■262 IHB PEACH AND NECTAKDIE. 



Diseases, Insects, and Enemies, 



XTusEii faromable conditions of climate, soil, and onlture, tliese trees 

 are not specially subject to disease. Most of those from wHcli they snffer 

 are accidental rather than constitutional. It is a severe trial to the health 

 of these and other fruit trees to be immovably fized to .the wall, and to 

 have every part of them thus fully exposed to the extreme alternations of 

 heat and cold without shade or shelter of any kind. The forced and 

 perfect rigidity of trunk, branch, and twig also doubtless exaggerates, 

 if it does not originate, many of the diseases that weaken or destroy 

 peach trees. These conditions, however, are necessary to the successful 

 culture of the peach in our climate. That climate is too cold for standard 

 peaches, and the extria. heat from walls is essential to success. 



The most common diseases that affect peaches and nectarines in the 

 open air are canker, gum, mildew, blister, sunstroke, root gout, fungus 

 and suckers, jaundice or the yellows, honeydew, and super-swelling of the 

 Bcion over the stock. 



Peaches and nectarines are rather subject to the attacks of insects. 

 These may be divided into two classes — ^those that prey upon the leaves 

 and those that devour the fruit. Of the first class are red spider, 

 thrip, aphides, scale, snnfly, weevils, and caterpillars. Of the latter, 

 «nails, ants, earwigs, ladybirds, woodlice, beetles, bluebottle flies, 

 wasps, honey-bees, and hornets are the more troublesome. Mice and 

 rats where they abound will also often attack peaches and nectarines, 

 as will also squirrels, pheasants, partridges, fowls, birds, and even 

 pet dogs. 



/. — Canker, 



Xebs prevalent among peacbes than apples, this disease generally 

 reveals itself in the trunk or larger branches. First the bark becomes 

 abnormally hard, and rough portions of it then seem to scale off or be 

 'eaten through, leaving faults or jagged portions of the stem barkless. 

 Canker has generally been. attributed to ungenial soil; the excess of 

 water or of iron in the earth originates or intensifies this disease. The 

 avoidance of these, and also of all soils and situations in which the 

 peach refuses to grow freely, generally prevents canker. Little can be 

 done to cure it. A thick paint or plaster made of clay and cowduug hag 

 been thought to arrest its progress and assist in healing the wounds. A. 



