
          349

The four Michigan <s>region is</s> townships named comprise the most
important peach district in the State, the
only one at all comparable to New Jersey or
Delaware.  By State law, supported in
this region by a very strong public sentiment
based on a nearly universal
belief in the communicable nature of
the disease, <s>all</s> peach trees affected by
"yellows" are dug out and burned 
as soon as discovered. On the theory
of spread by contagium the infective
material, whatever it be, must presumably
be kept at a minimum.
If it is developed in the tree, it
can never be very abundant for there
are never very many diseased trees
in existence at any one time. The
proximity of Lake Michigan also serves
to prevent injuries by freezing. Here
then the influence of two supposed
causes is reduced to a minimum
and the effect of soil exhaustion
will, if anywhere, be freed from
complications, and in condition
to be estimated at its true value.

The fact that "yellows" still 
appears, year after year, in the region
mentioned, in spite of law, & of the
modifying influence of the Great Lake,
would seem, at first to favor the
theory of soil exhaustion, but it
        