Pike County press. (Milford, Pa.) 1895-1925, 1897-10-08

BILE.
In recent PREss an article ap-
peared concerning the ravages of
the peach yellows, and the predio-
tion that in five years the peach in
dustry in Sussex county would
practically disappear. To this state
ment e. q. Fowler, editor of the
New York Farmer, takes exception
in letter to the Union under date
of Sept. %, which is in part as fol
lows;
To THE EDITOR OF THE UNION
The article in your issue of yester-
day on Sussex county peaches, copied
from an exchange, is calculated to
mislead and breed an alarm among
our people for which there is no
real foundation. 1t is not, in the
light of modern horticultural science,
to be SO much dreaded as the writer
infers and there need be no appre-
hension that the peach business will
disappear from Sussex county.
The disease is contagious-all adj
NIT that, but it will rarely attack a
healthy tree in q soil properly ferti-
lized. 1t is with plant life as with
animal life in this matter. We have
all seen illustrations in the work
ings of that dreaded disease, tuber-
culosis or consumption, which is now
known to be contagious. Two per-
sons, one in good, sound health, the
other in q reverse condition, are OK
posed to the germs Of the disease.
They are powerless to harm the
healthy man but the other succumbs
to its power. Just 80 with peach
trees. If properly nourished, the
percentage of loss from yellows will
never be large, while trees which,
from lack of some of the elements of
fertility, notably potash, and from
debilitation, caused by being al
lowed to overbear, furnish q con-
genial field for the disease germ and
soon succumb.
In the rest of the letter he argues
that growers should thin out the
fruit and that by so doing there will
be less draft on the fertility of the
soil and the tree would not be over
taxed because it is the production of
the stone in the peach which makes
the draft. He also says seedlings
do not vary in any way in their
ability to resist disease from budded
varieties.
From the opinion of such an able
and experienced gentleman we are
10th to dissent, but our article was
largely based on the Judgment of
practical grower in that county and
one whose experience and observa-
ton extends over longer period of
time than either Editor Fowler or
the writer can boast.
There is a diversity of opinion on
the question and while we did not
wish to create unnecessary alarm
or to raise a scare there seems to be
good authority for our general re-
marks, and at least some opinions of
mon of established reputatations
who do not agree with Mr.. Fowler.
DIR. Erwin f. Smith in complian,e e
with request of Hon. J. M. Rusk,
Secretary of the United States De-
partment of Agriculture, in 1892
prepared notes from several lines of
work on this disease. He says:
Department experiments with fertili-
zers now cover a period of four years
and have been made in various or
chards on a large scale to deter
mine the following questions; /. Is
the diseaso-due to starvation 2. Can
1t be prevented or cured by addition to the
soil of suitable plant foods Potash, soda
magnesia, phOsphorio and woodashes lime,
nitrogen aud other plant foods were used
renesta1iisys separately, and together, often
Ia large quantities, and frequently on as
many as fifty to seventy-hve trees, healthy
and diseased. Some Of the diseas cd trees
improved in appearance, and probably
lived longer than they would otherwise,
but none Of them recovered. Neither was
it found possible to keep healthy tr ees in a
state OF health They grew vigorously
under the stimulus of the fertilizer, but
contracted the disease just as readily as
those which were left untreated for com
parisOn. In some cases even 1t seemed as
though the excessive stimulation favored
the development OF the disease. One con-
cluslon, at least, can be drawn with GER
tainty, viz; The addition to the soil of
large quantities Of the best fertilizers does
not hinder the progress Of the disease or
save TIE orchards from complete destruc-
ton. The Inference Is, therefore, quite
strong that this disease is not due 60 i'm
porerished Substituted States Agricnl.
tural Report, ls9s, page 236.
D. z. Shook in his report to the
Department of Agriculture of Penn
sylvania in 1896 says: The greatest
enemy that the peach growers have
to contend with is peach yellows
and as this disease Of the peach trees
is incurable and never surrenders
until entire orchards are devastated
the wise grower usually resorts to
heroic treatment by cutting down
or uprooting the affected tree and
destroying it effectually by fire
Borers and other pests can be kep'