The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1900-07-28
THE PEACH TREE.
Some Suggestions in Regard 10 Peach
YellOwS by Charles 0. Townsend,
State P2thOlOpIsT
State P&thOlOglst.

The disease known rs Peach Nellows has
existed in THE country for more than one
over the eastern part Of the United States,
until practically every peach growing sec
tion OF importance has been visited by it.
The real cause Of this disease Is not known
but every Observing peach grower reo0g-
nizss its destructive nature and its ability
TO spread from tree to tree and from orchard
to orchard. II tree is attacked hy tie
yellows, it soon Incomes not only worth
less from a commercial standpoint but Il
source of cOutagiOn for the surrounding
trees. There are several symptoms by
which the yelo"s may be recognized. The
first uumistakabo sign is the premature
ripening of the fruit. Such fruit is usually
highly colored sometimes the color is uni
form over the surface but more often it
occurs in spots or blotohes. The flesh OF a
diseased peach rs usually filled with dark
red streaks extending ont from the pis.
Generally the premature peaches occur,
during the first stages Of the disease, on
one branch of the tree only while the fruit
on the other branches is green and hard.
This is especially true during the first year
of prematuring. The second season pre-
tree. The difference in time between the
premature and the normal ripening varies
from few days to several weeks. The
next indication Of the yellows is the pre-.
senoe of willowy shoots. The foliage OF
these shoots is small, somewhat resembling
willow leaves, and is usually yellowish in
color. These shoots may put out from any
part OF Che tree hom the base Of the trunk
TO The top Of tha saiest branch, and whem
they first appear they are usually few in
number, often but single one. With sh,
progress of the disease the branches grad
uallv die while the shoots increase III
number, often occurring in tufts or hunohes.
After tree has reached thi9 latter stage,
which it does in from three to five years, il
soon dies The yellows has been known to
ATTACH trees Of all ages from few months
old up TO thirty years or more II is some
times very destructive in young orchards
before they have come into bearing. and in
such instances the only reliable symptom is
the presence o. Willcwy SHOTS.
IN s0me orchards one and two years old,
we have found as high az ten per cent OK
the tire. diseased. While the real cause Of
TIE yellows is not known, it is an estab-
lia.al fact that the disease is very dangrl-
Gus one, since the trees affected are render,
ed worthless and the disease is communi-
Gated from tree to tree. Just how the
disease is spread is unknown. There are
some indications that It 10 spread by the
bees lrging the blosgoming season, but this
is difficult point to determine, since it
has been found that trees may have the
yellows for some time before any visible
symptom appears. For example buds
taken from diseased tree several months
before it shows any symptoms of yellows
and budded into healthy tree will induce
the yellows in the healthy tree in short
time, showing that the tree from which the
buds were taken was diseased before any
external symptoms appeared. In whatever
way this disease is carried, it is certain that
it is spread at times very rapidly. At
other times it goes more slowly, as if it
depended upon weather conditions or some
other external factor.
In addition to the spread Of the disease