76 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY, 



• 



promptly pulls out and burns any tree which shows any symptoms of the 

 disease, and sets a new tree in its place, while the shiftless, negligent man 

 will not do it, and his orchards fail, leaving him poor in pocket and spirit, 

 while the first named man reaps the fi.nancial reward of his enterprise and 

 ability to understand the situation. 



Curl-leaf is undoubtedly caused by severe or sudden changes in temper- 

 ature, following a rapid and successful growth of foliage, and may be 

 prevented in great measure by withholding all cultivation of the soil until 

 settled warm weather. Still, when climatic conditions are right, there will 

 always be curl-leaf, and it is a much more serious matter than many people 

 suppose. But here, again, science comes to our rescue, for at our experi- 

 ment stations it has been demonstrated that spraying with Bordeaux 

 mixture effectually checks the spread of this trouble, and if begun in 

 season it may prevent it entirely. 



RECENT IMPROVEMENT IN VARIETIES. 



Much has been learned during the last few years about varieties. We 

 have discovered that some varieties resist both yellows and curl-leaf better 

 than others. We have also learned that some varieties will endure a range 

 of temperature of as much as ten degrees lower than the old varieties; and 

 that the best variety for one locality is not always the best for another. 

 Consequently to advise about varieties might be a mistake. The best plan 

 is to plant such varieties as are known to be hardy, early, and prolific; but, 

 while the early varieties (like Amsden, Alexander, Waterloo, etc.) fill this 

 bill, their utter worthlessness in other respects condemn them. Early 

 Rivers and Hale are better and pay very well in our northern counties, but 

 in the southern are hardly worth planting, when compared with such varie- 

 ties as Lewis, St. John, or Early Michigan, all freestone, hardy, productive, 

 and good. 



Among the known good later varieties are Gold Drop, Wager, Stevens' 

 Rareripe, Barnard, Snow's Orange, Smock, and a few others of this class, 

 with Elberta, Kalamazoo, and Conklin as among the very promising new 

 ones. There are other varieties which will soon be offered, which, it is 

 thought, will excel all the older sorts. Let us hope so. 



HONESTY IN MARKETING. 



Line upon line, page after page, has been written upon the advantages 

 of packing and marketing all kinds of fruit- honestly, both as regards the 

 package itself and the manner of packing; but a very little observation of 

 our city markets will soon convince any one that a large majority of fruit- 

 growers and packers have never heard of the golden rule, or else think that 

 it does not apply in their case; but experience is a dear school, and the 

 only one in which some fools learn, and the one in which some of our good 

 people are taking expensive lessons annually, and in their blind ignorance 

 ascribing all their failures and woe to other men. 



GENERAL DISCUSSION OF THE PEACH QUESTION. 



Mr. Hawley to Mr. Morrill: What are the best varieties for profit, 

 and which are the least subject to leaf-curl? 



