At the late winter meeting of the Fruit-Growers' Association of southern Illinois, held at Cobden, a long discussion was held, occupying nearly half a day, on the curculio, its ravages, and the best means of destroying it, but failed to bring out anything new in reference to this troublesome insect. One gentleman contended very earnestly that the puncture made by the curculio is the sole and only cause of the rot of the peach, and gave as his reasons that he had watched very closely, and had seen the curculio alight on the peach and sting it; he then marked it, and invariably found it to commence to rot in a few hours afterward.

Now, I take issue with the gentleman, and deny that the curculio is the sole and only cause of the rot, but only auxiliary thereto, from the following reasons:

All peaches do not rot that are stung or punctured. This is sufficiently evident from the immense quantities of fruit that arrive at perfect maturity without rotting, still containing the full-grown insect, and only the contiguous parts diseased, the incision made by the curculio having completely healed, which would not be the case if the puncture of the insect was poisonous and, as alleged, the sole cause of the rot. Moreover, we also find the epidermis of the peach diseased without any puncture or larvae underneath. So also in different localities and in favorable seasons they do not rot though badly stung by the curculio. On the other hand, the fruit will rot when securely protected by thin muslin bags. It rots also in countries where the curculio is unknown, in precisely the same manner as it does with us.

Now, I contend that there are various causes combined, in a greater or less degree, which does produce the peach-rot. First, uncongeniality of soil and climate. "We know that the peach is a native of the dry, arid climate of Persia, and of other similar parts of Asia, and that the finest flavored fruit is produced on the dry, sandy soils of those countries; and there the tree lives to be from fifty to one hundred years old, producing fruit annually. Our soil here, in southern Illinois, is a very heavy, loamy clay, underlaid by a compact, yellow clay subsoil, cold and very retentive of moisture, which extends downward two or three feet, then changes into whitish clay to an unlimited depth, exceedingly compact, holding water, especially in wet seasons, within eighteen inches of the surface, for weeks together. Now, is it reasonable to suppose that trees can long remain healthy in such soils? the trees, though flourishing for a few years while young, on coming into bearing become diseased, and fail to produce more than one crop of good fruit in four or five years.

Add to this the very sudden changes from hot to cold, the slovenly manner the majority of the orchards are allowed to remain in, weeds growing rank and thick, often from four to six feet high, all this trampled under foot, rotting, smoldering, and steaming in a hot but moist, suffocating atmosphere.

Now, all know that the state of things here described is all that is necessary to produce that terrible disease among fruits, the fungus. Now, this disease, I contend, from ten years' close observation, is the principal cause of the peach-rot. The disease is invariably discerned first by a small, brown molecule, which enlarges rapidly if the weather is hot and moist, more slowly if dry and cool. All this points most unerringly to the fungus. Where two peaches touch each other, and a drop of rain or dew is held between them, the disease is sure to manifest itself. It rages more violently in very hot, wet seasons than in dry ones. For instance, trees well filled with fruit, and to all appearance Bound, with the exception of a few specked ones which were picked off, the day following not fifty sound peaches could be found on the tree - the disease spreading to both leaves and limbs, and killing both. So also a few specked peaches placed in a basket of sound ones, nearly the whole will be found in a few hours diseased.

Now, Messrs. Editors, I argue from this that the peach-rot is not caused by the cur-culio at all, though peaches punctured by this insect are more likely to rot than those that are sound, because the fungus, like all other contagious diseases, always make its attacks on the weak and sickly first, no matter from what cause such debility may have arisen - whether from constitution or from violence. Wherever insects or contagious diseases are found, they always select such subjects to feed upon. No doubt, then, but the fungus is the main agent in producing the rot in our fruits, superinduced by uncongeniality of climate and soil, too close planting, decaying vegetable matter, lack of judicious cultivation - all of which prevent a free circulation of drying winds, but harbor excessive moisture and a close, suffocating atmosphere, where the poisonous fungus loves to feed and revel unmolested. Moisture and warmth generate the spawn of the fungi, and possessing strong accretive powers it agglutinizes itself to the peach, and being highly poisonous, infects the whole fruit, and in a few hours completes its entire destruction. Such is my experience with the peach-rot. I have extended my remarks longer than I intended.

My only excuse is to try to make the subject clear, and to induce others to give it closer attention. With your leave, I will give, at some future time, a paper on the best way to prevent the peach-rot