450 



JSEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Oct. 



would warrant it to do that, if I would warrant it 

 as a reaper and raker, which I do on fair terms. 

 On land pretty well prepared I believe it will mow 

 very well, but am unwilling to warrant it in this re- 

 spect. J. S. Wright. 

 ^'■Prairie Farmer'''' Warehouse. 

 Chicago, June2\, 1853. 



CURLED LEAP IN THE PEACH. 



This disease, if so we may call it, has been, for 

 four or five years past, assuming a more and more 

 serious aspect, so that cultivators around us here 

 in Western N. Y., begin to say that if it goes 

 on as it threatens to do, and no remedy be discov- 

 ered, we shall soon be compelled to abandon peach 

 culture entirely. This would certainly be a great 

 calamity, and it becomes every one who wishes to 

 escape, to investigate carefully the nature of the 

 disease, with a view to the discovery of the real 

 cause. We have been looking anxiously for some 

 new light on the subject among the journals of tlie 

 day, and find the following in a recent number of 

 the Country Gentleman. 



"The curl in the leaf of the peach, which is 

 generally supposed to have had a very unfavorable 

 influence on the young crop, has given rise to much 

 speculation as to its immediate cause, and cold 

 weather, aphides, fungus, or mildew, and diseased 

 map, have been variously assigned as reasons. The 

 cold weather theory will not always apply, as the 

 disease sometimes appears after a continued suc- 

 cession of warm days, and the first opening of the 

 young leaves shows the symptoms when they have 

 never been exposed to a cool night. Again, the 

 disease has often made its appearance when no 

 aphides could at any time be detected with the 

 most powerful achromatic glass ; and newly open- 

 ing leaves, exposed only a few hours to the fresh 

 air, and on which no insect had ever set foot, have 

 shown incipient, but unmistakable indications. 

 The explanation by ' diseased sap,' is too general 

 and indefinite — the fungus theory has more ap- 

 pearance of plausibility, but needs investigation 

 and proof — and if correct, the fungus must be of 

 internal growth, as the smooth and shining epider- 

 mis of the leaf is quite unbroken when the curl 

 first appears in the cellular tissue. 



But whatever may be the cause, the best reme- 

 dy, so far as discovered, is vigorous growth. We 

 have observed trees standing in the corner of a 

 hog yard, where they were copiously supplied with 

 manure, and as a consequence making a rapid 

 growth, covered with a deep green foliage, with 

 scarcely a vestige of the curl ; and a row of peach 

 trees wliich had been very freely shortened in the 

 past winter, by cutting off branches in some cases 

 an inch in diameter, have sent out strong new 

 shoots, almost wholly free from the disease, and 

 the trees are well loaded with young fruit." 



Now, our opinion, formed several years ago, and 

 strengthened by later experience, is that the curl 

 is produced by changes of temperature too great 

 for the delicate constitution of the peach. It is a 

 tree that vegetates early, and being usually and 

 from necessity planted in a light soil, its earliness 

 is hastened, and the sap gets into active circulation, 

 and young leaves are put forth long before the wea- 

 ther in our northern climate becomes steadily 

 warm. We all know how common it is to have 

 warm genial spring weather about the opening of 



the buds, when a sudden change comes, and we 

 have probably a week or two of cold, rainy wea- 

 ther, with slight frosts probably, with cold dry 

 winds. This at once arrests the development of 

 the young shoots and leaves ; the sap becomes 

 stagnant and diseased ; the bark is ruptured, and 

 gum oozes out all over the younger parts ; the 

 leaves, whether in an embryo condition, rolled up 

 in the bud, or half or wholly expanded, become 

 swollen and diseased ; then mildew attacks them, 

 as it is always ready to reign upon sickly or feeble 

 vegetation, and with this aphides and other insects; 

 hence the opinions that mildew or insects were the 

 cause of the disease. 



1849, we think, was the first.year this disease 

 appeared in Western New York, in a serious form. 

 That spring was cold and changeable. 1850 was 

 similar, and the curl was worse than before, and 

 so has continued since. One strong argument, 

 at least so we regard it, in favor of this view, is the 

 fact that if we have fine weather at the opening 

 of the peach buds, we have very little curl, and 

 that immediately after a change to cold the curl 

 appears, and its severity is always in proportion 

 to the intensity and continuance of the cold. 

 Then again, as soon as the weather becomes warm 

 and steady, the diseased leaves drop and new heal- 

 thy leaves appear, and the disease is no more seen 

 that season, not a symptom of it. Besides, some 

 varieties are much less affected by it than others. 

 We have a very hardy French variety, Peche de 

 Vignes, that scarcely ever shows a curl in the 

 worst seasons. We have a short row of six trees 

 that have come almost hourly under our observa- 

 tion ; the varieties are the Snow, Old MixonFree, 

 La Grande, Crawford's Early, Haines' Early, and 

 Cooledge's Favorite. These were all planted at 

 one time, of the same age, and in the same soil, 

 and have been treated exactly alike, but the Craw- 

 ford's Early and Cooledge's Favorite have suffered 

 so much less than the others from the curl, that 

 the trees are nearly twice as large, and both have 

 now a good crop of fruit on, while the others have 

 few or none. In going through an extensive or- 

 chard we might find many instances of this kind. 



In addition to this, we find that trees in shel- 

 tered gardens suffer less than those exposed ; and 

 under glass, there is no such thing as curl. Are 

 not all these facts sufficient to warrant the opinion 

 we have expressed ? 



The article we have quoted says, "the disease 

 sometimes occurs after a succession of warm days." 

 We admit this, but it never has appeared to our 

 knowledge after warm days without the interven- 

 tion of cold nights. Has" any one seen it appear 

 in warm weather, say in June, July, or subsequent 

 months ? 



It says, too, that " the first opening of the 

 young leaves show the symptoms when they have 

 never been exposed even to a cold night." We 

 grant this, but as we have said, the sudden and 

 violent check given to the tree affects every part, 

 and the leaves even while rolled up in the bud. 

 Neither can we agree with the opinion that "vig- 

 orous growth is the best remedy," for we have 

 seen some of the most vigorous growing trees suf- 

 fer most seriously. We regard well ripened wood 

 as more important than vigorous growth, but we 

 would combine these if we could. Were not the 

 trees quoted as examples benefited by some kind 

 of protection ■? To avoid in some degree the ef- 



