INSECTS AND DISEASES. 143 



their first appearance, a few peaches, and, it may be, 

 very few, will ripen a few days before the proper time. 

 Generally, their color will be bright, and their appear- 

 ance beautiful, without any symptom of disease that 

 would strike the uninitiated ; but the experienced planter 

 is not deceived. He notes the fatal sign as quickly a 

 the skilful physician does the hectic blush on the pak 

 cheek of the fair consumptive, and as soon divines its 

 cause. The more violent the attack, the more early and 

 numerous will be the prematures. If it is slight, only a 

 few will be affected, and they will ripen but a few days 

 before the proper time ; but if the disease is violent, the 

 whole crop may be injured, and the ripening take place 

 weeks in advance of the season. In the former case, the 

 tree may survive several years, sinking into a gradual 

 decay, the fruit growing smaller, and ripening earlier 

 every successive season ; while in the latter the decline 

 will be rapid, ending in death the first or second crop 

 after the attack. 



2. ABNORMAL SHOOTS. The second and infallible 

 symptom of. Yellows is the striking out of unnatural 

 shoots from the main branches, and sometimes from the 

 stem of the tree. They are very slender, and often quite 

 long. Usually, they issue from the upper side of the 

 branch, and are often quite numerous. They have a 

 sickly look, yet they are tough and elastic. The leaves 

 are very small, slender, ' and pale. Premature ripening 

 may be caused by accidental injury, or the borer; but 

 these long, slender, sickly looking twigs are infallible 

 symptoms of Yellows, and, from the moment of their 

 appearance, the fate of the tree is sealed. 



REMEDIES. 



1. PLANT NO DISEASED SEED OR TREES. We have 

 already cautioned planters against planting seed that is 

 not perfectly healthy. This advice cannot be too em- 

 phatically expressed. Neither should they plant trees 



