344 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



pilfering of fruit and greater alacrity in removing diseased tree^; than ever 

 before. 



* ************* 



W. K. Iligley of the Michigan Univorsity, who has been devoting the past 

 two yt-ars to a scientific examination of the dread peach yellows, concludes 

 that the nature of the disease is fungoid, and claims to have found mycelia in 

 the trunk, branches, and in the fruit of affected trees, but none in the roots, 

 lie says the disease cannot spread by insects in the i"»ollen,bnt may be scattered 

 by the wind, as it carries the spores to a great distance. It may also be con- 

 veyed in the buds or by tlie juice on the pruning knife. The only remedy he 

 suggests is to cut and burn the diseased trees as soon as the malady makes its 

 apjicarance, and to exercise caution in procuring buds, and to use care in prun- 

 ing not to inoculate healthy trees by taking the knife used previously on dis- 

 eased trees, until it has been freed from the fungus germs by dipping in carbolic 

 acid or some other fungicide. He takes a hoiieful view, however. If each one 

 takes this care and is also careful to keep the orchard up to the standard culti- 

 vation, this malady which is troubling our orchardists to such an extent at 

 present will surely fall and become a thing oi' the past. He is quite positive, 

 considering the fact that man is noc so liable to contagious diseases if in per- 

 fect health and well nourished, that if the orchard is kei)t in the proper state 

 of cultivation it will not be as apt to contract this disease. 



************** 



The Prairie Farmer takes its turn at the subject: 



If the theory is well founded that the leaves elaborate juice tor the growth 

 of the Iruit, the leaves being deprived of proper nourishment the fruit cannot 

 mature. It has long been observed that trees affected with the yellows fruit 

 earlier and mature prematurely and soon decay. The presence of a larger 

 amount of sapin the unhealthy than in the healthy tree indicates an earlier and 

 greater flow than in that of the healthy tree. The presence of watery sap in 

 the leaves, twigs, and buds would induce luiturally an early growth of fruit 

 and premature decay. From these and other observations the disease seems 

 traceable to the body of the tree or roots. Applications of washes in this case 

 to the leaves would probably prove useless, but if it should be applied to the 

 bark and roots might possibly prove curative, and for that purpose, judging 

 from microscopic observations, the frequent application of hot lye as the best 

 substance is recommended. 



J. M. Asher, National City, Cal., writes so long ago as 1872 that the soil of 

 California is more or less impregnated with alkali, and he had never seen a 

 case of yellows in the State. Whether a speciOc for this disease will soon be 

 found leniains in doubt. In its attacks it seems to be epidemic, ravaging a 

 district of country for years, sometimes to such a degree as to destroy a major- 

 ity of the orchards, those of negligent cultivators suffering first and most. It 

 then declines, as it has done from time to time in the peach raising district of 

 the Atlantic coast, again and again to reappear. 



The best remedies are good fertilization and cultivation, setting no stocks but 

 those perfectly sound, using no knife on healthy trees that has been used on 

 affected ones until thoroughly disinfected with carbolic acid, and promptly 

 grubbing all trees at the first knowledge of their infection. 



************** 



The Country Gentleman, in answer to a correspondent's question, says: 

 The yellows is a distinct disease, conveyed from one tree to another, by pollen 



