97 



comes irrejiiilar and confused On old galls, soft, white, 

 growing points appear here and there in early spring, 

 which enlarging rapidly, become gradually darker and 

 harder, and by fall take on the appearance of the older 

 groAxth. 



There is much evidence that the crown-gall of the 

 peach, iipricot and almond is a contagious disease due 

 to a minute parasitic organism {Dendrophugas globosus 

 Tourney ) l>elongiug to a peculiar gi^oup of fungi known 

 as the "slime moulds," but this conclusion has not yet 

 b(^n fully verified for the apple, the pear, the respberry, 

 or, indeed, for any other of the numerous kinds of fruit 

 and ornamental trees and shrubs on which similar wart- 

 like growths have been observed. 



Until experimental \\ork now in progress has been car- 

 ried so far as to warrant conclusions on this point, 

 the crown-gall of the apple, now extremenly common in 

 manny nurseries of the Mississippi valley, can be re- 

 garded as a suspicious object, ancl not certainly as a dan- 

 gerous one. But the careful nurse^nnen, jealous of his 

 business reputation, will not send out even suspected ma- 

 terial, and in doubtful cases will give his customers 

 the benefit of the doubt. On this account I strongly ad- 

 vise that no stock of any kind showing galls of this sort 

 on crown, root or trunk should be placed on the 

 market. All trees growing in close contact with those 

 thus affected should have their roots dipped in Bordeaux 

 mixture as a precautionary disinfectant, and the ground 

 on which the stock so diseased has grown should be tem- 

 porarily used for some other purpose than that of raising 

 nursery stock. 



PEACH YELLOWS. 



It is American in its origin, and has been known for 

 about one hundred years. It is quite generally distrib- 

 nted over the Eastern States north of Tennessee and 

 North Carolina. Some of the most important peach sec- 

 tions of the East have suffered immensely from its de- 

 structive work and in not a few cases entire orchards 

 have been completely destroyed. It seems to prefer 

 peaches, but apricots, almonds, nectarines and Japanese 

 plums are not free from its attacks. 



Hoic to detect it. — If the affected trees is in bearing, 

 the first symptom is manifested in the premature ripen- 

 ing of the fruit, which may take place several weeks or 



