22 THE DISEASES OF FRUITS. 



buds and young twigs, and its development evidently depends 

 largely upon the conditions of the weather during winter or 

 spring, or both. It has been observed that a wet May is par- 

 ticularly favorable for the development of the leaf curl, while 

 in other years, when the spring months are comparatively dry, 

 the disease is almost absent. 



Remedies. Spraying of the peach trees in winter with the 

 Bordeaux mixture has often had a remarkably good effect, as 

 it prevented the disease from destroying the foliage and blast- 

 ing the flowers. At other times the early spraying of the trees 

 has had very litle effect. It should be borne in mind that no 

 other tree is so tender as the peach, and its foliage is quickly 

 burned by a mixture that is harmless to the apple or pear. 

 A half-strength solution of Bordeaux is recommended for the 

 peach. 



The fruit Rot (Monilia fructigena Pers. ) is the disease that 

 carries off a large fraction of the peaches, especially in a sea- 

 son with much wet weather at the time of maturing the fruit. 

 The Monilia is sometimes called gray mould, because it covers 

 the affected fruit with a gray layer with the feel of powdered 

 soap-stone. The fungus, after destroying the fruit, will spread 

 to the less congenial stems, sometimes causing them to die. 

 These twigs furnish a place for the wintering of the mould, 

 as also do the fruits which dry down and frequently adhere 

 as mummies to the stems or fall to the ground and harbor the 

 fungus there. 



Remedies. From the fact that the Monilia is a very rapid 

 grower in the soft pulp of a maturing peach and favored 

 greatly by moist weather, it follows that spraying has not al- 

 ways given the most satisfactory results. In the first place, as 

 a preventive measure, all mummy fruits should be destroyed 

 during the winter season, along with any twigs thaj are dead 

 or affected with the mould. At the same time the trees may 

 well be sprayed with Bordeaux to cleanse them of thousands 

 of adhering spores. Some good results have been obtained 

 from the spraying of the trees at the time when the trees are 

 in bearing, but this should be with cupram or other clear mixt- 

 ure, bearing in mind that the peach in leaf is a very tender 

 subject. 



The Scab (Cladosporium carpophilum Thum.) appears as dark 



