At a meeting of the Farmer's Club of Lancaster County, Nebraska, as reported by a correspondent of the Country Gentleman, Prof. Bessey exhibited the Bacteria obtained from a diseased apple shoot, and which, by inoculation will produce the disease again in healthy shoots.

"The question of a remedy was discussed at length. Mr. J. H. Masters, ex-president of the State Horticultural Society, gave his belief, and said : If a man will cut off every blighting twig as it appears, and burn them, he can soon clear his orchard of blight.' And this was the opinion of the club. Prof. Bessey said it must be borne in mind that the disease extends much farther down the twig than is shown upon the exterior, and the juice taken from a blighted twig, eight inches below the apparent limit of the disease, was shown to be swarming with bacteria. He dwelt upon the importance of using a clean knife, or the disease would be communicated to healthy wood; the knife could be cleaned by dipping it into carbolic acid".

Now, as we understand it, the germs of bacteria are omnipresent, ever ready to start into growth when circumstances favor their development. It is conceded, we believe, that when these germs are in a state of active development, and are then in the condition of virus, it will then, if actually introduced into a subject by inoculation, spread into that new subject in a rnanner that the inactive germ itself would not do. It will therefore seem to be good practice to wipe pruning knives as Prof. Bessey recommends. But we cannot understand what is to be gained by cutting the twigs off and burning them. If the spores are ever present, burning a few will be like bailing the ocean with a bucket. If the bacteria be in the sap that circulates through the tree, cutting off the dead parts will not help that which is left. But we are open to enlightenment by those who know.