Show CAN PEAR ARDS BE RESTORED the following editorial nas as taken from tho the ogden 1 morning lorning examiner of july ath and it it applies to why would it not apply to 0 brigham city and box elder county harry B shaw assistant pathologist of the united states department of agriculture in charge of the agricultural experiment station in wilson lane to the west of ogden is an aa authority ou on plant disease and an expert on sugar plant investigations irions he was the first government goi eminent expert to point out the cenance roe nance to sugar beet culture of the weeds and rubbish on tile farms along the fences and highways of this part of utah mr shaw has studied pear blight and an editorial in this paper on that subject has brought from him the following U S Agil agricultural cultural experiment station ugaku utan july 4 1911 editor standard in your issue of june 3 ath I 1 note a s abt rt editorial under uie the caption pear blight conquered during the past few years I 1 have observed 0 with regret the havoc that has hal been wrought by pear blight in this state a regret deepened by the knowledge that in some localities the soil and climate are iery ery favorable to the production of the most delicious pears and by the further knowledge that it is possible to control if not entirely to prevent this injurious malady however lest any of 0 your readers should be misled by your hopeful lit tle tie article it may be said that while the canyon road orchard may this season escape a visitation of the blight it bno by no means follows that the scourge is conquered nor that other fruit growers may conclude it now safe 0 o plant pear trees in this vicinity 1 the number of such trees in this valley is vastly reduced through the inroads of alight blight whole orchards having baving been destroyed largely on this account pear blight is less prevalent than formerly simply because it has less material to work upon and survive in then too the development and spread of the disease is undoubtedly influenced by climatic conditions As most of your readers are probably aware this disease is caused by a microbe organism which gains entrance to the trees chiefly by way of the blossoms occasioning what is known as blossom blight from the blossoms tho the organism spreads alou along the inner bark baric of the twig and is then known as twig blight it if still unchecked and climatic conditions are favorable it may extend along the entire twig and invade the larger limbs until it reaches even the trunk finally killing the tree A sweetish sticky exudation appears on the affected parts this s visited by insects the insects in turn carry some of this substance which abounds in tho the disease producing germs from the affected trees to others in this manner the disease Is 15 chiefly lierly spread the germs may gain entrance through wounds in the bark as well as through the blossoms heavy rains will wash the germs from affected twigs to healthy ones it is unfortunately true that the choicer varieties of pear are the more susceptible conversely the common kandare kin dare more resistant apple trees also are occasionally attacked now as to the possibility of preventing or controlling the disease the method applied in the case of the canyon road orchard was an efficacious one as 1 ar x as it went furthermore this orchard has been favored by weather conditions and the possible remoteness of other pear trees in any considerable cumber number otherwise it may not have escaped even after the treatment mentioned As soon as blight Is noted in blos som or twig by the blackening of those parts as scorched the affected portions should bo be cut off about sin inches below the visible infection this should be done with a sharp knife that has been sterilized by dipping it in a saturated solution of corrosive sublimate of mercury in the orchard a sponge is commonly used this is saturated with the sublime solution and hung from the waist by a string after each cut the knife blade is wiped with the sponge to kill any germs that may have come from the ti t twig I already cut the stump from which the affected twing was cut should be dabbed with the sponge too this can be done more quickly than it takes to tell about it the diseased twigs should at once be gathered together and burned on no account should they be thrown down and left or insects would gouid again spread the germs from the diseased twigs this method will be successor successful provided that it is practiced by every one who has alas trees thus affected this means of bourse course that the matter will have to be controlled by the rigid enforcement of suitable state laws it will not do for one who has tor for example a single pear tree in his door yard to neglect it after it may have become affected wi with th such precautions pra cautions there seems to be no reason why a splendid pear industry should riot be built up and maintained I 1 in ll 11 portions of this state adapted to pear culture S signed ned HARRY HARKY D SHAW assistant Pat pathologist bolo 11 there is encouragement in the foregoing for those who would restore their pear orchards and yet there is a warning to the effect that while there is any pear blight in the orchard district there is danger of infection and the spreading of the disease to all orchards before pear culture is again attempted on a large scale pear blight bligh t should be as nearly wiped out as possible and as mr shaw suggests the should pass and rigidly enforce laws on pear blight wil without t lout waiting for state action local should carefully ob sen servi i the cautions offered by sir mr sho she ogden morning examiner |