120 PEACH LEAF CURL'. ITS NATURE AND TREATMENT. 



much smaller fruit than a properly thinned tree, even upon exceed- 

 ingly rich soil. The facts given in both the preceding text and table 

 show clearly, however, that the severe attack of curl in the spring of 

 1895 drew upon the vitality of the unsprayed trees as heavily as did 

 the excess of 650 peaches each on the sprayed trees.- Otherwise stated, 

 the trees averaging 300 peaches were drawn upon as heavily by the 

 attack of curl, combined with the maturing of 300 peaches, as were 

 the sprayed trees in maturing 950 peaches. If this had not been the 

 case, the unsprayed trees would have better nourished their crop, and 

 would have produced larger and heavier fruit than those which were 

 sprayed. These facts should receive the attention of all thoughtful 

 growers, as no one can afford to have his trees drawn upon to the 

 extent of two-thirds of a crop of peaches without return, even when 

 frost or other causes would not have allowed him a crop on sprayed 

 trees. To permit trees thus to suffer from curl even in such a year 

 would be equivalent to draining them of much vitality, even though 

 they failed to show this drain in the reduction of wood or fruit buds 

 for the ensuing year. But it has already been shown that a marked 

 reduction in the number and quality of fruit l)uds is a result of a 

 spring attack of curl. The soil is also certain to sustain an unnec- 

 essary drain upon its resources. 



Another phase of this subject is made clearer by the above table. 

 There are very many varieties of peaches so resistant to leaf curl that 

 the fruit does not drop, even when a large percentage of the leaves 

 are lost. Many growers leave such varieties unsprayed, thinking that 

 the saving of the fruit is the all-important point, and that the loss of 

 the spring foliage alone does not warrant the spraying of such varie- 

 ties. The above facts will show the error of such deductions. When 

 the loss of the foliage upon the Lovell is equal to the drain upon the 

 tree brought about in maturing two-thirds of a crop, the loss of the 

 foliage upon a semiresistant variety must be approximately the same. 

 This drain will be apt to show also in the size and weight of the fruit, 

 if not in the number of peaches. Certainly no grower is warranted 

 in leaving any variety unsprayed simply because that variety holds its 

 fruit in spite of the loss of foliage. The trees have suffered in such 

 a case, and the orchardist can scarcely avoid feeling the loss in the 

 reduced vigor of his trees, the reduced weight and size of his fruit, 

 and the added drain upon his soil. 



COLOR OF SPRAYED AND UNSPRAYED FRUIT. 



The Lovell peach is normally a fruit of line color, Init under the 

 action of certain of the sprays used its color was greatly heightened. 

 In observing this action of the sprays no color scale was used, but the 

 marked brightening on certain sprayed rows was too distinct to be 

 mistaken by the most careless observer. This heightening of color 



