276 A YEAR IN AGRICULTURE 



the affected trees. The flesh of peaches having this disease is 

 usually marked lay red lines or splashes beneath reddish 

 spots on the surface of the fruit. Fruits showing these char- 

 acteristics usually ripen prematurely. A second symptom, 

 or the first in trees not bearing fruit, is the short tip growth 

 of narrow, stiff, yellowish leaves nearly at right angles to 

 the stem. In the final stage of the disease there is a small 

 slender growth of all new wood, and a profusion of branchy 

 growths in the center of the tree. 



Fungous diseases. Evidences of fungous diseases may be 

 seen in every orchard. There is the brown rot of the peach, 

 and the bitter rot of the apple; the apple scab and blotch, 

 dark brown or black splotches on the fruit; rusts, yellowish 

 spots on the leaves; blight of the foliage of the apple and 

 pear, in which the foliage appears burned; the black knot of 

 the plum, hard, woody black knots on the twigs ; the mildew 

 of the grape, a powdery mould on the leaves ; and the cankers 

 of the branches, dead, sunken spots on the bark and sap- 

 wood of the trunk or branches. The practical way to com- 

 bat these diseases in the fall of the year is to cut away and 

 destroy all diseased parts and mummied fruit, for through 

 them the spores will spread to infect the next season's fruit. 

 Bordeaux Mixture and lime-sulphur are the sprays for such 



PACKING AND STORING FRUIT 



In the business of fruit growing the orchardist is con- 

 cerned with the picking, packing, storing, and marketing of 

 the fruit, but the boys and girls who study these lessons will 



