Peach Leaf Curl. 



[JUNE, 



Another member sent in some pears of the variety called 

 " Doyenne de comice," and as he had not handled them with 

 sufficient care, they did not realize their full value, and the 

 Society was only able to pay him 28s. per cwt. for them. Never- 

 theless, the member asked, when handed his cheque, if there 

 were not a mistake. He had previously been accustomed to^ 

 sell the pears for perry for £2 los. to £^ los. per ton, equivalent 

 to 2s. 6d. to 3s. 6d. per cwt ! 



The total sales of the Society in the four months during which 

 it was at work in 1905 amounted to £2,\\\. Since the slack 

 season in the fruit trade, the Society has, on the recommendation 

 of the Agricultural Organization Society, taken up the supply 

 of agricultural requirements, and in the first four months of 1906 

 it did a business of over £1,200 in this department. The great 

 advantage of combining the fruit grading with the supply of 

 requirements is that, if fruit grading alone were undertaken,, 

 there would be certain seasons during which the staff would be 

 virtually unemployed. The profits made on the supply of 

 requirements are more than covering the salaries of the staff 

 during the slack season. 



In connection with the suggestions made in Leaflet No. 120 



for the prevention of peach leaf ' curl, it should be noted if 



^ , , „ ^ , the disease appears on the same tree year 

 Peach Leaf Curl. , . . ^ 



alter year m spite ot spraymg, it proves 



that the mycelium of the fungus has entered the branch and 

 attacks the young leaves each season. 



Under these circumstances spraying is of no avail. 



Every branch showing a tuft of " curled " leaves should be cut 

 off. It is only necessary to make the cut about two inches 

 behind the terminal tuft of diseased leaves, as the mycelium 

 present in the branch never extends backwards, but follows in 

 the direction of growth. If this is done at once, before the 

 fungus forms spores on the diseased leaves, the trees should be 

 free from disease next season. 



