Smyrna times., 1892-08-03
For the Smyrna Times
Pulling Out the Peach Orchards

AO' ""I o"tyihu IthtcS.
Pulling Out the Peach Orchards.
DEAR SIR:
feel some hesitancy in promulgat-
ing an opinion antagOnistic to the zen
tlemen who advocate pulling cut the
diseased trees as a means of eradicat-
ing the disease, or, in their language
stamping 1t out" AID especially
should hesitate as this is in accord.
anGe with the scientist whose speciaI
duty 1t IS to investigate this subject
Nevertheless, as the scientist is unable
to tell us the cause of the disease and
how transmitted, we have the right 70
our own opinion in the matter, and
while we are willing to admit that
with our present knowledge of the dis
ease 1t IS useless to let diseased tree
remain where unmistakable signs of
yellows are present. | at the same
time do not believe that the disease
can be stamped out in this wav unless
the last tree in every orchard on the
Peninsula is pulled out and remain ont
for several years. In that case 7 think
we might again have profit. fruit and
profitable orchards. But this can ba
done only by common consent. have
hVe orchards, four Of them about 1000
trees each, and one Two years old. For
the public good and coming genera.
ton, | would agree to pull out the last
tree II this could be universally adoD-
ted, over the whole Peninsula II Is
barely possible with our present
knowledge that remedy can be found
TO arrest the disease, and without this
our grip on the peach market is done
Tor and we will do well to devote our
land to something else.
1t may be we'll for me 10 give nv
reasons for the opinion expressed at
the beginning of this article, viz: that
the disease cannot be stamped out bv
pulling out diseased trees as long as
there are other trees remaining in
are orchard.
L planted small family orchard
some years ago. 1t bore one GOOD cron
OF perfect fruit. The next year there
was one limb that prematured the
frult. Now if the scientist or anvone
else can tell me why that limb premA-
tured, we will then be on the road to
discovery. There was no other orchard
within half mile or more. If the dis.
ease was transmitted that distance. il
would seem useless to pull ont the
trees with the expectation of STAINING
II out. Other trees in this orchard de.
Veloped the disease the next year. and
the pulling out process then begun has
finished the orchard some wears ago.
In the meantime l planted several
other orchards. One at home and one
on the place tenanted by Mr.. Wharton.
The trees have been going out of nv
home orchard at the rate of about a
hundred year, and this wear there
are several hundred that will be puIled
out. Mr.. Wharton's orchard began To
premature as soon or before it com
menced to bear; at first a few trees.
the next year about fifty, and now the
commissioners have marked 355. At
TINS rate OF increase, one or two wears
more will stamp the orchard ont
whether the disease is stamped ont or
not. This orchard last wear bore near
two thousand baskets of marketable
frult and several hundred baskets of
premature fruit, some of it fine in size
and outward appearance. But we do
not market 1t aud such fruit should
not be marketed in any case,
The disease must be somewhat like
some diseases in the human family
epidemic in its character. In other
words, Independent of any immediate
local cause, otherwise, where did nv
first tree get the disease? If it Is
floating in the atmosphere, il would
seem to be folly to expect to stamp it
out until every tree on the Peninsula
is pulled out and remain out until the
atmosphere is purified and robbed of
its deleteriOus influences.
My experiments in treating the trees
with chemical washes have not been
at all satisfactory, though some trees
that were badly dressed, show marked
Improvement while others do not.
Yet l intend, if life and health
permit, to continue them for a
year or so longer. I have not
yet gone through the course laid
out, which l propose to do later in
the season. If we should have peaches
next season the trees will then show
whether they have been benefited or
not. 1t nothing can be ascertained in
this way the sooner our orchards are
removed the better.
Spring Mills, JuLU30. T.R g.