PEACH AND THE PEAR. 79 



and prematurely, and prematurely decay. The presence 

 of more sap in the unhealthy, than in the healthy, tree 

 indicates an earlier and greater flow in the former than 

 in the latter. The presence of watery sap in the leaves, 

 twigs and buds, would induce, naturally, an early growth 

 of fruit and premature decay. Thus we argue that the 

 disease is rather in the body of the tree and in the roots, 

 and that the leaves only suffer from this disease, second- 

 arily. Before proceeding further, I want to lay before 

 the reader the present status of the germ-theory of dis- 

 ease — and this applies, as well, to the vegetable as to the 

 animal kingdom. Cohn calls all these disease-germs, 

 Schizomycctes, although Bacteria is generally used in 

 the same sense, but, etymologically, the latter only 

 apply to the rod-shaped kind. Cohn makes four forms 

 of Schizomycetes, according to Flint. First, Micro- 

 cocci, round granules, very minute ; second, Micro-bacteria, 

 rod-shaped cells ; third, Desmo-bacteria or Bacilli, also 

 rod-shaped longer than Micro-bacteria ; fourth, Spiro- 

 bacteria, spiral-shaped cells, or organism. 



To show the power of reproduction of these germs, 

 it is said that one of them can give rise to 100,000 

 individuals of its kind in seven hours. Think of it ! 

 suppose a healthy peach tree has 10,000, then conditions 

 favorable to disease surround it and in seven hours there 

 are 1,000,000,000 Bacteria. After a while, when this 

 matter is properly cared for, we will find out the peculiar 



