20 BOAKD OF AGRICULTURE. 



many orchards to a few varieties, or only to a few branches 

 of the trees attacked. While it is admitted that it may be 

 transmitted, — that the spores or germs of the disease may 

 be found everywhere, — I am confident that if the trees are 

 kept in a healthy, vigorous condition, few cases of blight 

 will occur. The atmospheric changes we cannot control, 

 but healthy, vigorous trees Mall be more certain to resist the 

 attack of disease than weak ones. I have never seen a case 

 of pear blight where there were not some conditions that 

 might have resulted in a weakeninsf of the tree. 



Varieties. 

 Clapp's, Bartlett, Bosc, Sheldon, Seckle, Clairgeau, An- 

 jou and Hovey are among the best. 



The Peach. 



1875. No. of trees, 82,844 ; yield, 15,945 bush. ; value, $44,893. 

 1885. " " 276,846; " - - " 1,839. 



Although a native of Asia and China, where the climate 

 is much less severe than ours, the peach with us is perfectly 

 hardy as to growth of tree, when the wood is vigorous, and 

 ripens perfectly. 



The land best suited to its growth is a strong, sandy or 

 gravelly soil, on the tops or western exposure of high hills. 

 In such locations and on such soils the trees are more hardy, 

 live longer and produce more fruit. 



One of the great causes of the short life of the peach tree 

 is the want of a sufficient supply of plant food, or its appli- 

 cation at an improper time. If manure, or chemicals that 

 are not readily soluble, be applied late in the spring or early 

 summer, the trees will not get the benefit of it until late in 

 the summer, and grow late in the fall. Such a growth is 

 very liable to be injured during the winter. 



The disease known as the yellows, probably, only attacks 

 the trees when they are in a weakened condition from various 

 causes, such as exhaustion of the soil, over-bearing, injury 

 from cold and from borers. This disease is not incurable, 

 for by the liberal application of such fertilizers as bone and 

 potash and some additional nitrogenous manure, — if the 



