Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1889-02-21
THE PEACH TREE BLIGHT
GROWERS DIsOUssING THE EVILS
OF PEACH YELLOWs.

ITS Effect Upon the Once Fruitful
orchards OF Now Castle County
Progress OF tho Disease-stringenL
Hrpressive Measures Deemed Ncc-
essnry.
spccini Correspondence Of Gazette and journal
DovKR, Feb. Is la the disease known
as Z" peach yellows," that has played such
sad havoc with the once famous peach orch
ards of New CASTLE county, contagious
Affection What is the canse of the dis
ease2 What is the remedy2
These nre questions that have been cor
rugating the prows Of many observant,
intelligent peach growers OF Delaware for
the past year. The disease, for such II
undoubtedly Is, has made such serious
inroads into tho great peach belt as to
threaten the stability Of the greatest fruit
interest OF the Peninsula. The bill In
troduced By Representative Sackett, ''to
protect the peach orchards OF lower Del.
aware from the peach yellows" (the pro-
Visions OF which have already been given
An the GAzsrTE), was the first step
, taken In the direction OF stamping out
the evil, and to day a large meeting Of
peach growers was held here, for the
) putpuht VI GbuhlubAllk tuO buDlbtN huu
taking appropriate action thereon.
The meeting was held in Court House
! Hall, st o'clock, p. m, and was repre-
sentative gathering. Nearly 100 peach
growers were present, among them being
sucd prominent growers as Alexander J.
Oummins, George W. OumminB, Hon.
Edward L. Martin, DIR. Hugh Martin,
Maploye Hayes, Jacob g. Brown, A. N.
Brown, O. Guudy Brown, d. p. Barnard,
Jr., Richard NJ. Cooper, Samuel H. Mes
sick, w. Il. Brown, Henry Lopsr, ]. II.
Stone, Jabez Jenkins, William 7. Case,
wilbur +. Burnite, Joseph l.. Bonsall,
, Marcellus Jones, W. H. Dickson, Caleb
Jackson, Daniel M. Ridgeley, kdwin r.
Cochran, William II. Ridagwsy, Mifliin
Wilson, o. W. Denney, j. Thomas Lowe,
John Morgan, J. Wesley Taylor, j. W..
Cooper, Samuel Rodgers, Joshua r. Jer-
h~i, ID. Nathan Pratt, John x. Nichol-
son and others. Nearly all the members
OF the Legislature were also present and
listened to the discussion. The meeting
organized with DR.. Hugh Martin as chair
man and Wesley Webb as secretary.
Manlove Hayes, In behalf Of the State
Board Of Agriculture, under whose
auspices the meeting was called, stated
the object of the meeting. The disease
known as "peach yellows," he said, had
become subject OF such great importance
Rs to render Legislative action necessary. II
was deemed wise to call the meeting foI
the purpose Of having an interchange Of
views as TO the best means of eradicating
the pest. The importance of the peach
crop TO the labor of the State Is very
great, rs IL requires the work OF 25 men
TO cultivate, gather and ship each car
load of peaches sent from this State. Mr..
Hayes was not prepared to believe thai
the disease spreads from one tree to an.
other, but still he thought 1t best to treat
the disease like the Bmail-pox-i II
Rn0 destroy the affected trees, roUt AM
branch. How best 10 remove the troubl
was question the growers must answer
spRElD OF THE pIsEAsE IN DELAWARE.
BY request OF the mesting Profeaso
Edwin f. Smith of the department o
agriculture, who has, under the direction
OF the department, made careful inves
tigation OF tho peach yellows in Delawar
and elsewhere, particularly in Michigan
where reaotionary measures have beei
adopted with good results, gave revie'
of the results of his observations here
He said the yellows first appeared aroun,
Delaware City in 1842 and became bad ii
1850. The disease next appeared aroun,
Middletown in 1870 and became seriou
In 1872 or 1873, although new orchard
were not affected until after 1875.
appeared around Clayton in 1873
and now infests many orchards II
that neighborhood. Around Dover III
disease made its appearance in 1877
and has assumed serious proportions dur
ing the past three years. In New Castl
county II now exists in all the orchards
and even many young orchards have bee
ruined. In the upper third OF Ken
county IL has seriously affected ons thir
Of all the orchards. In middle Ken
three fourths Of the orchards arc In ba
state. On Sheriff McDaniel's farm 5O
ont of / 500 trees were affected. In th
lower section OF Kent one half of III
orchards are touched, those around Mi
ford to greater extent than the other
although none are yet In serious oond
ton. In Sussex comfy there are evidenct
of the disease around Milford, and IN tw
or three orchards around Seafort
Next years observations will possiol
better reveal the actual condition Q
Affairs In that neighborhoud.
IT rs ooNTAaroH.
Professor emith was emphatlcally
the opinion shat the yellogs Is COZ
tagious disease. He had fully satish1
himself upon this point by experiment
of innoeulation. His reasons for deemin
1t an Infectious disease were:
Firht-It is not due to poverty OF tf
soil; chemical analyses fail to show tbs
1t results from deficiency OF lim'
potash or phosphorio aoid.
Seoond-The applications OF thes
chemicals have not cured the disease,
Third-The experience in Michigs
proves that badly diseased trees can !
removed and healthy trees that are pI
In their places brought to suseesst'
maturity.
That the yellows spread from tree to tr'
Professor Smith was positive, anahe W
equally positive that determination is Il
only sure remedy. This is the remed
applied by the Michigan law, with tt
result OF raising hetter peaches than eve
before, so that growers there are CO..
yinced that the removal Of the Rhecte
trees and the planting Of new ones W
all that saved their orchards. Where II
law Is most strictly enforced thoy ha'
the least disease. The law must be e.
forced else It is better not to enact
There ought to be provision made 4
keeping record of the number OF ire I,
removed, so as to definitely ascertain u
result Of the exterminating remedy. \
spectors should also be appointed Tor u
various hundreds, with chief othoer
oversee their work, receive their report
and see that they attend closely to the
duties. Such a law, he believed, won
nhaatr lha Alaaaaa