The daily morning journal and courier., 1896-08-19

as the only known effeetual means Of suppressing this disease.
 The experience of Michigan is of all the states the most instructive for us, as there the method of legal control has had the fairest trial, and has won It's way against serious opposition to prac- tioally universal acceptance and ap- proVal To one whose observation Of it's workings has been close and accu- rate, l am indebted for the following statement in regard to 1t:
 Peach growing as an industry be- gan in the early sixties in the south eastern county, Berrien. Within ten years it was the leading business of that section, and had spread along the lake shore into three counties north Of the starting point About 1870 the vel lows appeared in the center Of the peach region, and while the importance of the trouble was recognized by many, l still the majority of the growers in Berrien county refused to believe IL to be a serious trouble. The far-seeing growers from the other counties asked for law to protect them. This was only obtained by making it local law applying to three counties along the shores of Lake Michigan and north or Berrien, the latter refusing to believe it was necessary. Under the law work at once begun, and has continued to the present time, the law being changed to a general one applying to the whole state few years later In 1880 Berrien county had no peach orchards, they having been fully swept away by the disease. In Van Buren county, lying next to Berrien on the north, the or chards in a few of the townships were livery nearly swept away before the growers fully realized that thorough work must be done, But in others this | thorough cleaning out was begun at once and was kept up--not however, without some difficulties. Many had to be educated, others would not be, and for eight years the percentage of loss of bearing trees gradually increased from two to ten Then the change came, as suddenly as it was satisfactory. In 1883 the loss again fell to about two per cent, and from that time to this has remained at about that point in all the sections where the disease once ob- tained foothold and where thorough work has been done since In newer | SObiitiSo Gllil lui tLCl iipAtiit WAiSi peaches are now grown largely and where the law has been fully enforced from the first, the loss has not been of importance. Berrien county, the origi- nal peach section, which was cleared of peach trees by the trouble, began again about 1885. At the present time plenty of fine orchards are growing there, but the growers as fully believe in the val l ue of the law as in any portion of the state. That the removal of the dis eased trees, which is the result of the law, accounts for the freedom of or chards from the yellows. is plainly shown by small section where peach growing became very extensive, but where they were careless about the en- forcement of tho law, reports showing that fully one third of the trees stand ing at the close of last season were affected. Tn no place do the growers think the yellows can be fully exter- minated, at least this has not been done, but so long as theloss from that cause is less each year than from a number of other causes, the peach- grower of Michigan does not worry over a few yellows trees; but he knows full well that his only salvation is in the immediate removal of these few cases as soon as found.'
 In Connecticut the peach yellows law has been, in operation three years,-a period too brief in which to obtain deci- sive results when one considers the long period in which this disease has held unchecked sway among our peach trees, Its execution encounters pecu- liar difficulties owing to the large num- Der of people whose financial invest ment in peach growing is insufficient to induce them to make a study of the business and reach an understanding of the dangers which threaten it and the means of defence against them, but who at the same time keep just enough trees to perpetuate and spread the fatal contagfon.
 The predominant idea in the prepara- tion of this circular has been to reach the class above mentioned. It is not for one moment to be supposed that they are indifferent or insensible to the obligations of good citizenship, and it is believed that simple statement of the facts in the case in their proper re- lation to each other, if their attention can be secured to it, will bring yhem to a hearty support of the law, and in- duce them to work in harmony with the commission in the effort to put the peach growing industry of Connecticut alongside that of Michigan, so far as the conquest of the yellows is con- cerned.
 Though the results so far obtained in Connecticut are not decisive, much pro- gress has been made towards the de- ' sired consummation. For a detailed statement of the work, reference must be had to the annual reports of the commission included in the reports ot the secretary of the State Board of Az riculture There is here only space for the comprehensive statement that un- der an increasingly searching inspec- ton the percentage of diseased trees has been reduced from ten to between five and six; that large amount of in formation on the subject has been diff ,, fused throughout the state; that much opposition to the work has been over come; that where the law has been de- fed it has been enforced and it's valid ity sustained by the courts; and thai each year the work of the commission 2 1 has been more effective, and has more and more commended itself to right minded and we'll informed people. Oi it's ultimate success there can hardly be the shadow of doubt.
 J. M HUBBARD Commissioner