungus and ruin
ed within a very short period Of
time. This disease is spread by
means of spores produced in fruit
ing bodies in the form of small
pimples or pustules in the bark of
the cankers From these pustules
ia sprinstime there are eXuded
small. sticky. cream-cOlOred tendrils
which soon change to a tawny =
olive or even a walnut-brown. These
tcndrils contain millions of spores
which spread the disease ia various
ways.
First Found in France.
The fungus causing European
poplar-canker was first found i'm
/ Troyes, France. and described in
1884. In 1908 the first serious out
/ break to be noted was reported and
( the disease described by the French
/ pathologist. Delacroix An out
break of the disease in Italy was
reported in 1907. This disease was
( first reported in America Oy a cor
+ respondent of the plant disease sur
( vey in 1915, from Massachusetts
and New Hampshire, but the casual
fungus was not correctly identified.
During the present year the patho-
logist Of the department found the
! disease prevalent in small areas in
certain districts in the following
states: New Hampshire, Massachu-
setts. Rhode Island. Connecticut
{ New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Della
ware, Maryland Ohio, Nebraska
and New Mexico. The centers of
infections appear TO be in every
case either certain nurseries now
known to contain diseased trees or
points where pOplars received from
such nurseries have been planted
As this disease was not known in
I the United States till recently. it is
evidently an imported one, and must
/ be dealt with as such.
Additional information as 10 the
/ extent of the spread Of this new
canker disease in the country is de-
sired Owners of diseased poplar
or cottonwood trees may greatly as
sist if they will notify the bureau OF
plant industry, United States depart
ment of agriculture.