STONE FRUITS 481 



Among fungous diseases, the following are deserving of special 

 consideration : 



1. The brown rot which attacks all of the stone fruits and is to be 

 dreaded far more than anything else. It attacks not only the fruit but 

 the twigs as well, spreading to the latter from the former, and hence dis- 

 eased fruits should be removed from the tree as soon as possible. It can 

 be controlled largely by spraying. 



2. Peach leaf curl, often serious but thorough spraying before the 

 buds swell will practically eradicate it. 



3. Black knot of plums and cherries. Often very serious but can 

 be controlled by spraying and by cutting out and destroying the knots. 



4. Peach scab. Often a troublesome disease, sometimes seriously 

 so, but thorough spraying will usually control it, even in the worst seasons. 



Among insects three are worth mentioning: 



1. The plum curculio, which attacks both plums and peaches and is 

 often a very serious menace, not only for its own attacks, but because it 

 helps the spread of brown rot. 



2. The peach borer, an ever-present pest where peaches are grown at 

 all extensively. Digging out is the most commonly accepted method of 

 combating. 



3. The cherry aphis, often a serious pest and, like all aphids, difficult 

 of control. 



There are a number of other pests in both classes that are sometimes 

 troublesome, occasionally very seriously so, but the above mentioned are 

 the real standbys. 



Thinning the Fruit. — A prerequisite to harvesting a satisfactory crop 

 is thinning the fruit. Nothing is simpler to do and few things connected 

 with fruit growing are more important. Cherries are not thinned, but 

 peaches and plums ought always to be. The best time to do this is after 

 the "June drop" has occurred, that is, after all the fruits which will fall 

 "naturally" have fallen. The fruits will then be about the size of the 

 first joint of one's thumb, and a safe rule, and one easily followed by those 

 doing the thinning, is to thin so that no two fruits touch. In practice 

 this works out so as to bring the fruits a good distance apart and the oper- 

 ator does not spend any time in wondering whether he ought to take off 

 another fruit in order to bring them the required distance apart. 



Thinning will help the crop wonderfully in several ways. Probably 

 the most important is that it gets rid of all the small, defective fruits, 

 leaving a crop which it is an inspiration to pick and a pleasure to sell. 

 The work of sorting is reduced to a minimum because there are really very 

 few poor fruits left. Moreover, one gets almost as much fruit in the aggre- 

 gate, sometimes quite as much. The trees, too, will bear more regularly 

 because they are relieved of the burden of maturing these extra fruits. 

 And lastly it reduces greatly the loss from brown rot, because the rot can 

 spread from one fruit to another where they are touching, and moreover 



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