1897 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
467 
LEAF CURL IN MICHIGAN PEACH ORCHARDS. 
Bordeaux Mixture Proves a Remedy. 
The peach crop of western Michigan is estimated 
by good judges to be from a tenth to a quarter of a 
crop. The leaf curl commenced just after the leaves 
were out, when the structure of the leaf was very 
tender. The weather was exceptionally cool, both 
night and day, and we had cold northerly winds dur¬ 
ing the day. The Elberta peach trees were affected 
the worst, but the curled leaves are now all fallen 
off, and the new growth has grown so fast their loss 
is hardly perceptible, except that the trees appear a 
THE JOE STRAWBERRY. Flo. 197. 
See Ruralisms, Page 471. 
little thin in foliage. It hardly appeared upon some 
varieties such as the Foster. The remedy is to spray 
the trees with Bordeaux Mixture before the buds 
open. r. u. s. 
Watervliet, Mich. 
Characteristics of the Disease. 
The disease called leaf curl has been known and 
feared by peach growers here for many years, but 
this spring was much more prevalent than usual. 
The disease was quite manifest when the foliage first 
started, and developed very rapidly until nearly every 
orchard, excepting those on very light 
land, presented a very unsightly appear¬ 
ance. If left to take its own course, the 
curled foliage will remain on the tree 
until about the middle of June, when the 
terminal buds begin to grow rapidly and 
new foliage takes the place of the dis¬ 
eased, the latter shedding off much the 
same as matured leaves in the fall. By 
July 1, if the tree is in a thrifty condition, 
it is well covered with new foliage, and 
shows very little effect of the disease. 
Just how much the disease has affected 
the present crop is hard to determine, but 
some orchards that were fairly covered 
with fruit, dropped a large share of it 
when the diseased leaves fell. If the trees 
are kept in a thrifty condition by proper 
fertilizing and judicious cultivation, very 
little permanent injury to the tree seems 
to result. 
For a few years previous to 1897, the 
disease had not been troublesome, and 
very many had become careless about 
using any means to prevent it, for as is 
well known, it is a fungus, and very little 
can be done to save the foliage that is 
once affected ; still, enough trees have 
been carefully treated to show that the 
disease can be controlled by the use of 
fungicides. When the disease is prevalent, 
the best treatment seems to be to spray 
very thoroughly just before the buds 
open, with Bordeaux Mixture or with 
copper sulphate and water, one pound of 
sulphate to 25 gallons of water, without 
adding the lime. This is by far the most 
important of the whole treatment; if this 
has been thoroughly done, one or two 
sprayings about 10 days apart, with the 
regular Bordeaux Mixture, after the foliage has 
started, will prevent the disease doing any serious in¬ 
jury. Care should be taken after the foliage starts, 
to use plenty of lime, which can easily be tested by 
putting in a bright piece of steel, as a knife blade ; if 
there is sufficient lime, the steel will not be discolored. 
Or a few drops of ferrocyanide of potassium may be 
added ; if there is sufficient lime, there will be no 
change of color, if not, a brownish color will result. 
In many cases, where people have been careless in 
this regard, the remedy has been much worse than 
the disease. Very many orchards in this county are 
looking bad for other reasons than the result of 
leaf curl. We experienced a severe freeze in April, 
just as the trees were gorged with sap, causing the 
gum to exude from the limbs and bodies ; many trees 
were killed, and many more permanently injured. 
The Twig borer has been very prevalent, and in some 
cases, destroyed nearly every young sprout on the 
tree. This county will give not more than 10 per 
cent of a good crop, while some fa,vored localities 
nearer the lake, and on light, sandy land will, prob¬ 
ably, give 50 per cent. While some are becoming 
discouraged, very many will expect, by increased 
diligence, to overcome present difficulties, and still 
make a success of peach growing. l. j. p. 
Leaf Curl Not a Serious Matter. 
I do not think that the leaf curl has done much 
damage to peaches here. We had a cold, wet and 
backward spring, which seemed to produce the leaf 
curl, the young leaves being tender. When the 
weather moderated, the leaf curl disappeared, and 
the trees are now growing as though nothing had 
occurred. I do not think the disease a serious one, 
if it be a disease. There were no peach blossoms ex¬ 
cept in a few favored locations. The leaf curl will 
not seriously affect our orchards. s. s. bailey. 
Kent County, Mich. 
A Note from T. T. Lyon. 
The extent of injury from leaf curl of the peach in 
this vicinity varies greatly ; depending, as it does, 
upon exposure to lake winds, the vigorous condition 
of the trees and the greater or less susceptibility of 
varieties. Owing to the enfeeblement of most or¬ 
chards, consequent upon the excessive crop of last 
year, we might reasonably have anticipated a light 
crop this season. Aside from this, the past spring 
has been persistently cold and backward, with condi¬ 
tions of moisture and temperature which have re¬ 
sulted in a very unusual development of the malady 
named, thus rendering the foliage ineffective, just 
when specially needed to promote the setting of the 
young fruit. As the result of this combination of in¬ 
fluences, the peach crop of this vicinity is likely to be 
little above one-third of an average. The malady 
usually attacks the foliage while yet but partially 
developed and, when prevalent, sadly depletes the 
vigor of the trees. Spraying early, with the Bordeaux 
Mixture is, so far as known, the most effective treat¬ 
ment, though this is rather a preventive than a 
remedy. The diseased foliage is crowded off or 
dropped as soon as, with favorable weather and re¬ 
newed growth, a healthy leafage is again developed, 
and the trees, usually, nearly or quite regain their 
pristine vigor during the growing season, if not en¬ 
feebled too seriously by previous ill treatment. 
Thorough spraying, in early spring, with strong Bor¬ 
deaux Mixture, is usually an effectual preventive, 
destroying the spores of the fungus before they start 
into growth. At this time, the spray can be safely 
applied of double or even quadruple strength, since 
there is no foliage to be injured. 
FITTING SOIL FOR STRAWBERRIES. 
A subscriber in Ohio says that his soil is black, with a yellow 
clay subsoil, and is now growing potatoes. When first planted 
with strawberries, they were thrifty and gave a large crop for 
three years ; then it was plowed and planted to corn, potatoes 
and cabbage, all of which did well for about four years, during 
which time it was heavily manured several times. It was then 
manured again, and set to berries for the second time, but this 
time the berries did not thrive. They yielded only one-fourth of 
a crop, and the plants looked as though they were starved, while 
the plants on the adjoining ground were tine and yielded a large 
crop. He says that a large amount of hard wood ashes has been 
applied to this piece, but not to the patch that yielded a large 
crop of berries. He wishes to know what to do with this field in 
order to set it to berries again, with a fair chance of success, and 
CHAMPION OF ENGLAND STRAWBERRY. Flo. 109. 
See Ruralisms, Page 470. 
asks this question, “ Would you advise sowing to clover, and 
using commercial fertilizers 7 ” 
What A. Johnson Says. 
I cannot say positively what is the trouble, but I 
think it is because he has cropped his ground every 
year, since he had strawberries on it. If he had 
seeded it down to grass a few years, the ground would 
have been better suited for strawberries again. I did 
once succeed a crop of strawberries, after taking off a 
crop of cabbage and potatoes, with strawberries 
again, manuring well for each crop ; but the second 
crop of berries was far inferior to the first crop. My 
method for a number of years has been, 
after picking the crop for three years, to 
plow the bed, raise a crop of cabbage, 
the next year take off a crop of potatoes, 
then seed with rye and Timothy, sowing 
clover in the spring ; mow the grass for 
three years, then turn under the sod early 
in the fall, spread manure late in the fall, 
plowing in lightly. Next season, plant 
with potatoes, using fertilizers in the 
rows ; put on another coat of manure in 
the fall, plowing it in, then next spring, 
set with berries again. By that system, 
I always get a good crop of berries. I 
don’t think sowing to clover alone and 
only one year’s growth would be sufficient; 
it should lie in grass two or three years. 
He can try the method and I think he will 
find a remedy. a. Johnson. 
New Jersey. 
Opinion of W. F. Taber. 
It is evident from the results that the 
crop did not have, so to speak, a balanced 
ration, that something was lacking to 
produce vigorous growth of plant, and 
power to produce fruit. Now, what was 
it ? I think we may infer that both ni¬ 
trogen and phosphoric acid were deficient, 
producing the starved condition of which 
he speaks. This soil may need lime to 
correct acidity. This may be easily ascer¬ 
tained by testing it with blue litmus 
paper; but my opinion is that this soil 
needs humus, which can best be supplied 
by growing upon it a crop of clover to be 
plowed under. This clover will add ni¬ 
trogen to the soil, but I would apply a 
fertilizer rich in nitrogen and phosphoric 
acid to grow the clover. I find in my ex¬ 
perience with soils that, if I can incorporate sufficient 
humus into the soil (and I can do it by green manur¬ 
ing), to make it porous so the air can permeate it, and 
the moisture contained in the air be condensed and 
retained in the soil to dissolve its mineral elements, 
the problem of plant growth is, in a great measure, 
solved, provided proper surface cultivation of the soil 
be given to prevent evaporation. I presume that the 
Red clover would be safest for this subscriber to sow 
in his locality, but if he could get such a crop of 
Crimson clover as I turned under on May 10 in my 
vineyard, 10 inches high and about as thick as it 
could stand, it would do the work. My practice now 
T1IE ROBBIE STRAWBERRY. Fig. 198. See Ruralisms, Page 471. 
