240 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



north of South Haven and a few miles only from the lake shore. Rev. J. F. 

 Taylor, for six years yellows commissioner of Saugatuck township, and for 

 twenty years a resident, writes as follows concerning the appearance of the 

 disease in that locality: 



Yellows appeared here first in 1873 or 1874. In an orchard south of mine about two 

 milefl [orchard of Robert Linn J one tree produced some beautiful red fruit. No one 

 knew the cause of the changed color. This orchard contained about 300 trees. After 

 this tree had borne such fruit a y^ar or two it was pronounced diseased with yellows. 

 The man refused to cut it down, and in about eight years all of his trees (300) were 

 dead by the eflfects of this contagious disease. The same year (1873 or 1874). twjo miles 

 east of my orchard, another man |D. W. Wiley] found three or four trees in his 

 orchard of 6.000 tree which had yellows. He did not know the appearance of affected 

 fruit and went to Saint Joseph to learn what effect yellows had on tree and fruit. He 

 cut and dug out these trees and planted new ones in their places, which grew and bore 

 [healthy] fruit. This orchard has suffered but little from yellows. 



Yellows does not appear to have spread rapidly at first. Harrison Hutchins, 

 of a neighboring village, himself a well known peach grower, writes: 



Peach yellows made its appearance on the lake shore [12 to 14 miles north of South 

 Haven] about ten years ago, and one or two years later [1878 or 1879J about Fennville, 

 6i miles east of the lake. 



Peaches were grown in the lake shore townships from the earliest settle- 

 ment ; commercial orchards were planted in 1862, and by 1872 the business of 

 peach growing had become general. Two years later, 1874, Henry S. Chubb, 

 made a careful canvass and found that in two townships only, Ganges and 

 Saugatuck, the number of peach trees in orchard exceeded 62,000. The 

 name of each grower is given and the number of acres or the number of trees. 

 There are many comments on the healthy appearance of individual orchards, 

 and no mention is made of yellows. 



In other words, peaches were grown in western Allegan in constantly 

 increasing numbers, unmolested by yellows for a period of not less than thirty 

 years, even on the assumption that the disease appeared there considerably 

 earlier than the earliest date assigned. 



G. H. LaFleur, a nurseryman at Millgrove, says that yellows first appeared 

 in the township of Casco in or about the year 1874. ''From that point it 

 gradually spread until it reached Ganges and Saugatuck. I first saw it at 

 Fennville in 1876." Three years after its appearance at Fennville, yellows 

 appeared in Allegan township, on a favorable elevation, in an orchard grow- 

 ing on some of the best soil in the county. 



Mr. LaFleur adds: 



I think the disease prevails in nearly every town in the county where peaoh trees are 

 growing, although some parts are almost exempt as yet. 



In answer to inquiries concerning the extent of injury done to orchards 

 about Fennville, Mr. Hutchins writes: 



I tliink one-tenth of all bearing trees has been affected with yellows; not nearly as 

 large a per cent near the lake. I am lA miles west of Fennville, and out of 5,000 bear- 

 ing trees I have lost nearly 5 per cent. 



To the question: Has peach growing been discouraged to any great extent 

 by yellows? he replies: "I think not. In some few instances, perhaps, but 

 not generally." 



To similar inquiries respecting Saugatuck township. Rev. J. F. Taylor 

 makes a similar reply. 



In western Allegan, as a whole, peach growing is on the increase. Accord 



