FORTY-FIRST ANNUAL REPORT. 51 



it as from any legitimate business. And if yon will only dig- yon will 

 wear diamonds in the end. 



CONTROLLING FRUIT DISEASES. 



♦■ EDWARD HUTCHINS, FENNVILLE. 



Members of the State Horticultural Society — I want to congratulate 

 you on having these various pests and diseases to combat. I do not know 

 whether you will appreciate the congratulations or not, but did it ever 

 occur to you that if we did not have any diflflculties to contend with, if 

 all that was uecessary to do in order to grow fruit was to plant the 

 trees and in a short time go and pull fruit off, it would not be worth 

 the pulling off? One speaker yesterday morning, if I remember cor- 

 rectly, said that last season there were one hundred thousand trees 

 planted in Mason county. I wonder hoAV many of these trees will ever 

 come to bearing age? If all the trees the nurseries sold were all right 

 and continued to bear, the orchards would be so numerous there would 

 be nothing in the fruit business, whatever. It is with fruit growing as 

 with everything else, where we have to contend with difficulties, if we 

 rise above them and suraiount the obstacles we bring success out of 

 what would otherwise be failure. Science has discovered that the people 

 in the torrid zone where with little efforts all that they may require is 

 produced, and all that the}- have to do is to reach out their hands and 

 take what is necessary to supply their needs, never amount to anything. 

 In the frigid zone where the struggle is more than a man can surmount, 

 there also he fails to reach the highest development in point of civiliza- 

 tion, but that is not the subject I am to discuss. 



As I look into your faces the thought comes to me, I wonder how 

 many there are here Avho are actually troubled with diseases of trees? 

 And how many have overcome these difficulties? (No response.) Well, 

 perhaps I am out of place with that question. Now, I would like to ask 

 you how many of you have the yellows? 



A voice — More of us have the ''blues." 



You cannot be in this meeting very long before you will get over the 

 blues at least. 



There are some diseases of orchard trees which may be controlled by 

 means of spraying or the removal of the affected parts. Fungous at- 

 tacks, such as scab, rots, mildews, etc., respond to treatment and blights, 

 canker, black knot and diseases of this nature may be successfully com- 

 batted by cutting away the diseased portions. Of such ailments it is 

 unnecessary for me to speak at this time. The bulletins of the experi- 

 ment stations give minute and explicit directions for the treatment of 

 all of these. These publications are in convenient form for preseiwation 

 and may be had for the asking. 



There are two diseases which attack the peach, however, concerning 

 which there is considerable complaint in various parts of Michigan which 

 do not surrender to any known treatment save the axe and the match. 

 These are the yellows and the little peach. While there is nothing new 



