678 INSECTS AFFECTING VEGETATION 



WINTER WORK AGAINST PLANT DISEASES. 



Peach Yellows. All peach trees which showed during last 

 summer on some or all of the branches the prematuring fruit 

 with its peculiar red spots on the outside and in the flesh, so charac- 

 teristic of this disease, should have been marked for taking out at 

 this time, if it w r as not possible to destroy them at once. Where 

 the yellows inspectors were able to go this year, such trees will 

 be found designated by a tag or some other easily recognized mark. 



Trees in the second stage of yellows can be told by the slender 

 shoots usually in bunches, and at this time, and even later, often 

 still bearing the narrow yellow leaves produced by this disease. 

 It is a matter of only another season before such trees will die of 

 the disease in most cases; and if any fruit is borne it will be of 

 very inferior quality. Such trees, moreover, become the sources 

 from which infection may spread, until many other trees are in- 

 volved. Any tree showing these indications should *be cut down 

 and burned at once; the longer it stands the more damage is done 

 to the orchard, for there is no cure. Do not drag away the tree 

 cut down, but either burn it where it stood or cut it into cord size 

 and load into carts, burning all brush, etc., where made. An ex- 

 cellent plant is to put a lot of brush, including trimmings from 

 the tree itself, straw, etc., among the branches and around the trunk 

 of the tree, which is then set on fire. In this way the smaller parts 

 are disposed of with no possibility of spreading the trouble, and 

 the portion left can be utilized for firewood with safety. 



Pear Blight. The injury done by fire blight during the last 

 season can be seen now with some ease by examining the affected 

 trees. The diseased branches usually have the dead leaves still 

 hanging at this time. Twigs and smaller branches showing the 

 dead sunken bark, characteristic of the disease, should be carefully 

 cut out. Make the cut not less than six inches below the lowest 

 visible sign of the disease, and dip the knife in carbolic acid water 

 after each cut to prevent the transfer of germs from cut to cut. 



Cover promptly any large cut surface with some cheap oil 

 paint. This will not only exclude these germs but many others, 

 and will keep the stubs of branches, etc., from drying out. This 

 should always be done in trimming trees for any purpose. The 

 young trees should be kept pruned into such shape that cases of 

 blight on the twigs can be cut out before the disease gets too close to 

 trunk or main branches. Blooming spurs on the lower part of the 

 tree are always a source of danger from this cause. (Md. E. S. 

 Cir. 61.) 



Most of the body blight, especially on Kieffer pears, is from 

 other causes. As this trouble often follows winter injuries, cracks, 

 etc., the trees should be watched in early spring for the first indi- 

 cations of this disease, and the diseased portions cut away from the 

 bark before it has time to spread. 



Black Knot. This trouble of plum and cherry is not difficult 

 to control in itself. The difficulty lies in the removal of wild trees 

 which are also affected, and which are the source of infection, 

 even after the orchard has been cleared up in respect to the dis- 



