ELEVENTH ANNUAL MEETING. 113 



cal ; at the most critical time it can not be used. Spraving- must 

 be supplemented by other combative measures. 



Since the rot fungus comes from fungus spores in the same 

 manner that weeds spring from weed seeds, care should be taken 

 to keep the orchard as free as possible from the spores. As with 

 weeds, the more thoroughly the disease is kept down the less 

 labor it is to control it. It is more profitable to fight the disease 

 faithfully every season than it is to fight it hard one season and 

 allow it to go unchecked the next. Where rot has had its own 

 way for a few years, every part of the orchard is so thoroughly 

 seeded with the disease that even the most radical measures may 

 not be able to eradicate it in a single season. Success is attained 

 only by eternal vigilance and constant warfare. 



The first thing to be done is to carefully collect and burn all 

 the mummied plums and peaches hanging on the trees. All 

 agree that this is a profitable practice. It should never be 

 neglected. These mummy fruits harbor the fungus, and in the 

 spring become a source of infection. The usual practice is to 

 gather them some time after the leaves fall and before growth 

 starts in the spring, because they are then easily found ; but the 

 results would certainly be much better if they could be gathered 

 as soon as they show the first signs of rot, and before the fungus 

 has had a chance to form and scatter multitudes of spores. This 

 would necessitate picking over the fruit at frequent intervals 

 during the ripening period and would, perhaps, be more expense 

 than the results would justify. With cherries it would, most 

 likely, be altogether impracticable, but on the other stone fruits 

 it seems worthy of trial. If thoroughly done it must be very 

 effective. The fallen fruits should also be gathered and removed 

 from the orchard. 



Before the buds begin to swell in the spring spray thoroughly 

 with strong Bordeaux mixture (6-4-50 formula). Just before 

 the blossoms open spray again with Bordeaux, this time using a 

 weaker mixture (2-2-50 formula). These two sprayings will 

 lessen the injury from blossom blight and subsequent attacks on 

 the twigs, and act as a check on the disease throughout the 

 season. On the domestica plums and Morello cherries the early 

 sprayings \\\\\ serve the additional purpose of discouraging the 

 spring attack of the black knot fungus ; while on the peach they 

 will prevent leaf curl. 

 8 



