Telegram-herald., 1890-06-05
PEACH WILLOWS.
Al Article OF That Disease by Erwin T.

.4AAA.
Erwin F. smith, formerly Of Iona
and nov connected VITA the United
states Department Of Agriculture, has
written an interesting article on peach
yellows. wa.ch IS gwen below IL was
a classmate OF Circuit Court Comms-
sloner Dwight Goss, and 5 we'll known
U many residents Of this city. During
every peach season be spends larger
part OF Ls time among the peach or
chards OF New Jersey and Western
Michigan.
Mr.. Smiths article, which Is publish
cd in pamphlet. on the treatment OF
plant diseases. is as follows.
"A series OK experiments with fert.ll-
zers was begun n 1889. and VIII be CON
tnued uutl complete and definite
results are reached. The experiments
are lu twelve orchards, IN ttereut To-
callties and on "a variety Ot SOILS, en-
braciug tOtI. or about 40 acres, with
Is many more for comparison. The re-
suits last year were not ot such a ua-
ture as 20 warrant any Affirmative con-
cluslOn or any general recommends
ton.
For the present. At least. can only
iudOrse the Michigan practice, which IS
70 Dig OUT and destroy every affected
tree As soon as % is discovered.
In localities where this method has
been prGcuced with some uniformity
they stall grow peaches successfully.
In the vicinity of Benton Harbor,
VI ch.. where all the orchards were
ruined between the years lSt0and lsso,
there are now many fine young
orchards, and tine yeliows has almost
! q sappeared. I'm the summer OF lSs9,
| ia company with Nc. Rufus II. Blun-
| son, a former vellOws commissioner.
visited many small orchards IN differ
| ent parts of the townships of Benton
and ~. Joseph. the former chIet seat OF
! the disease. and examined nearly 1000
trees, finding only about % cases,
| nearly One-half OF which were IN one
| orchard. More than tour-hfths of
/ these trees We're less than SIX years old.
| Many of the older ones, ana most OF
| those WHICH l examined, were IN fruit,
/ and the earliest varieties were Just
| cOmiug into market-JUly 2i. With q
| few exceptions the only 0trasiys
| orchards were young trees not yet in
| bearing. the earlier paintings having
| been numerous, but IN a small and
tentative way, no single individual
| caring TO risk many thousand trees.
| Now, however, large orchards are being
| set Whether the present immunity
| VIII continue IS a matter o. great inter-
est. II there Is any rea! basis for the
! belief that the disease may be imported 3,
| il certainly Will not, for many of the
| younger trees were procured from IN
| fected districts IN the East. All tear Of
| the disease seems 70 have died out. and
! with It most OF the former vigilance.
! cat south Haven, Mich, where the
! roofing out process WIS trst practced
| extensively, and where lt IS Yet IN full
vgOr, they have grown peaches con-
! tuuous.y from the start lsJ2I, and
there are many Oil orchards, some OF
which have stood for twenty-five years.
| In that locality ! examined many rep
! reseutatIve orchards, and found only a
very few cases OF yeliows. Sometimes,
as at -. Joseph, % was day wor. %
find single case. Most orchards OF
any size DO, however, lose some trees
each year. their places being filed by
| trees from the nursery. Inc ~OJtn
Haven growers. many OF whom I have
met, no iOuEerfear the disease. Taoy
are unanimous in the opinion that the
J only proper thing Is 10 dig ont and
| barn. This plan they have followed
very generally tor the past ten years
during which time the disease mas not
preva .ed seriously. Previous to that
date many orchards were ruined, toe
| disease having appeared first IN 1850.
30 ntl ve have a full knowledge OF
the ast,o.Ogy of taIs disease, no better
plan can le suggested Affected tree.
ars alwavs worthless, and tho sooner
they are converted into stove wood tAe
sooner new. healthy trees can he grown
i0 their places. Dig ont, then, and
| burn, and do 10 promptly