The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1871-11-27
PARKER EARLE ON PEACH ROT AND
a. THE CURCULIe.

ITO PNoS't Sitl't thieti y Ob iiafO hhfuty tOl-
wardcd to me, possesses interest for all
peach growers. The essential points in his
letter are that before the war he had sue
cessfully shipped peaches to New York !;
that since the years of neglect attending the
war his old trees have become more and
more vaueless from rot that in 1869 he
had hauled out of the orchard land [ pre-
sumo destroyed large quantities of injured
fruit, hoping to remove the probable cause
of the difficulty by destroying the larvae of
the curculio; that in 1870 hail storm
ruined the fruit crops in his section, and he
had hoped that these two seasons had ex-
terminated the enemy /; finally, the crop of
this year was very promising, and the first
boxes shipped went through sound, but the
rains then commenced, and the early varie-
ties began 'molding on the trees" until
"the peaches had an actual lint on them,
almost like shortstaple cotton, and all fruit
shipped rotted and brought no returns.-
He also says that a large orchard of
trees, budded from his own, which was
planted in distant part of the State, and
where no other peaches were grown, had
this year shown the same disease in the
first crop of the Tillotson variety. Now,
believe that this gcntleman's experience
with this threatening peach disease cor
responds very nearly with that of hum
dreds of Others throughout the warm and
humid regions oil the West and South,
where the rot in all stone fruits has been
for years Increasingly destructive; and
some hints toward a remedy may prove as
welcome to others as to this enterprising
planter of 1000 trees, whose magnificent
orchards are now IN danger OF becoming
utterly worthless from this truly alarming
malady. Peach rot IS mostly connected
with mechanical injuries to the fruit. Any
puncture or abrasion OF the skin, irom
whatever causes. will IN most cases be fol-
lowed by rot even IN dry weather, and
quite certainly SO In wet seasons. The
chafing Of peaches against, each other or
against the limbs OF the tree, punctures by
bees or other insects which feed upon the
Juices OF the fruit, all furnish conditions
which IN damp weather surely lead to rot.
But the damages done by the curculio,
both in deposlting It's eggs and IN feeding,
unquestionably cause very large proper
ton OF the peach rot which has become so
widespread. s1,.5.
In all peach-growing neighborhoods the
ar IS loaded with mlllions OF the spores of
TINS microscope fungus winch we call rot,
that attach themselves tethe surfaces of all
i wy : w. ou' M poee'a ess 'ui
HARM on t.e nea,'ly anu eitect 's sl,l o.
aiiy .nalt pas eaeiy inl'ny Mlueli
eAposgs el,o |'.so ~ se ll'ne FURNISHES
sui.aphe SOU ior ,uen sei wi ana
glow,n. Anu a. ~ .iunsoiu eloWths are
greasiy uepe .a'a aPoai Moisture, snls
Peacii lo' ueseiops VIII aialliills raPloiey
, ~ wall. anu sno y "sa'nei' Mnie ~
Wy u'{ Iosso;s : 'ua5 ~ ~ sow ~ 70
a atsp' il..'e no.'s 40. aiso sliceas
;ass'ny ~ oot,'ae., az esely Peacn nahsiils
~ solaas. M..'l i9.1eh ol.e y SURE 70 TOY
a,,u ;s,e s'at'et Gnu tiP "a Golil-
m. slo ii1ieolion WIN Slea. fapiuty.
aas w my oail "dmsp''ssssg u .ne III
I'M ia' o,.1i seen nan
s el,e .auas =; = u.u naeooeu Nun TO- a'er
h..t iasni; wne,s vi ..le pieslouS uay
s nas Ione n ,uiuJ so IN 10. .ou,u ~
s s.,, ~ seasons mne,, .he roy presals
yauly W. nea. i.l.oi ooliplalne VI pea1nes
u,,as az appa,enIay ao9u ~ Wo, p"Ineu ioi'
aarhe', f4s.s aomn ~ t Tue pachases N
uou,se ~ t o a. ua1n,less aia
~, i - :o S,o,o a., =. wy e"ls, WIN
s;ie oru uI inoieen'ai ~ pachiiis anu car
an oo''s nav iaoio 70 'iic growth Oh
' HT tul,s u fs.r. ia 4,o.u.,
nnese iao,s i1au ~ seser , i'ilportal con-
Siusions - caoiieo "iii NC ihoic eAeiiiPI