THE MONTHLY BULLETIN. 



41 



PLANT DISEASES. 

 Peach Blight. 



A very common destructive disease of the peach and aimoud in Cali- 

 fornia is the fundus causing the peach biifjht. 



The effect of this fungus is to produce a shot-hole effect on the leaves, 

 to kill the fruit buds, spot the young twigs, to cause the fruit to drop 

 and, in a general way. to retard the dfivelopmont of the trees. Gunnning 

 usually a('('()iii[t;inics an attack by this fungus. 



Fig. 23. — Germinating spores of the fungus causing the bh^clv rot of the navel 

 orange. The long tliread-like filament sent out from eacli spore is Icnown as the 

 mycelium of the fungus. (After Amundsen, Mo. Bui. Cal. Hort. Comm., Vol. 2.) 



The second spraying for its control shoidd be applied just before the 

 buds open in the spring, the first having been made in the fall. Use 

 lime-sulphur solution, home-made or commercial. Dilute according to 

 the strength of solution, which can be determined with a Baiune 

 hydrometer. A table of dilutions may be found on page 557 of the 

 December IMonthly Bulletin. The ordinary commercial lime-sulphur 

 runs about 33 degrees Baume, and should be applied, one part to nine 

 parts of water. The concentrated lime-sulphur can be purchased from 

 any insecticide dealer. Spraying followed by rain within twenty-four 

 hours should be repeated. The second spraying will also control peach 

 twig borer, and leaf curl, another disease of the peach, if properly 

 applied. Thoroughness in spraying, as well as in other orchard work, 

 pays well. 



