416 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



The life history of this fung-us may be summarized in a few words: 

 The T'/oni/ya spores are perfectly able to multiplj^ in many ways, and 

 can enter the host. The resting- cells or g-emmre in the dry fruit, still 

 hanging- upon the tree or laying upon the soil below it, winter over 

 and start into fresh activit)^ earlj^ in spring. The spores produced 

 at that tseason can reach the plums just forming. 



Upon the fact that such resting spores remain in the dry fruit de- 

 pends the remedy; and the only safe one is to remove the dead and 

 dry fruits from the trees or from the soil, and to burn them. A clean 

 orchard is in this case, as in many others, a healthj' one. All old 

 leaves accumulated below and near the trees should be burned. As 

 many spores live over winter in the cracks of the bark, spraying- 

 with a fungicide should be resorted to early in the spring. A solution 

 of 4 lbs. of sulphate of iron in 5 gallons of water is recommended for 

 this purpose. An application at the time of flowering, another one 

 when the plums commence to form, and others at intervals of two 

 weeks until the fruit cominences to color, are necessary. These 

 latter applications should consist of a solution of one-half ounce of 

 sulphuret of potassiuin in one g-allon of water. Judicious spraying 

 will do good, but we can not expect everything from such a treat- 

 ment. 



OTHER DISEASES. 



Besides the four diseases described thus far as very injurious to 

 plum trees in Minnesota, there are others almost as destructive, at 

 least in certain jears. Such are the plum leaf-blights (Cylindro- 

 sporium padi), the plum rust (Puccinia pruni-spinosiv), the leaf 

 spot, or gun-shot, of plums and several others. But the four kinds 

 described will surely prove that pluin trees are subject to many ills, 

 and that we cannot expect to grow this fruit without working dili- 

 gently to deserve a crop. 



INSECTS. 



When we discuss the various insects that contest with the horti- 

 culturist to determine who shall have the greatest share of the 

 fruit, the aspegt does not brighten. I have no doubt we all have 

 among our friends some physician w^hom we like to see in our home, 

 providing he comes as a friend and not as an M. D. I am afraid you 

 entertain a similar feeling towards entomologists. They may be 

 good fellows but you do not like their occupation, or, rather, do not 

 wish to have them call at your place as entomologists. But since 

 j-^our energetic secretary has called upon me as an entomologist, he 

 has to take all the blame if I hurt your feelings by making the 

 statement that your plums are threatened, not with a few insects, 

 but by a host of them. Nor are these insects of such a character 

 that they are easily kept away from your trees, just on the contrary, 

 they consider it their crop, grown especiallj^ for them, and, more- 

 over, they do not intend to budge an inch until forced to do so. Some 

 of our enemies among insects thriving upon the results of our la- 

 bors are not easil}' dislodged, and it will take lots of ammunition and 

 still more of active work to reduce them to such numbers as to be- 

 come powerless to cause damages. 



