LOSSES FROM THE DISEASE. 21 



by [)l:icin<2; an iivtM-ajio loss for all orchards. 'Vho loss may ))o viowod 

 in still anothor inaniKM-. If an orchardist has o-ro\vn poaches for 82 

 years and lost only one crop during that time from leaf curl his loss 

 for the third of a century will average as high as here calculated. 



There are large sections of the country where curl is scarcely known, 

 as in portions of Texas. For such regions the preceding estimates may 

 appear high. On the other hand, there are other prominent sections 

 of the country devoted to peach culture where these estimated losses 

 will cei-tainh' be far too low. 



If the preceding calculations and statements are accepted as faii'ly 

 representing the situation throughout the country, the annual losses 

 fi'om curl in the United States may 1)0 approximated. The Eleventh 

 Census reports the orchards of peach trees in the United States at 

 that time (1889-90) as 507, 73t) acres, and from replies to our circular 

 we are led to believe that curl was present in 68 per cent of these 

 orchards and that 42 per cent sustained some loss from the disease. 



Most of the orchards included in the 42 per cent sustained only a 

 slight loss, but a very small percentage sustained a heavy loss, some- 

 times amounting to the entire crop. The average loss for the 42 per 

 cent of the orchards is found to amount to $10.95 per acre, or about 

 10 cents per tree, averaging the trees at 108 per acre. '^Fhe total 

 acreage of the country ])eing 507,786, the loss should be calculated 

 upon 42 per cent of this, or 213,249 acres, which gives a total esti- 

 mated annual loss from peach leaf curl of $2,885,076. In this estimate 

 no account has been taken of the great injury to the growth of trees, 

 the injury to nursery stock, the death of young orchard trees, nor the 

 loss to succeeding crops from the reduced number or quality of fruit 

 buds on affected trees. There is also the loss arising from the culti- 

 vation and pruning of unproductive orchards, which, if it could be 

 determined, would probably bring the entire annual loss to the 

 country up to $3,000,000 or more. 



Since 1893, when the investigation of this disease was undertaken 

 by the writer, a verj^ large amount of correspondence has been con- 

 ducted with peach growers in all parts of the Union who have sus- 

 tained losses from curl, and this correspondence has resulted in the 

 accumulation of a large number of facts respecting these losses. 

 These data, however, have not been drawn upon in the above esti- 

 mates, as it might be claimed that they were from growers only who 

 have suffered from the disease, and consequently would not fairly 

 represent the industry as a whole — a claim which can not be made 

 against the circular letter,- the basis of the estimates, which was 

 addressed to peach growers in general in all parts of the United 

 States. In fact there appears to have been a larger percentage of 

 replies received from sections of the country where curl is scarce 

 than from the more affected portions. 



