188 



THE GENESEE FAEMER. 



ZNTERESTING NOTES ON THE PEACH, BY A LAD?. 



I HAVE read with much interest the letter from 

 Mr. Da>.a, enclosed in your note of March 1st, 

 desciibing the etfects of the Red Spider on the 

 Peacii trees in Massachusetts, and also examined 

 with gi'eat care the eggs on the peach bark sent 

 with the letter. This species is new to me. 



1 have 1:0 doubt of the truth of Mr. Dana's 

 statement, that trees so infested will, and must be 

 victims to such a pest, and that those trees do die 

 of tlie yellows ; but that the Red Spider is the only 

 cause of yellows, 1 must beg leave to doubt. After 

 years of carefid investigation, I liave arrived at the 

 conclusion that whatever impefles the healthy cir- 

 culation of the sap of that delicate tree will pro- 

 duce the yellows; and then, generally speaking, 

 death is inevitable, and the sooner the tree is cut 

 down and burned, the better it will be for the fruit 

 grower, as it saves time and trouble. 



That the Red Spider is not the only cause of the 

 yellows in the Peach tree can be proved beyond 

 doubt, as all intelligent observers will agree, that 

 whatever cause obstructs the natural flow of tlie 

 sap, either in the spring or autumn, will produce 

 disease in that delicately organized tree. 



'ihe Peach tree, like the (jrra|)e vine, is supplied 

 with a redundance of sap, which pours into the 

 large and tender sap vessels as soon as the first 

 warm rays of the sun thaws the earth and quickens 

 the sap in the roots; every bud swells, and the 

 rushing sap struggles to expand itself in leaves and 

 flowers. If this takes place pi'ematurely, a severe 

 frost follows, the sap freezing bursts the sap vessels, 

 blights the leaf and flower buds, and a general dis- 

 organization of the functions of the tree follows. 

 The sap, obstructed in its course, forms a thousand 

 new channels, shoots out in numerous sickly yellow 

 twigs, and oozes out in gum from every wound or 

 split in the bark, then the tree must die. 



The well known jEgeria exitosa, or Peach Borer, 

 is a fruitful source of the yellows in all the Middle 

 and Southern States. This insect deposits her eggs 

 in tiie bark near the roots of the Peach tree ; the 

 grubs soon hatch and penetrate into the sap vessels, 

 on which they feed ferociously, gnawing their tor- 

 tuous paths in and around the roots, cutting off the 

 passage of the ascending sap. For a time the tree 

 shows no signs of the concealed foe; but as the 

 grubs grow large, and their paths widen, they gir- 

 dle the tree; the branches then wither, and the 

 sickly shoots in August show that death is inevita- 

 ble. The grubs should have been taken out in Ju- 

 ly ; it is too late when the yellow, sickly shoots 

 appear; then cut the tree down, burn it and kill 

 the giubs, or you raise a family of enemies for the 

 nest year. 



The Tomicus liminaris^ a minute bark beetle, 

 proves, wlien numerous, a deadly foe to the Peach 

 tree. This little insect sometimes makes its pres- 

 ence felt rather than acknowledged ; as, both in 

 the grub and beetle form, it inhabits the bark, and 

 seldom ap[)ears in the day-time. Its flight is in the 

 night, and it generally spreads from tree to tree, 

 alighting on and infecting those branches and trees 

 nearest the one first attacked. This, it is believed, 

 is the infectious yellows. 



A few years since, eighteen trees in ray garden 

 were destroyed in one summer by the Tomicus li?n- 

 inaris; the eggs were deposited in the sap vessels 



of the bark, all over the trees, and in one case not 

 an inch of the bark escaped, from the top branch 

 to the root; the irritation was extreiue, somewhat 

 analagous to the itch in the human skip. The ob- 

 structed, yet stimulated sap threw itself out at ev- 

 ery bud in sickly yellow twigs, and the tree died of 

 exhaustion. The dii^ease spread rapidly, and eight- 

 een trees were destroyed before the cause was dis- 

 covered. They had been carefully protected from 

 the borer {/Egeria), and the dark green of the 

 leaves in the spring showed there was nothing in 

 the soil that disagreed with the roots. The trees 

 were then cut down and burned, and the iufectioua 

 yellows disappeared from the garden. 



When Peach trees have been cultivated for years 

 in the same garden, the soil becomes exhausted of 

 the nourishment that is essential to them. Caro 

 should then be taken to remove the. old soil, and 

 replace it with such as is well know to agree with 

 reach trees. Sickly trees may then become liealthy 

 and bear good fruit ; but seedlings raised fronr un- 

 healthy trees will generally prove sickly, and die 

 of the yellows. 



In the neighborhood of Baltimore, the Peach is 

 cultivated 'in great perfection and with little care; 

 the soil of that region is rich in mineral salts, such 

 as alum and saltpetre. Does not this lead to the 

 supposition that a. judicit)us mingling of these woidd 

 be essential in a sod where these minerals are not 

 found ? And Peach growers frequently mingle 

 both these salts with common salt, and sprinkle it 

 around their trees, and if the trees are free from 

 insects the result is always good. 



If these observations, drawn from a life of expe- 

 rience in the culture of the Peach, can be ot service 

 to you, it will give great pleasure to your friend, 



M. H. MORKIS. 

 [We insert this communication with great pleas- 

 ure, as probably no one in the world has devotee 

 more time and careful study to the subject than th( 

 distinguished authoress, and in acknowledgment ol 

 whose services in the cause of science, the Acade- 

 my of Natural Sciences has recently conferred 01 

 her the degree ^of honorary membership — the firsi 

 lady, we believe, who has been so honored by it 

 We have known Miss Moreis' Peach trees to b< 

 heavily laden with fruit, when all others have failec 

 in the vicinity, attesting the value of her views bj 

 their success; and our own experience confirrat 

 her suggestions on the importance of mineral man- 

 ures. — Eds.] — Gardener'' s Monthly. 



Renovating old Apple Tkeks. — If their fruit 

 is bad, the sooner you fill the tops with scions from 

 the best varieties, the better; but do not make 

 "Shanghais" of them. Graft as low as possible. 



The scriptural way for the fig tree was, to " dig 

 about it and dung it." No better way can be found 

 for the apple tree; but remember the word " about," 

 and let your operations extend full as far as the ut- 

 most branches reach. Do not dig too deep, nor 

 injure the roots unnecessarily. Stirring the sur- 

 face soil frequently is what you -want. Try that,, 

 and you will be amazed at the renovation you work 

 in old apple trees. — U l. s.|t, Attica^ If. Y. 



Soap Suds should always be saved and used oni 

 grape vines, fruit trees, etc. 



