New York Agricultural Experiment Station. 153 



When a tree is affected with " little peach " all of the fruits 

 on any given branch are affected and are fairly uniform in size; 

 whereas, in the case under consideration, a normal fruit and 

 small fruits of various sizes may be found on the same small 

 branch. (Plate 11.) 



There are other important differences between " little peach " 

 disease and the effects of imperfect fertilization; but the two 

 above stated are sufficient to enable anyone to distinguish be- 

 tween them. It is important for fruit growers to note these 

 differences. Trees affected with " little peach " should be 

 promptly removed. They do not recover and it is possible that 

 they may be a source of infection to healthy trees. Imperfect 

 fertilization, on the contrary, is certainly not infectious, and 

 trees seriously affected one season may bear a full crop the fol- 

 lowing season. Consequently, it would be unwise to destroy 

 trees because of imperfect fertilization. 



Mr. G. Hiester,^ writing in the Country Gentleman for Novem- 

 ber 24, 1S98, states that in 1806 his orchard of 3,000 trees bore a 

 crop of imperfectly fertilized peaches. The following j-ear the 

 same trees gave " an abundant crop of perfect peaches." Evi- 

 dently Mr. Hiester had to do with a case similar to that observed 

 by us at Penn Yan, but he makes the serious mistake of con- 

 fusing it with the '' little peach " disease. 



Another case of imperfect fertilization was observed in a 

 peach orchard near Geneva. On the east side of the orchard 

 there were six rows of the variety Crosby and on the opposite 

 side six other rows of the same variety. Between the two 

 blocks of Crosby there were several rows of Brigdon and Red 

 Cheek Melocoton. The Crosby was so much affected with im- 

 perfect fertilization that the yield was only about one-sixth of 

 a full crop; while the other two varieties were affected but little. 

 According to the foreman in charge, the Crosbys were similarly, 

 but not so much, affected in 1900. 



■Hiestpr. Gabriel. Tbe Cause of Little Peaches. Country Gent., G3:92S. 

 24 X. ISOS. 



