128 THE PLUM IN KANSAS. 



LEAF RUST OR BLIGHT. 



A disease which causes the leaves of the plum to fall ofip in summer ; 

 is sometimes common during dry weather. This is caused by a fungous 

 parasite which attacks the leaves only, producing red or yellow sj^ots 

 which soon spread all over the leaf. The fungus lives through the 

 winter in the fallen leaves. 



Remedies: Rake up and burn all leaves as soon as they fall; spray the leaves 

 as indicated for shot-hole fungus. 



BROWN ROT OF PLUMS. 

 From Bulletin of Virginia Experiment Station. 



Concerning brown rot we may say that only the most persistent effort 

 can hold this fungus in check. As all growers have observed, decayed 

 fruits hang to the twigs and persist over winter. It is from these, in 

 the early days of spring, that an abundant crop of spores is born, 

 and the petals of the flowers, young leaves, and even many branches, 

 are attacked. These mummied fruits also hang on all summer, and 

 continue to produce sj)ores. Hence, by the time the fruits become 

 half grown or begin to mature, the infecting spores may come from 

 the old, decayed fruits of the previous year or from more recent in- 

 fection on the young growth of the current year. Whenever the fruit 

 has become badly attacked, treatment is quite useless. 



The proper plan is to remove all decayed fruit from the orchard 

 when the trees are free from foliage, as it can be easily seen at this 

 time ; then, before the buds swell in the spring, wash the trees thor- 

 oughly with a solution of concentrated lye or of sulphate of copper. 

 The first solution should be made by dissolving eight cans of lye in 

 fifty gallons of water, and the copper sulphate solution by dissolving 

 two pounds copper sulphate (bluestone) in fifty gallons of water. I 

 consider the lye preferable, but the latter may be somewhat pleasanter 

 to handle. This washing is very important, and, perhaps, does as 

 much real good as all later work. 



The later washings should be given as follows ; Weak Bordeaux, 

 just as the color shows plainly in the bloom-buds, and repeated soon 

 as bloom has fallen. If the work is well done to this point, very little 

 infection will have survived. Concerning value of later sprayings 

 I am very much in doubt. If the early washing is not well done, I 

 have almost no faith in later treatment. 



All washing or treatment of orchards should be done with a spray 

 pump. Poor, half work is usually a dead loss. 



CRACKED PLUMS. 



We find some complaint of this nature, probably the result of the 

 climatic conditions and irrigation combined. Some of the cases are 

 rather serious, and may result in loss ; others simply hurt the looks of 



