Proceedings of the Farmers'* Club. 557 



on the site of one that lias died with the yellows " is based on experi- 

 ence or not ? 



Mr. A. S. Fuller — Yes ; my opinion is based on experience ; and, 

 further, I have taken buds from a tree dying with the yellows and 

 produced a healthy tree by inserting it into a healthy stock. It may 

 not be a judicious plan to plant a young orchard on the site of an old 

 one, but I should not have any fears as to the result if the means 

 were at hand for thoroughly renovating the soil. Yellows is a disease 

 which may be produced by widely different causes, such as a soil 

 exhausted of lime, potash, humus or other essential ingredients, or it 

 may be caused by cold; in fact, anything that weakens the vigor or 

 health of the tree, will cause yellows. In this respect it is very 

 similar to the mildew on our native grapes. Excessive cold during 

 the growing season, or heat, moisture, or dryness of the atmosphere 

 check growth, and mildew follows. 



Dr. Isaac P. Trimble — I question if any peach-grower of experience 

 would indorse this doctrine. 



Mr. D. B. Bruen — I am sure the disease would be conveyed to the 

 healthy stock. I know some growers who would not use on healthy 

 trees a knife with which they had pruned diseased ones without clean- 

 ing it carefully. 



Mushrooms. 



Mr. L. G-. Wilson, Mt. Gilead, Ohio, asked desired information 

 regarding mushrooms, the varieties, culture, etc. 



Mr. A. S. Fuller — There are several species of edible mushrooms, 

 but the one chiefly cultivated for market is the agaricus compeslris, 

 a species to which the gentleman's description might be applied, but 

 we cannot say positively if it is the same. Any good work on garden- 

 ing will give the gentleman the information he desires. To produce 

 mushrooms quickly, and of the desired species, requires a careful 

 preparation of a mushroom bed, and the planting of what is termed 

 mushroom spawn, which can be purchased in the form of bricks at 

 any of our large seed-stores. To tell exactly how to raise mushrooms, 

 would require a lengthy paper, and those who desire to grow them 

 can afford to pay $1.50 for a book on gardening. 



Mr. R. J. Dodge — The mushroom usually eaten is short and thick. 

 I am of the opinion that there are many varieties now unknown to 

 us, which are good as food. Those which are edible, smell sweet and 

 turn black a short time after being picked or broken. I have seen 

 edible mushrooms of very large size. 



