THE FRUIT BLIGHT by J. Clarke

Publishing Committee · Battle Creek, Mich. · Apr 16, 1861

THE FRUIT BLIGHT.

By J. Clarke

“And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from thee.” Rev. xviii, 14.

“And the apple tree, even all the trees of the field are withered.” Joel i, 13.

Those engaged in fruit culture, well know that fruit trees have not done well for a number of years. There is a blight upon all kinds of fruit trees. The pear blight is peculiarly destructive; often whole orchards are destroyed from this cause. In once instance that I know of, a gentleman showed me (two years ago) a single twig. “That,” said he, “is all that remains of forty dollars' worth of young pear trees lately set out.” As to apple trees, I can testify that they are dying. The wood is unsound.

I have practiced grafting for some nine years, and it is now very uncertain whether grafts will grow in old orchards or young orchards, whereas eight or nine years since, I did not lose generally more than from three to ten per cent. The Dollar Weekly Times in its agricultural column not a great while since, said:—

“Of the necessity of planting new apple trees there can be no question with any one who looks abroad all over the North Eastern states. The old orchards are rapidly wasting; not because the natural period of old-age decay has come, but from a prevailing and unaccountable cause of death. The leaves in summer lose their lively green color, new wood is not formed, and the old wood dries up and dies, sometimes whole limbs, and sometimes only the outer twigs; and the fruit grows gnarly and almost worthless, and at length the tree is only a cumberer of the ground.

“It is of no use to contend against the fact that there is a general blight upon apple trees. Remember that the day of old orchards is gone by.”

The potato blight is perhaps as striking and remarkable an event as any on record of the kind. Something like twelve or fifteen years ago the potato crop was nearly destroyed by an unaccountable disease which infected not only whole fields, but seemed at once to fall upon the potato crop all over the earth (I think) not upon a state or county, but at once, the poor man's food was nearly annihilated. Distress and famine followed. Ireland buried her thousands of starved wretches, whose sufferings were extreme; and the wail of her agony was heard across the ocean (and cargoes of food were transported to her shores, which gifts were speculated upon by hard-hearted men there, and much was kept on hand until it spoiled in the ware-houses); other parts of Europe were distressed on the same account; in this country the loss was severe, although the abundance of other crops prevented famine.

Since that time the potato crop has been a very uncertain crop, so much so that many farmers are obliged to buy their seed in the spring. The disease remains, and is seen in many fields, perhaps most fields bear some marks of it, more or less.

The potato blight was general, we heard of it from every quarter of the globe; scientific men have endeavored in vain to find its cause or remedy.

Consider such facts as these, at such a time as this, and as you meditate upon them, answer the query, if they are not the forerunners of the fulfillment of such prophecies as Rev. xviii, 14, and Joel i, 8–20.

J. CLARKE.