THE PEACH AND NECTARINE. 135 



warmth of our summers. Hence a different selec- 

 tion of sorts is needed in different regions of country. 

 Overbearing greatly injures the quality; thus 

 the Heath clingstone, under favorable circumstan- 

 ces, is a very large and excellent fruit ; but if per- 

 mitted to overbear, it is small and worthless. 



DISEASES AND ENEMIES. 



Peach and nectarine trees are liable to destruc- 

 tion from iwo causes, the worm and the yellows. 

 The presence of the worm is readily detected by 

 the gum mixed with excrementitious matter, re- 

 sembling saw-dust, oozing from the trunk of the 

 tree at the surface of the ground. The best, and 

 probably the only effectual remedy, is to scrape 

 away the earth, and then with a knife to follow the 

 holes made by the worm to their termination. As 

 this insect confines itself to the bark, its destruction 

 is very easy. It rarely happens that trees are com- 

 pletely destroyed by it, except they be small ; 

 death can only take place when the tree is girdled. 

 Timely care will prevent this; the evil in fact is 

 only to be dreaded by negligent cultivators. 



The disease termed the Yellows, is truly formi- 

 dable. Its cause has never been satisfactorily as- 

 certained. The first indication is an irregular and 

 premature ripening of the fruit, accompanied with 

 purple discolor at ions of the flesh. This usually oc- 

 curs the first season on a part of the tree only. 



