PEACH BELLOWS. 249 



limbs, and the shoot-axes of the season. This tree was six years old and well 

 developed. If it hung full of healthy peaches the previous year, as I have 

 reason to believe, from the assurances of the owner and his tenant, then it 

 must have become diseased some time between September, 188G, and June or 

 July, 1887, unless we assume that the tree may be diseased for some time 

 without external manifestation. 



As already noted, premature peaches were frequently observed upon branches 

 apparently sound.' 



In one instance numerous secondary shoots grew out erect, along the whole 

 length of the branches much as if the tree had been defoliated and were mak- 

 ing a desperate effort to get new leaves ; yet the terminal shoot-axes of this 

 tree (the spring shoots) had, in every instance, made a good growth of one to 

 two feet, and bore full grown, dark green leaves, except on some small 

 branches in the center of the tree where they were beginning to look yellow- 

 ish green and unhealthy. In this tree even the terminal shoots were begin- 

 ning (August 16) to put out miserable, starved branches one to two inches long, 

 from the axils of their lower leaves; and I am inclined to think it may have 

 been affected in some part of the previous season. 



These two symptoms — prematurely ripe, red spotted peaches; and pale, 

 diseased, dwarfed shoots, strongly inclined to prolepsis and polycladia — are 

 the only ones I could find in trees that were healthy the year before. Most 

 frequently both symptoms were present. In some parts of the country, how- 

 ever, the diseased shoots do not appear so abundantly, and sometimes not at 

 all until the second year. Perhaps seasonal or climatic peculiarities may 

 control this. They are certainly more numerous in rainy than in dry seasons. 



SECOND TEAK OF ATTACK. 



The symptoms of the second year include those of the first, and there are 

 several additional ones. 



The fruit is usually smaller and less abundant, and the kernel is often 

 abortive. The flavor of the fruit is also very inferior. It prematures with 

 the same general appearance as the first season. Quite often the tree is 

 barren, if diseased throughout. I have observed many such instances. 



The diseased shoots continue to grow from the affected limbs, those of the 

 previous year, if any grew, being for the most part dead. 



There is also a progressive development of the disease, more and more of 

 the tree becojj^iing involved. In other words, it appears first to be a local 

 disease ; then, later on, a general one. Quite often, the first season, only 

 one limb or a few limbs are diseased, but additional limbs are invariably 

 affected the second year. I know of no exception to this. The first year of 

 attack it is comparatively infrequent to find a tree diseased in all its parts ; 

 the second year it is somewhat rare to find many sound branches; often there 

 are none. 



Another symptom, not very noticeable the first year, is the dwarfed, yel- 

 lowish or reddish-brown, and more or less curled and inrolled appearance of 

 the entire foliage of the tree, or at least of all that on limbs diseased the pre- 

 vious year. This appearance renders diseased orchards plainly distinguish- 

 able at some distance, and no doubt gave rise to the name yellows, as applied 



1 The foliage of many such branches was observed to be yellow and badly diseased in |1888, and 

 generally the shoot-axes of that saason were also much dwarfed. 



