SPRAYING CROPS 



Bordeaux mixture and Paris green will prevent such 

 injury. The first application should be made early in 

 the spring, and others follow at occasional intervals 

 until July. 



FUNGUS ENEMIES 



The Brown Rot of Stone-fruits is the most 

 serious enemy under this heading. Fruit affected by 

 this disease turns brown and rots, and generally de- 

 velops on the skin a velvety or powdery brown coating. 

 This coating consists of a great number of minute 

 spores fastened together, end to end. If one of these 

 velvety masses be shaken over a glass slide and the 

 slide then put under a microscope, it will be seen that 

 a great many of the spores have separated and fallen 

 off. When one of - these spores lights upon a green 

 plum, peach, or cherry, and a drop of water happens 

 to form over it, it sends out a germinating tube which 

 penetrates the skin of the fruit, and once inside de- 

 velops a mass of mycelium, disorganizing the tissues 

 and causing rot. Then this mycelium develops a nev/ 

 mass of spores, and thus the fungus propagates itself. 

 After the development of the spores, the plums or 

 peaches dry up and hang on the limbs until the follow- 

 ing season, when they start the disease again. Even 

 the blossoms are often attacked. 



The first step towards preventing this disease is to 

 pick off and burn the dry and mummied plums that 

 hang on the trees over winter. These carry the dis- 

 ease through cold weather and start it again in the 

 spring. The fruit rots worst when it hangs on the 

 tree until fully ripe. In commercial orchards it should 

 be picked before it is ripe. Rotting plums during the 

 ripening period should also be promptly removed. 



During summer the leaves of plums and cherries 

 are often injured by the Plum Leaf-blight or 



