Salt Lake Herald-Republican | 1919-08-07 | Page 12 | Frost Caused Tree 'Blight,' Says Botanist

FROST CAUSED TREE BLIGHT SA YS BOTANIST r Firs and Spruces Injured in Cottonwood Canyon by Cold of May l Fear that a n n new new w and remarkably powerful blight ha had swept through h tho the thirty mile strip of forest orest land be between between between be- be tween Brighton and the Maxwell mine mineira in ira Big Cottonwood can canyon on killing hilling foliage fol tol- fol- fol inge and destroying trees and brush was dispelled yesterday by Marcus larcus' EJones E E. Jones a a. Salt Lake botanist and gist Persons traveling from Salt Lake to Brighton have commented latel lately on the peculiar color of ot the evergreen foliage In the wooded districts of ot the canyon nyon The leaves have turned red Nearly tenths nine-tenths of oC tho the aspen In Inthe tho the canyon canon has been killed according to an estimate made lJ by Mr lr Jones Tones Many lan large e firs and spruce trees have ha been heen rendered unfit as moisture conservers conservers conservers con- con servers and anti useless for Cor anything except firewood fi rewo o d. d Blight ht Would Ruin For Forest st Does Docs this tree treo death betoken a blight I No Ko says sas Mr Irr Jones If Ie a blight ht existed the forests of or the Wasatch would be ruined ruined millions millions of ot dollars lost and lost and tho the trees In the remainder o of the state imperiled The answer is Is frost On May I a 31 the district was In the grip of ot a a hea heavy frost Crost The eer evergreens reens were frozen The next morning morning- the sun sun coming coming- out strong thawed out the leaves rapidly and s Sl sp speeded evaporation e apo ration that the cells colls were broken This I la Is called sun scald according to o Mr Jones Weather r Cnn Can Ruin I Evergreens Eer It is the first t time In ira botanical history his his- tor tory he says sas that sun scald has ever er been recorded on an nn er e evergreen tree It was generally supposed that t a fir was fro frost t and sun proof The Time principle governing gO the sun- sun scald scriM phenomenon non he says as Is ex ex- ex In a homely wa way ns as follows Water ater your lawn In the middle of the thea day a The next t da dav it will be dead or tUrned yellow The The- reason Is tho the blades are chilled b by the water and the sun too rapidly oc occasions evaporation e so that the cell structures burst M Mr rr Jones Tones estimates that fir trees In the Wasatch forest though h not de destroyed destroyed destroyed de- de stroy-ed stroy totally have hae been set back In growth five lve years William Smith forest ranger for tor the Wasatch national forests forest substantiates tho the Jones Tones assertion n that a blight has nothing to do with Ith the destruction of ot tho the tr trees