96 Lessons in Fruit Growing. 



pie discoloration, with insipid flavor of the flesh. The fol- 

 lowing season, numerous slender shoots often appear on 

 the larger branches, accompanied by yellowish and sickly 

 foliage over the whole tree. Death of the tree soon fol- 

 lows. The cause of, and remedy for this disease are un- 

 known. 



Preventive measures. Root out and burn ail affected 

 trees as soon as discovered, and use no pits or buds from 

 infested districts for propagation. In some states, laws re- 

 quiring the immediate destruction of infested trees have 

 been rigidly enforced, with the result that the disease has 

 been nearly exterminated. 



123* The leaf curl, due to the fungus Exoascus deformans^ 

 is an abnormal development of the foliage in spring or 

 early summer, in which the leaves assume a more or less 

 puckered form and whitish color. In severe attacks the 

 trees become nearly defoliated and the fruit crop is de- 

 stroyed. The disease is most common and most serious in 

 wet seasons and in humid climates (103). 



Preventive measures. Recent experiments have shown 

 that spraying peach trees with Bordeaux mixture com- 

 posed of 5 pounds of copper sulfate, 5 pounds of lime and 

 45 gallons of water, shortly before the opening of the 

 flower buds, has largely prevented damage from leaf curl. 



124. The rosette is a serious disease of peach trees in 

 Southern United States. It is characterized by dense 

 clusters of foliage on the young shoots and soon proves 

 fatal. Its cause is a mystery and the only preventive 

 measure known is the same as described for the yellows (121). 



125. "Little peach" is a disease that has recently appeared 

 in parts of Michigan and New York. The peaches fail to 

 enlarge or ripen; the trees lose vigor and finally die. The 



