Insect and Disease Control 255 



such as to render it impracticable or even impossible where 

 the land is already occupied with trees. 



PEACH DISEASES 



The number of major peach diseases, those of large eco- 

 nomic importance which have to be specifically considered 

 in making up a program of operations with a view to con- 

 trolling them, is not large, though the peach is subject to 

 many different fungous troubles and other kinds of disease. 

 The larger proportion of these, however, are not of great 

 concern to the peach-grower. They are spasmodic in oc- 

 currence, local in distribution, or they are controlled by the 

 same treatment that is provided for the major diseases. 



The following discussion is intended to give the grower 

 the essential characteristics of those peach diseases which, 

 within the range of the average experience in the different 

 peach-producing regions, are likely to require his attention. 



Brown-rot (Sclerotinia fructigena) 



According to Scott and Quaintance — "the browTi-rot 

 probably causes more loss to peach-growers than all other 

 maladies of the peach combined, with perhaps the excep- 

 tion of 'yellows,' which kills the trees outright." ^ Brown- 

 rot is also very serious at times on other stone-fruits, entire 

 crops of plums and cherries sometimes being destroyed by it. 

 There is considerable difference in varieties of the different 

 kinds of fruits affected with regard to relative susceptibility 

 to this disease. 



The disease occurs throughout the humid regions and 

 may appear in the drier parts of the country. An intimate 

 1 Farmers' Bull. 440. 



