HEARINGS BEFORE COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE. 185 
abandoned so far as the Department is concerned and turned over to 
the people. 
Mr. Woops. That requires going over the four or five years of our 
work. I can briefly mention some of those problems. I have spoken 
of two that have been practically settled in the last year. One is the 
macaroni wheat problem. From spending $9,000 or $10,000 we have 
come to a point where we are only spending about $1,500. 
J mentioned one other thing here which we have practically finished 
up—lI do not recall what that is. But one of the problems we finished 
was the work on the peach-leaf curl. The peach-leaf curl is a thing 
that has caused immense losses to the peach industry of the United 
States. It took us about five years to find out a proper method of 
controlling that disease. We have now reduced that to one spraying 
just before the leaves come out. We have not spent a cent on that 
this year and did not spend a cent on it last year. One spraying just 
before the leaves come out will completely control that disease. So 
there is not one-tenth of 1 per cent of the crops lost now by reason 
of that disease. We have settled the cotton problem in Sea Island 
cotton. Weare now devoting our energies to upland cotton, which 
is a different proposition, although a similar one. 
The Cuatrman. How about peach yellows? 
Mr. Woops. While we have not been able to find out the technical 
cause of peach yellows, we have found a preventive so that this is not 
a serious thing now, commercially speaking. We have not spent a 
cent for years on that. 
Mr. Henry. Is the method of prevention in that disease the burning 
of the tree? 
Mr. Woops. Yes; the method of prevention is the burning of the 
tree or the destruction of the tree. As soon as that is noted the tree 
should be pulled down. 
The Cuairman. What have you done in regard to the little peach? 
Mr. Woops. We have not found out the cause of it yet but, we are 
applying the same remedy, and we find it is apparently holding it in 
check. At first that may seem like a very expensive remedy and it is 
when aman has let 90 per cent of his trees come down, but by keeping 
it out, pulling down one tree this year and two trees next year, if you 
pull it out as soon as it shows itself it does not spread, and the peach- 
tree grower does not have any more fear of yellows. 
The Cuarrman. It is simply renewing his orchard after all is said 
and done? 
Mr. Woops. Yes, sir; but if he let that peach tree stand for two or 
three years—— 
The Cuarrman. I say he is simply renewing his orchard, after all? 
Mr. Woops. Yes, sir. 
The Cuarrman. The trees have only a life of about ten or twelve 
years anyway, I think. 
Mr. Gattoway. One point in that connection, and that is what 
might be called the indirect point of view of this sort of work. When 
I first came into the Department I took up this subject of peach yel- 
lows. That was one of the first things that we worked on. We 
worked on the manner of determining what effect the different kinds 
of fertilizers had on the trees in that connection. Thousands of dol- 
lars were spent every year on the eastern shore of Maryland and in 
other sections where peaches are grown to a large extent in fertil- 
