THE PEACH. 265 



to spread, whenever that disease is prevalent, though it cannot 

 possibly be the first cause of the disease. The peach-rot is 

 now pretty generally acknowledged to be a contagious dis- 

 ease, of a fungoid nature, and I believe that the spores of 

 this fungus, "a million of which might be put upon the point 

 of a stick whittled down to nothing," attach thomselves more 

 readily to fruit which has the skin abraded, and from which 

 the gum issues, than to whole or unpunctured fruit. \Yith 

 this belief I made some effort to procure, for the benefit of 

 my readers, a synopsis of the growth of this fungus ; but, 

 alas! I find that nothing but confusion exists with regard to 

 it. Upon applying to my friend, Dr. T. C. Hilyard, of St. 

 Louis — 1 recognized authority on such subjects — he furnished 

 me with the article Avhich may be found in the Journal of 

 Agriculture of January 16th, 1869. I most respectfully de- 

 cline<l publishing it in these pnges, knowing that the reader 

 would not be likely to understand what was either too pro^ 

 found or too befogged for my own comprehension, and those 

 who require a synopsis of this fungus are referred to that ar- 

 ticle. Verily, we must conclude that peach-rot is not yet 

 much understood, if a more clear exposition of it cannot be 

 given. 



5. That they prefer smooth-skinned to rough-skinned fruit. 



6. That up to the present time the Miner and other varie- 

 ties of the Chickasaw plum have been almost entirely exempt 

 from their attacks, and that in the Columbia the young larvoe 

 are usually drowned out before maturing. 



7. That they deposit and mature in nectarines, plums, apri- 

 cots, cherries and peaches; in black knot on plum trees, and 

 in some kinds of apples, pears and quinces; and, according 

 to Dr. Hull, they also deposit but do not mature in strawber- 

 ries, gooseberries, grapes and in the vigorous shoots of the 

 peach tree. 



8. That it is their normal habit to transform under ground, 

 though some few undergo their transformations in the fruit. 



9. That the cherry, when infested, remains on the tree, 

 with the exception of the English Morello, which matures 

 and then separates from the stem; but that all other fruits. 



