98 



only a few days before the normal season of ripening. 

 Premature ripening may be due to other causes, but the 

 yellow peaches bear characteristic bright-red, measly 

 blotches over the skin and streaks of red through the flesh 

 often reaching to the pit. Another reliable symptom 

 is the pushing out of newly formed buds at the ends of 

 apparently healthy twigs or water sprouts, into short 

 shoots with small yellowish leaves. Such buds should 

 not normally put out until the following season. Also^ 

 the disease mav cause dormant buds on the trunk and 

 larger limbs to push into feeble, often branched shoots, 

 characterized by narrow stiff leaves. This stage is illus- 

 tated in figure 5, showing the abnormal growth on a 

 tree dying with the yellows. Affected trees may live for 

 three to five years, during which time they are graudally 

 weakened and finally the foliage becomes yellowish or 

 reddish in color. 



•wKiW 





u. 



Fig. 5. — Yellows the fourth year. 

 S. Dept. Agr.) 



(Smith, Farmers' Bui. No. 17, 



The term "yellows" is somewhat misleading. Quite a 

 number of supposed cases of yellows in this State have 

 been reported to the writer, but, upon investigation, the 



