SPRAYING PEACH TREES FOR PEACH CURL. 



orchards 

 several 



ELDOM if ever have we ob- 

 served a more serious attack 

 of peach curl, than that now 

 (May 24) affecting the peach 

 of Southern Ontario. For 

 years past this fungus has 



been growing more and more trouble- 



face ; frequently the affected leaves drop 

 from the tree, as well as the fruit. The 

 trouble is progressive, when once in an 

 orchard ; because the mycelium or 

 growing portion of the fungus ; leaves 

 through the winter in the interior of the 

 leaf buds, and only waits for the develop- 



FiG. VSQi.—Exoascus deformans, The Peach leaf Curl, from Cornell Bulletin 73. 



some, often causing the fruit to drop, 

 and seriously affecting the health of the 

 tree. The cause was long a mystery, 

 but it has been recently proved to be 

 one of the fungi called Exoascese, and 

 this particular one E. deformans. It 

 affects both the leaves and the young 

 twigs, causing abnormal growth and 

 development of the affected surface, and 

 consequently a complexity of that sur- 



ing leaf of the following spring to grow 

 out with it, and produce spores for its 

 rapid spread, on both the under and 

 upper surfaces of the leaf. 



A year ago we drew attention to the 

 fungus, saying we hoped Bordeaux mix- 

 ture would prove useful, but at that 

 time we had no proof that it would ; 

 but this spring we have some decided 

 evidence in that direction. Mr. W. M. 



536 



