PLANT-DISEASES. 65 



familiar quick rotting of peaches when nearly ripe or after 

 they are picked, and the same fungus causes the blighting 

 of young shoots. It also destroys the flowers, and its 

 injury may then be mistaken for effects of frost. It also 

 attacks plums, cherries, apricots, and to a smaller extent 

 apples and pears. The rotted fruits sometimes dry up and 

 hang on the tree all winter. In such cases, the fruit spur 

 is apt to be killed by the fungus. Partial to some varieties. 

 Preventives. — Burn or bury all affected fruits as soon as 

 they appear. In wet weather, when peaches are rotting 

 badly on the tree, systematic attempts should be made to 

 pick and destroy the injured fruits. Burning or ploughing 

 under the leaves in the fall is to be recommended. Before 

 the leaves appear, spray with some copper compound, as 

 sulphate of copper or Bordeaux mixture, and spray there- 

 after several times. It is said that harvested fruit can be 

 preserved for a short time against the fungus by dipping it 

 in a solution of potassium sulphide (liver of sulphur). 

 Yellows. — A fatal disease of peaches; also attacks nectar- 

 ine, almond, apricot, and Japanese plum. Cause un- 

 known. The first symptom in bearing trees is usually the 

 premature ripening of the fruit. This fruit contains defi- 

 nite small red spots which extend towards the pit. The 

 second stage is usually the appearance of "tips," or short, 

 late, second growths upon the ends of healthy twigs, and 

 which are marked by small, horizontal, usually yellowish, 

 leaves. The next stage is indicated by very slender shoots, 

 which branch the first year and which start in tufts from 

 the old limbs, bearing narrow and small yellowish leaves. 

 Later the entire foliage becomes smaller and yellow. In 

 three to six years the tree dies. The disease spreads from 

 tree to tree. It attacks trees of any age. Known at pres- 

 ent only in regions east of the Mississippi. Peculiar to 

 America, so far as known. 



Preventive. — Pull up and burn all trees as soon as 

 the disease appears. Trees may be reset in the places 

 from which the yellows trees were taken. Laws aiming to 



