The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1911-06-20
RALEIGH, N. c., JUNE 20, 1911
By FRANK G. CARPENTER.

L spent some time with Prof Waite,
VINO is now studying the prevention of
the rot which develops in oranges. ap-
pies, peaches and ether fruits on their
way to the markets. He took me into
his laboratories, where number Of
nicrOscopists and other scientists were
working, and where there were long
tables hlied with glass jars. These
were SO covered as to prevent the in
Vaslon OF bacteria, and they contained
oranges which had been inoculated
with fungus and given the right condi-
lions for it's development saw
large number of glass tubes, the
mouths of which were plugged with
cotton. Each tube contained a species
OF fungus, which. by the way, is one
Of the lower forms Of vegetable life.
Fungus lis sort of plant which
feeds on other plants. 1t is a plant
cannibal or parasite, as it were. It is
SO small that you have to have mi
croscope to examine it, but it develops
so rapidly that it soon eats up and
destroys any fruit to which it attaches
itself. | was shown glass cage
something like telephone booth
which was made by Mr.. Waite that it
might be bacteria proof. This is in
order that the men may work safely
within it and that the fungus they are
studying may not be affected by the
i
booth has a draft which forces the air
in through sheets of cotton wool, so
wadded together that the bacteria can
not go through them. 1t is this air
that is breathed by the operator at
work in the booth.
In other places they were working
on forms of fungus which affect the
leaves and in others upon those which
eat at the bark and heart Of the tree
1t was. in fact, great medical labora-
tory devoted to tree diseases and their
prevention.
I found some similar things in the
laboratories Of Prof. Quaintance, who
is fighting all sorts of insects and
worms which attack our orchards. and
also in the rooms of Prof. Scott, who
is one of the most famous Of our
scientific doctors, as to the treatm ent
off unguS diseases
Insects Which Eat Millions.
It is impossible to estimate the dam
age done to our orchards by bugs and
rot There are from fifteen to twenty
insect pests which cost this country
from sixty to seventy-five million dol
lars year The control of the San
Jose scale foot up many millions
| and then there are also the cOddling
moth the plum curculio, plant lice
! and the apple and peach pOrers, which
fatten on the roots Of the trees.
| Take the peach We have east Of
the Rockies something like 100000
600 such trees, and they are yielding
a crop worth $15,OOO,OOO year. IT
| some seasons the brown rot takes
| away fully half of the profits Of the
South, and the plum curculio often
eats down our peach income to the
| amount Of three or four million dol
| lars. BY the recent discoveries of
! q
| are able to control certain peach
pests, and this means an annual saw
| ing of millions. The material used is
self-boiled lime and sulphur wash
mixed with arsenate Of lead. 1t is
| applied several times during the sea-
son.
Our Big Peach Crop.
! Now that the people are gong
crazy over the money in apples, they
seem to have forgotten the prohts
which have been and are being mace
in peaches. I am told that the peacn
| is one Of the biggest CANDLES IN the
great lottery of fruit raising 1t oIteil
fails, but a single good crop covers
many past losses. and two or three
make the orchardist rich. Take the
Miller Brothers. Of West Virginia
They have an orchard which mas
yielded dividends Of $500 per acre
and out of which they have Deeh ma n
ing from 40 to so per cent per aInuiii.
We have altogether more tnan one
hundred million peach trees. mere
are eight million in Michigan ana al
most an equal number IN Geo! &c
Texis and California Kansas As
great peach State. and SO are Mary
land and Delaware. Along the eastern
shores of Lake Michigan there IS
peach country. which runs from hFe
to ten miles back from the lake. eN-
tending north and south tor olstance
of 15G miles. Georgia has mum ber
of orchardiSts who are CuitINatinS
more than 100. 900 trees. and there IS