THE PEACHES OF NEW YORK 1 69 



of the package, per bushel of peaches in New York. In this calculation 

 it is assumed that the peach comes in profitable bearing at five years after 

 setting and that the orchard is on the home stretch in the fifteenth lap, 

 giving ten bearing seasons, at least three of which will be fruitless. 



Peach-growers to whom this cost sheet has been submitted say 88 cents 

 is too high a cost for producing a bushel of peaches but asked to consider 

 the several items agree that most of them are too low. No doubt few who 

 figure the cost of production include the item of superintendency which 

 increases the cost for each bushel 20 cents. So, too, the average yield given 

 is considered high. Granting that they may be high, all of the figures are 

 pernlitted to stand, on the theory that the yield bears a close relationship 

 to the expense of production — increased costs stand for increased yields. 

 In tabulations of this kind much is usually made of the cost of bringing 

 the orchard in bearing. In this calculation the high charge of invest- 

 ment goes to cover the cost of the first five years, the period of incubation, 

 so to speak, and it is certain that this, with the sale of inter-crops, covers 

 all expenditures for the first five years. 



DISEASES OF THE PEACH 



The peach is attacked by a half -score or more diseases in New York, 

 two of which, yellows and little-peach, have this fruit quite at their mercy, 

 there being no preventive, antidote, nor means of alleviation for either. 

 Two other diseases, brown-rot and leaf-curl, are always present and often 

 bring disaster, their virulency depending on locality, season, weather and 

 variety, but both are amenable to treatment and at most destroy only 

 foliage and fruit, while yellows and little-peach take their toll in trees. 

 The several other diseases to be discussed are either easily controlled or are 

 of minor importance. 



Yellows is a malignant disease or condition of the peach, very con- 

 tagious, usually virulent, of which we know neither cause, origin nor cure. 

 We know only its unmistakable symptoms, its terrible consequences. 

 The history of yellows, the circumstances of its coming and its effects have 

 been given in a foregoing chapter so that we need to discuss now only the 

 symptoms and means of preventing the direct results of the disease. 



In its later stages the symptoms are characteristic enough and cannot 

 be confounded with those of any other malady or condition of the tree. 

 The marks of yellows are: (i) Premature ripening of the fruit accom- 

 panied by red blotches over the siorface and red streaks running through 



