PEACH YELLOWS* 281 



The other logical extremity is that taken by Prof. Huxley in his discussion 

 of the non-sexual reproduction of aphides, etc. According to this view all 

 the Crawford's Early or Old Mixon trees in existence are parts only of one 

 individual. These opposing views appear to be about equally absurd. 



PROPAGATIOIT BY MEANS OF IMPERFECT OR DISEASED PITS. 



There is undoubtedly some reason for believing that the disease is propa- 

 gated by diseased pits. I cannot state positively that trees j^rown from pre- 

 mature peaches will develop yellows, but I think it likely. There can be no 

 doubt that such seeds have an enfeebled vitality, and it is not likely that 

 they will give rise to robust trees. How great the danger may be from this 

 source I am unable to say. Some experiments of my own lead me to think 

 it is overestimated. Exact experiments to determine this point have not 

 been very numerous. 



Some years ago G. H. LaFleur, a well known nurseryman at Mill Grove, 

 Mich., made a number of trials to determine this. In his first experiment 

 he obtained, a few sickly looking seedlings from pits taken from trees having 

 the yellows. The growth was not to exceed 10 inches. They had the appear- 

 ance of unhealthy trees, and were pullc'l and burned. In his next experiment 

 he planted in the fall, without cracking, a peck of pits taken from trees hav- 

 ing yellows. None grew. The next season, 1881, he obtained a peck of pits 

 selected with great care from fruit showing yellows plainly. These were 

 placed in sand in the fall, in the same manner as he treated healthy pits. In 

 the spring he cracked them himself, and found only one in a normal condi- 

 tion. All the others had turned black or dark colored, and were mostly 

 decayed. The one pit which had the appearance of being sound was planted, 

 but never came up. 



Premature pits also failed to grow for Mr. H. E. Bidwell and Dr. J. C. 

 Arthur. 



In August, 1887, on the farm of T. J. Shallcross, Locust Grove, Md., I saw 

 about thirty seedlings planted by themselves in a garden and said to have 

 grown from premature peaches. Mr. Shallcross himself gathered and planted 

 the pits. The trees were somewhat smaller and seemed of a lighter green 

 than those in the nursery rows, but were apparently healthy. The under size 

 was thought to be accounted for by the fact of a late spring planting, pits 

 being usually put out in the fall. Part of these seedlings were inoculated in 

 my presence with diseased buds, part with healthy buds and the rest were 

 left unbudded. In the spring of 1888 some of each sort were sent to me at 

 Hubbardston, Mich., along with several hundred other trees, and set upon 

 my father's place. The packing was admirably done, and all the trees were 

 in excellent condition, except those which grew from the diseased pits. 

 These did not appear to have suffered in transit, but were, nevertheless, in a 

 very feeble condition, having not wintered well. Twenty-three of these trees 

 were received, and 19 were carefully set under my own direction, but when 

 examined in June all of them were dead. Three were not considered 

 promising enough to set. Of the other trees set at this time only an exceed- 

 ingly small per cent, had died. 



From field examinations I am also reasonably confident that seedlings some- 

 times grow from premature peaches, having seen them under diseased trees 

 C6 



