377 
nursery, and that the selection of a proper place for bedding pits is 
an important factor in getting rid of this disease. This belief rests on 
the fact that certain lots or blocks of trees are often specially subject to 
it while others are nearly exempt. The general appearance of these 
tumors on peach, pear, and poplar is shown in Plate xxxyiii. Some 
trouble has been experienced in finding a proper name for this disease, 
since the use of the term a root knot, 77 which is already preempted for 
the root disease due to nematodes, would lead to endless confusion. In 
California this disease is sometimes designated the u crown gall, 77 from 
the frequency of its appearance at the surface of the earth, and this 
name is, perhaps, as good as any, although the disease is not confined 
to this part of the tree. 
ROOT ROT OF THE PEACH. 
The specimen on which this report is based was received from Waco, 
Tex. The outer bark at the base of the trunk did not give indica¬ 
tions of extensive injury, but on examination the entire inner bark 
was found to have been destroyed by a fungus which produced between 
wood and bark copious flat, white, mycelial strands, having a strong 
smell of mushrooms. Afxparently the strands belonged to some hymen - 
omycetous fungus, but there were no organs of fructification by which 
to identify it. The fungus may have entered the tree through two 
small injuries, which were probably due to borers, but the extent to 
which it had penetrated in all directions between the living wood 
and bark indicated that it was capable of living parasitically and 
that it was probably the cause of the disease. Trees attacked in this 
way are said to die gradually and usually first on one side. The 
top of this particular trunk showed signs of unhealthy growth in 
1891, but matured a good crop of fruit. In 1892 it bloomed and set a 
fair crop, but died about the time the fruit ripened, part of the latter 
remaining on the tree in a withered condition. 
Possibly this decay is the work of Armillaria mellea , but no rliizo- 
morplis were found. At any rate it is a disease which has been 
reported only from the Southwest, no cases ever having been observed 
by the writer in the peach-growing regions of the northern and eastern 
United States, where peach yellows is prevalent and where we should 
expect to find such symptoms frequently if hymenoiuycetous fungi 
were the cause of yellows. 
DESCRIPTION OF PLATE. 
Plate xxxviii. The crown gall. Fig. 1, Lombardy poplar, crown affected, Arizona. 
Fig. 2, fresli pear stock, crown affected, Maryland. Fig. 3, peach, crown and roots 
affected, California. Fig. 4, peach, stem above ground affected, Florida. All 
pliotograx>hs, natural size, from young trees. 
