196 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



The disease is very destructive in both states. Mr. T. C. Wells of 

 Manhattan, Kansas, lost his entire orchard in* two years. Mr. K. C Fryer 

 of Shiloh, Georgia, has lost several orchards, each in a space of about 

 three years. In other parts of Georgia the disease has progressed less 

 rapidly, but no less surely. About Griffin, Georgia, the seedling-peach 

 orchards, and the wild plums have suffered most, but the disease has been 

 in the budded orchards for some time, and is gaining ground every year. 

 Next to peach yellows, I regard it as the most dangerous enemy to peach 

 culture in the United States. In some respects it is worse than yellows,, 

 because it runs its course more speedily and is more apt to take the entire 

 tree from the start. Should it become as prevalent in Kansas and Georgia 

 as yellows now is in north Maryland and Delaware, profitable peach-grow- 

 ing will be entirely out of the question. 



II. INOCULATIONS. 



Experiment 1. — One hundred and twenty-five trees were selected for this 

 series of inoculations. They were grown in 1889 by J. D. Husted, Vine- 

 yard, Georgia, and formed part of a nursery of several thousand seedlings 

 which were not budded that year, but were cut to the ground in the spring 

 of 1890, so as to be suitable for budding the following summer. All of 

 them appeared to be healthy and the shoots of the season were vigorous 

 and in good condition for inoculation. The trees selected were the outer 

 five rows in the southeast corner, and were not different in appearance 

 from the rest of the nursery. 



The buds for inoculation came from several five-year-old trees in an 

 orchard on the same farm. These trees were badly diseased in all parts,, 

 but were vigorous and free from any sign of disease in 1889. They were- 

 dug out and burned soon after the buds were taken, but, judging from the 

 rapid progress of the disease in other trees similarly affected, they would 

 not have lived through the growing season. It was impossible to find 

 dormant buds, so I selected the base of such diseased shoots or rosettes 

 as had pushed only a little way, removing from them all of the foliage. 

 They were cut June 21, 1890, and inserted the same day, two into each 

 tree, in the customary way. The inoculation was skillfully performed,, 

 and an examination two weeks later showed that nearly all of the buds 

 had healed on satisfactorily and were alive. As in Part 1, Experiment 2 r 

 the tops of the seedlings were purposely allowed to remain. 



Some of these trees began to show signs of disease in August, i. e. r 

 within two months, but they were not examined until November 3, i. e., 

 four months and twelve days from the date of inoculation. Then a careful 

 examination revealed the following conditions: Of the 125 seedlings which 

 were inoculated, fifty-seven were healthy, sixty-six were diseased, and two 

 appeared to be dead. 



In six of the fifty-seven healthy, one or both of the inserted buds had 

 pushed into diseased growths; in the rest, the buds had made no growth 

 (the majority), or only a slight growth of uncertain character. In most 

 cases the bark inserted with the buds was still living. 



Sixty-six of the stocks had the same disease as the trees from which the 

 buds were cut. The diseased shoots pushed out indifferently above or 

 below the inserted buds, or from both places. These stocks might have 

 been grouped into four classes according to the severity of the symptons: 

 (1) Doubtful, 4; (2) very slight symptoms readily overlooked, 20; (3) 



