Fighting the Orchard Blight
A University of Washington plant pathologist concludes that tree surgery is the only effective remedy for the fire blight plaguing the fruit trees of the Yakima Valley.
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That tree surgery is still the only sure remedy for fruit trees attacked by fire blight is the decision reached by Professor John Hotson, plant pathologist of the University of Washington, after research in the orchards of the Yakima valley this summer. Professor Hotson investigated claims for tree paint supposed to be a remedy, but after experiments, he reached a definite conclusion that surgery was necessary. He discovered that an apparently new disease attacking cherries was identical with the blight attacking pears and other fruit. He has proved that the blight does not die soon after exposure to sunlight, as was supposed, but survives sometimes more than a week, making it necessary for diseased parts removed from trees to be taken away to prevent contamination. According to Professor Hotson, an unusual amount of fruit has been attacked this year, evidenced by little brown patches on the leaves or reddish streaks in the bark and sap-wood.
“Tree surgery is still the only sure remedy for fruit trees attacked by fire blight.”
Agricultural science has advanced significantly since 1915, but the vulnerability of the region's orchard economy to disease remains a high-stakes concern for the Tri-Cities area and the broader Yakima Valley agricultural belt.
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