386 
THE R U KAIi ME W-VOKWER 
FUNGOUS DISEASES OF STONE FRUITS 
IN THE MIDDLE WEST. 
Part I. 
It is hardly to be claimed that the rela¬ 
tive importance of the stone fruits as 
orchard crops is as great in the Middle 
West as in the more thickly Settled East; 
but it is not, therefore, to be concluded 
that it is inconsiderable. In fact, the 
opposite is the case. These crops as¬ 
sume a large place as a source of revenue 
on many farms, and this is especially 
true in the vicinity of large towns and 
cities. The success of these crops, how¬ 
ever—peach, plum and cherry—is very 
often greatly curtailed by one or other 
of some four or five diseases which are 
prevalent in this section. It will be the 
aim here to discuss rather briefly the 
appearance, mode of attack, etc., of each 
important disease, and to indicate what 
seems to be the most effective control 
measures. 
BROWN ROT.—There is no doubt 
that the brown rot is the most destruc¬ 
tive 1 disease attacking peaches and plums. 
It attacks practically all stone fruits, at 
least all which are largely grown. The 
twigs are often invaded and blighted by 
the fungus, but it is primarily an affec¬ 
tion of the fruit; and usually becomes 
destructive at ripening time, if the 
weather be damp and rainy and if the 
fruits hang in contact with each other. 
Not only does the disease affect the fruits 
while they are yet on the tree, but the 
Mummied Plums Harboring Brown 
Rot. 
rotting of an infected specimen progresses 
after picking, and the decay is thereby 
induced in sound fruit which may be in 
contact with it in the basket. The dis¬ 
ease first shows up as a brownish and 
softened area, usually circular in shape, 
which increases steadily in size until the 
whole fruit is involved. Soon after this, 
or even before, small gray mold-like tufts 
appear on the older infected port ion,* itnd 
if these be rubbed or touched, ft gray 
powder comes off. This dust is composed 
of the Summer spores of the fungus, 
Sclerotinia fruetigena, which causes the 
trouble. These spores germinate readily 
and spread the disease with extreme 
rapidity. 
The fungus winters in these same in¬ 
fected fruits. Many of them fall to the 
ground, others dry up and cling to the 
tree. The picture here given shows a 
number of such plums which were picked 
from the tree and photographed in Janu¬ 
ary. When Spring comes, the fungus 
threads in these “mummied” fruits pro¬ 
duce another crop of spores, and the 
disease gets started for another season. 
Then beginning with the cherries, follow¬ 
ing with the plums, and ending with the 
late peaches, it works steadily at de¬ 
stroying the crop when just ready to 
be picked. Estimates of the damage 
range from practically nothing to 90 
per cent, or even 100 per cent, in dif¬ 
ferent seasons and localities. It is cus¬ 
tomary to take such high estimates as 
the latter with a grain of salt, but. as the 
writer has himself seen 50 per cent, or 
more of a crop destroyed in a few days 
of warm, wet weather, he is not inclined 
to make the grain of salt unduly large. 
The trouble is almost impossible to stop 
if it gets a good start. 
Fortunately, though, it can be pre¬ 
vented to some extent, if taken in time. 
One measure for this is to destroy af¬ 
fected fruits, since as has already been 
mentioned, it is by these that the disease 
passes the Winter. They should be 
cleaned from the trees and ground and 
buried deeply, or burned. The severity 
of the disease can be lessened by thinning 
until peaches are about six inches apart 
and until plums do not touch. This 
should be supplemented by picking and 
destroying affected fruits as they appear, 
so that nearby fruits may escape. This 
would not involve as much extra labor 
as might at first seem, because most of 
these diseased specimens must be handled 
at picking time anyway. Furthermore, 
the thinning of peaches is a highly profit- 
aide practice quite aside from any con¬ 
sideration of the brown rot, because of 
the increased size and quality of the fruit 
resulting. 
The second measure for the control of 
this condition is spraying. The first spray 
should bo boiled lime-sulphur diluted to 
tost 45 to 50 deg. Beaume, applied before 
the buds open, preferably in March. This 
is to prevent twigs and blossom infection, 
and to destroy any hibernating San Jose 
scale. For plums and cherries, but not 
for peaches, follow with 4-G-50 Bordeaux 
and arsenate of lead, two pounds of the 
arsenate to 50 gallons of Bordeaux just 
after the buds burst, again just after the 
petals fall, and again four or five weeks 
before the fruit ripens. The last two 
applications of Bordeaux should contain 
only half the standard quantity of blue- 
stone in order to avoid leaf injury. For 
peaches use 8-8-50 self-boiled lime-sulphur 
with two pounds of arsenate of lead to 
50 gallons of the spray, the same as 
mentioned above, four or live weeks after 
petals fall, and again three or four weeks 
later, except for early sorts. For late 
varieties, a final application should be 
made four or five weeks before ripening. 
The use of the arsenate of lead is for the 
control of curcnlio. The control of the 
curculio is doubly important, because it 
causes a two-fold damage. There is a 
direct damage, due to the fruit actually 
destroyed by the insect; and there is an 
indirect damage due to the method of 
spread of the brown rot fungus. It has 
been found that brown rot attacks usually 
originate at curculio injuries, and that 
spraying for brown rot alone will not 
control the disease, whereas if the cur¬ 
culio be controlled, the treatment for 
brown rot can be made successful. The 
inclusion of the arsenate of lead in the 
spray is important, therefore, as a meas¬ 
ure for the control of the fungus as well 
as for the prevention of insect injury. 
PEACH LEAF-CURL—The peach 
leaf-curl, like the black knot of plums, 
is a disease which is exceptionally well 
named, because of the accuracy with 
which the name suggests the peculiar 
curled, wrinkled leaf deformations which 
are the most typical symptoms of the 
trouble. The affection, however, is more 
than a leaf trouble; it is also a twig, 
flower, and fruit disease, and as such is 
more important than many suppose. The 
effect in such cases is to blight the struc¬ 
tures affected, although many of the twigs 
often recover eventually. The cause is 
a fungus, Exoascus deformans, which 
grows among the tender young tissues. 
It passes the Winter as spores. Some of 
these spores are lodged on and among 
the scales of the dormant buds. When 
the buds germinate the young leaves and 
other structures become infected and the 
characteristic symptoms follow. Later in 
the season the curled leaves turn brown 
and fall from the tree. A cold damp 
Spring is conducive to a severe attack. 
After such a Spring, neglected peach trees 
often become defoliated to a very serious 
degree. If the buds open and the leaves 
develop during warm and comparatively 
dry weather, however, the attack will be 
much lighter and perhaps negligible. The 
remedy is prevention, and consists in pre¬ 
venting the spores on the bud scales from 
infecting the young parts. The disease 
cannot be controlled after tit gets a good 
start. Spray while the buds are yet dor¬ 
mant with Winter strength of Bordeaux, 
or boiled lime-sulphur—and be sure not 
to put off the job until tin 1 buds are open¬ 
ing. This spraying, as has been sug¬ 
gested, will also help with brown rot and 
prove exceedingly rough on the San Jos6 
scale. c. a. ludwig. 
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