AND ITS DISEASE. 33 



victim to an early grave. This active sporadic 

 agent appears on the body, branches and roots of 

 the tree, and the application of alkalies, in a dilu- 

 ted state, may be made use of as a wash against 

 their further spread. Caustic alkalies will destroy 

 fungi of this there can be no question. The peach 

 grower, commencing right at the beginning of his 

 work, can have no trouble, if he looks through his 

 orchard several times through the season, and at- 

 tends to these "exceptional " intruders, which have 

 come uninvited from the nursery, or on a sporadic 

 visit from a neighbor, and have all such as they 

 appear rooted out, replanting other young trees in 

 their place, and renovating the earth well with any 

 caustic alkali, as ashes, guano, poudrett, &c. 



It must be remembered that these experiments 

 have not been confined to a dozen trees in an old 

 garden, but extended to thousands, in open field 

 culture, and not with one orchard, but with half a 

 dozen, and not only in one location, but in several ; 

 one distant ten miles from the other, and in an ad- 

 joining county, and in a different formation of soil, 

 and not planted at one time, but at different times. 

 These orchards, during their bearing, for twelve 

 to fifteen years, were noticed for their thrifty growth, 

 health and productiveness, and as an evidence of 

 it, an extensive nurseryman in Delaware, who raised 

 large quantities of inoculated trees for sale every 

 season, obtained his buds from these orchards, to 

 keep his fruit trees for the market correct as to va- 



