THE CANADIAN lIOliTICULTRIST. 57 



neglected, to the disgrace of many an otherwise fine fann ; so that, 

 plainly it is sometimes found necessary to compel a man by law to 

 take those steps for his own welfare, which either his lack of common 

 sense or his indolence lead him to neglect for himself. 



In conclusion, we believe that the most effective measure we can 

 take, as an organized association, to prevent the spread of the yellows, is 

 to distribute as widely as possible reliable iriformation upon the subject; 

 for unless one knows how terrible is his enemy, weapons of defence will 

 lie unused. It requires a mind determined by powerful motives, to cut 

 down a beautiful peach tree that has just reached an age of maturity, 

 and is only beginning to repay several years of careful cultivation. 

 But it is evident, for example, that a knowledge of the contagious nature 

 of the disease, by which not one, but many fine trees may soon be 

 affected, will lead any sensible man to choose the lesser of two evils 

 and exterminate the sick tree, root and branch. 



And we' trust that, as an association, we are giving no uncertain 

 sound in thus warning the people against a threatening danger that 

 has already in parts of Michigan totally ruined the prospects of peach 

 growers, and cleared the land of a once flourishing and profitable indus- 

 u\ . And further, we hope that no measure suggested wiU be left 

 untried to prevent the spread of that much dreaded disease of the 

 peach, commonly known as the yellows. 



A. M, Smith, DrummondviUe, had been corresponding with fruit 

 growers in New Jersey, Delaware, and ]\Iichigan on this subject, and 

 their testimony was to the effect that the disease was contagious, that 

 even pruning a healthy tree with the knife that had been used on a 

 diseased tree would communicate the 'disease, and that the only hope 

 lay in legal enactments requiring the destruction of all diseased trees. 



After considerable discussion on this subject, it was unanimously 

 resolved : " That it is desirable that the Bill now before the Legis- 

 lative Assembly relating to black knot in the plum tree, be so amended 

 as to provide for the digging up and burning of all peach trees affected 

 with the yellows" ; and the executive committee was requested to 

 endeavor to have the Bill so amended ; or if that was not expedient, to 

 have a BiU introduced that should make it the duty of some suitable 

 officer to cause all peach trees affected with the yellows to be im- 

 mediately destroyed. 



It was also resolved that a petition, signed by the President and 



