1 cm 
M i-i tt i-<U W.A. U 
rs t-, w-v 
.1 a unary 24, 
investment, and a tenant who impoverishes the soil 
hi an attempt to pay a large rent and make a 
piolit. The landlord in nearly every ease gives the 
tenant a poor dwelling. In the words of a tenant, 
“Anything is good enough for a renter to live in.” 
More often than not he does not furnish sufficient 
Peach Leaves, Attacked by Leaf-Curl, as Soon as They 
Push Out Beyond Bml Scales. Fig. 45. 
shed-room for the tenant’s crops, live stock and 
tools. As a result, some of them, usually the tools, 
must he taken care of in the “big shed.” What 
wonder is it, under such conditions, that the tenant 
is always looking for a better place to rent? And 
why should lie adopt and follow any system of 
permanent agriculture on a farm which lie expects 
to leave in a year or two? If conditions are such 
that we must have tenantry, then we need some 
system of tenantry by which, as in England, ten¬ 
ants will remain for a long time on the same farms. 
In England it is not uncommon for a tenant farmer 
to be born and die on the same farm, and many 
landlords would no more think of dispossessing a 
tenant than would anyone in America think of dis¬ 
possessing an owner. It does not seem to be the 
proper thing to introduce into this country any 
such radical system, but a few steps toward longer 
terms of tenancy certainly would improve condi¬ 
tions. The attainment of this end may be brought 
about by a better understanding of farm problems 
and of each other by both landlord and tenant. 
Failing this, a doubtful alternative seems to be 
found in legislation. 
RETARDING FACTORS.—The three factors, 
then, which, during my brief stay, impressed me as 
being those which are retarding progress most 
in this neighborhood are poor roads, lack of ade¬ 
quate agricultural capital or credit, and the pre¬ 
vailing system of transient tenancy. All three of 
these factors are more or less amenable to treat¬ 
ment by legislation, and they should be attacked by 
both the National Congress and the State legisla¬ 
tures. We should be careful, however, not to insist 
too strenuously oil immediate legislation. “Half- 
baked" laws often prove distinct failures. Let us 
insist, then, not on having laws passed at once, 
but on an immediate constructive study of the situ¬ 
ation by the law-making bodies, to lie followed in 
due time by wise laws. ii. e. mebn. 
Indiana. 
THE PREVENTION OF PEACH LEAF-CURL. 
Reach leaf-curl is a common fungus disease of 
the peach which attacks tin* foliage in early Spring. 
The affected foliage becomes much distorted and 
curled, and later turns brown and falls from the 
trees. In severe cases the trees may lose a great 
part of their foliage and fruit, thus greatly reducing 
the vigor of the trees. Where only a few leaves are 
affected the damage amounts to very little. The 
leaf-curl fungus is greatly f-'vored by cold, damp 
weather at the time the peach trees are developing 
leaves. If warm, dry weather occurs during this 
period the damage from the disease will be slight. 
The leaf-curl fungus is one of the easiest to con¬ 
trol, as it is very susceptible to the effects of fungi¬ 
cides. and yet many failures to control it are re¬ 
ported each year, because the fungicides are not ap¬ 
plied at the proper time. The disease remains in 
the orchard over Winter in the form of spores. 
These spores begin to germinate as soon as leaf bud 
development starts in early Spring, as illustrated 
in Fig. 15. As soon as the tips of the new leaves 
show beyond the bud scales they are open to the 
attack of the fungus. The feeding, or what may be 
called the root portion of the fungus, develops in¬ 
side of the leaves of the peach, and after it is 
once established in this manner there is no way 
of destroying it without destroying the leaves. 
The only successful method which will completely 
control the disease is a treatment which will destroy 
the spores before they have a chance to germinate 
and enter the tips of the new leaves just emerging 
from the protection of the bud scales in early 
Spring. Fortunately the lime-sulphur mixture as 
applied for the scale is a perfect remedy for this 
d'sease. The requirements for success, however, are 
that the lime-sulphur be of a strength sufficient to 
control the scale, that it be thoroughly applied, and 
that it be applied before the leaf buds have opened. 
Many peach growers failed to control the leaf-curl 
with lime-sulphur last Spring, because they failed to 
spray early enough. The abnormally warm weather 
started the leaf buds into growth very early, and 
the fungus was able to establish itself inside the 
leaves before any spray was applied. After the 
leaves have become curled it is too late to control 
the disease in any way for that season. To prevent 
injury from this disease the coming season, spray 
ypur peach trees thoroughly with lime-sulphur at 
the standard Winter strength before the leaf buds 
make any growth in early Spring. m. a. bt.ake. 
New Jersey Experimental Station. 
RADIUM AND CANCER. 
The attempt to cure cancer with radium may be 
said to be fighting a mysterious disease with a no 
less mysterious remedy. An ancient disease, and 
now apparently increasing in prevalence, cancer is 
the enigma of modern medicine. Its physical struc¬ 
ture is known but its cause and essential nature 
yet baffle science. All of the various structures of 
the body, whether of bone or softer tissue, are made 
up of cells, as a wall is made up of bricks. Each 
cell, like each brick, is an independent bit of mat¬ 
ter which must be united with thousands of its fel¬ 
lows to form a useful structure. These cells are of 
microscopic size, and as the bricks in a wall are 
separated from each other by mortar, so is each cell 
enclosed in its own membrane. The similarity ends 
here, however, for the brick is a dead, inert thing, 
while the cell is a living mass, capable of growth 
and reproduction. As a young tissue grows, or a 
mature one wears out and needs to be replaced, 
these living bricks of which it is made increase in 
number and thus add to the bulk of the tissue, or 
maintain it at its normal size, being governed in 
this by that mysterious principle which we call life. 
Sometimes, however, the bricks in some part of 
the body walls refuse to obey the rules of nature, 
and commence to grow and multiply in an utterly 
lawless way. When they do this, they form an un¬ 
natural enlargement, or tumor, and this particular 
kind of tumor we call cancer. Just why any group 
of bricks should break away from all restraint and 
commence a vicious growth, we do not know, and 
until we do know, we cannot say what causes cancer. 
These new and unneeded bricks, whether in skin, 
muscle, or some internal itssue. have little vitality, 
and tend to break down and ulcerate, producing 
the open sores seen in external cancers. 
Tt has been found that that wonderful substance 
known as radium gives off certain emanations, or 
rays, which may be used to destroy these new cells 
in a cancerous growth without injuring the law 
abiding ones of healthy tissue. Like X-rays, they 
also have the power to penetrate healthy tissues to 
reach diseased ones beneath. They thus not only 
offer hope for the destruction of cancerous tissue 
upon the surface but also of that in interior parts 
of the body. * It is necessary that radium be used 
in proper amounts and for a limited length of time, 
for if too long exposed to its action, healthy tis¬ 
sues will be destroyed. While all this is true, and 
the discovery of this beneficent action of radium 
offers great hope to humanity, there are still limi¬ 
tations to its use which should be generally known 
to prevent disappointment on the port of sufferers. 
The total amount of radium in the world is exceed¬ 
ingly small, and the process of extracting it from 
its ores almost infinitely slow and expensive. II will 
be months, or possibly years, yet before a sufficient 
quantity can be obtained and used to show just 
how far it can displace the surgeon’s knife in the 
treatment of cancer. 
Those eminent surgeons whose work with radium 
has recently aroused so much interest and hope 
urge most strongly that the early use of the knife 
must yet be depended upon to save the lives of 
cancer sufferers. While radium promises a great 
deal, it is still a promise, so far as its practical ap¬ 
plication is concerned. A cancerous growth, wher¬ 
ever situated, is. for a time at least, a local disease, 
and if it can be removed before it has spread its 
contagion to surrounding structures, it may he 
cured. This time is limited, however, and the 
earlier the appeal to the blessed knife of the skilled 
surgeon, the greater the chances of complete and 
permanent removal. m. h. d. 
CHARGE “ALL THE TRAFFIC WILL BEAR.” 
I have been reading of the closing work of the New 
York State Legislature, and it gives me a feeling of 
“righteous indignation,” or something worse. I refer to 
their allowing Governor Sulzer's lawyers $10,000 for 
their services in trying to keep him from being im¬ 
peached. etc.; that makes $5,714.20 for each one of 
them if divided equally. That is more than I ever made 
in one year in my business life. One of these men was 
a schoolmate of mine, and I don’t know that lie was any 
brighter than several of the other boys at that time. It 
makes me think of what Cassius said to Brutus: 
“Now in the name of all the gods at once, 
Fpon what meat doth this our Caesar feed 
That he hath grown so great?” 
I never swam the Tiber with him, but I could throw a 
ball, or run as fast, or jump as far as he. and sometimes 
recite my lessons bettor. lie chose the law and I agricul¬ 
ture and horticulture. I believe it takes as much brains 
to run a fruit farm as it does to prove that a Governor of 
New York is honest, if it does not pay as well. Thirty- 
five years ago I was settling up an estate, and some one 
had to appear for two minors who wore heirs. The 
judge called in an attorney from across tin* hall, and he 
spent about five minutes doing up the job. The judge 
remarked that the law allowed him five dollars for it. 
I turned around and looked out of the window and saw 
a man working on the street, and when I went out I 
asked him how much he was getting a day, and lie said 
one dollar. Now I know there was as much brains on 
the street as there was inside. These are some of the 
causes that have led to the “high cost of living.” I wish 
that a commission could be appointed that would bring 
out the real facts in the case. r r. n. KING. 
We understand these lawyers demanded $00,000. 
but were cut down one-third. The lawyers on the 
other side were paid still more for about a month’s 
work. Any man who does business involving (lie 
transfer of property or tlie protection of property 
rights will find himself held up as by a highwayman 
for legal fees. We have one piece of property that 
has been “searched” four times in 10 years. The 
lawyers merely looked over the records, which were 
on file, and charged $15 or $25. as suited them. Even 
the notorious and guilty Allds. who was tried for 
Peach Twig with Leaf-Curl. Fig. 46. 
bribery and convicted, had the nerve to ask the State 
to pay bis lawyers some $25,000. For a wonder the 
Legislature refused! Mr. King is right. These out¬ 
rageous and unjust legal fees are among the “high 
cost of living” causes. 
