170 THE PEACHES OF NEW YORK 



the flesh; (2) premature unfolding of leaf -buds into willowy growths of 

 tips and the production of shoots upon the trunk or ma n branches with 

 growths developing into bunchy tufts of yellow or reddish foliage; (3) total 

 discoloration of the foliage. 



Prematureness in ripening varies from a few days to several weeks; 

 the earlier it occurs, the smaller the fruit. When diseased fruit ripens near 

 the normal season the peaches may be full size, showy to voluptuousness 

 and marked outwardly only by the hectic red of the disease. The taste 

 indicates the disease — in insipid, mawkish or bitter specimens which show 

 the red color and undersize of prematured peaches. During the first season 

 prematured fruit may show only on particular branches or even on a single 

 shoot which may not differ in appearance from other parts of the tree. 

 Prematureness, unaccompanied by other symptoms of yellows, may be 

 due to borers, drovight, neglect, girdling or similar causes. 



The second symptom is the opening of winter-buds out of season. 

 This usually occurs a year later than the appearance of prematured, red- 

 colored fruits. The buds may push forth shortly after they have formed 

 in mid-summer while the tree-top is still bearing its fruit and foliage or they 

 may delay until the next spring, to appear a few days in advance of normal 

 leafing-time. Veiy often these buds begin growth in the autumn after 

 healthy leaves have fallen. Such diseased buds may develop on tips of 

 branches, especially water-sprouts, but feeble, sickly shoots due to the 

 disease usually appear in considerable numbers on main limbs and on the 

 trunk, no dotibt under the infltience of the yellows on old resting buds 

 buried deep in the bark of the wood. Sometimes these yellow shoots are 

 unbranched but oftener they are much branched and frequently but 

 bunchy tufts of foliage, stems slender, leaves pale green, small, narrow and 

 standing out stiffly at nearly right angles to the stems. 



In the final stage of the disease the trees assume the yellowish leaves 

 which give name to the trouble, though sometimes the yellow is tinged 

 with red. Yellows is an unfortunate name since so many other troubles 

 of the peach cause the foliage to take on the jaundiced appearance of this 

 disease. The third stage marks the beginning of the end — sometimes 

 three years, sometimes five or six, but always death sooner or later, there 

 being no instance on record of a diseased tree having been cured. 



This, in brief, is the usual course of yellows, but it follows no invariable 

 rule in its development. Yellows is known to be spread as a contagion 

 l)y afi"ected buds in nursery stock, by nursery-trees, by orchard-trees, and 



