132 The Connecticut Pomological Society 



photograph, but the other slides will show it better, and also 

 give you an idea of the more definite stages of the yellows. 

 These sprouts are one of the first symptoms to appear, and 

 while we cannot always rely upon the sprouts as a perfectly 

 satisfactory symptom, or as a conclusive symptom rather, they 

 are a strong indication of that disease, especially if accompanied 

 by other symptoms later. The little discussion that we had a 

 few moments ago perhaps needs some qualification. What I 

 referred to, and what I should have said, perhaps, to be more 

 definite, was that just a little of the growth is not necessarily 

 conclusive. The first tendency of it must not be taken for the 

 5'ellows. I wish to say this in order to make the subject clear; 

 the probabilities are very strong, when you find those sprouts, 

 that the tree is diseased, but I claim that the symptom is not 

 absolutely reliable for experimental purposes, and you must be 

 very careful. I would insist upon seeing the premature spotted 

 fruit before being absolutely certain, but in ordinary practical 

 work these sprouts should always be good ground for condemn- 

 ing the tree, as they are good evidence that the tree is diseased. 



This slide represents a Michigan peach tree with the first 

 symptoms of the yellows. It is a tree I photographed last sum- 

 mer, and while it looks perfectly normal and healthy it had a 

 large proportion of premature fruit, and, of course, that is a 

 condition in which the tree should be condemned and pulled 

 out. No tree should be allowed to get into that stage. 



Now, the peach yellows is a peculiar disease. It is one of 

 those diseases of which we do not know the cause, but of which 

 the remedy is well known, and better known than is the case 

 with a great many plant diseases. That is a phenomenal con- 

 dition of affairs. No investigator has ever been able to make 

 out the parasite which causes the peach yellows. It behaves 

 exactly like a contagious disease, and there seems to be but little 

 doubt that it will be found out some time to be that kind of a 

 disease. So far as orchard work is concerned, it is an easy 

 disease to fight. It is the same method that is used in fighting 

 the smallpox, with just this difference. We cannot burn up a 

 man with the smallpox when we catch him, but we can a peach 

 tree, and stop the contagion. 



The peach has another very peculiar disease, the peach 



