UPON PARASITIC FUNGI 385 



In 1890 it is seen from the record there were four out of the 

 six months above the normal, but the excess in each case was 

 small and the total rainfall 25.75 was but little above the average: 

 25.01. The record shows to quote from the report for that year 

 that " This has been a year of trouble with potatoes * * * decays 

 of various sorts have been destructive * * * Farmers were plow- 

 ing the ground for wheat paying no attention to the large crop of 



decayed potatoes in the soil." 



It was the season that the bacterial disease came prominently 



■ 



into notice in New Jersey. It is in cases like this one of 1 890 that 

 one needs to remember that the fungous troubles of one season 

 may be entailed upon the next should the conditions be at all fav- 

 orable. There was a rainfall above the average for all the months 

 except April and May and while not excessive this season followed 

 one phenomenal for a wet July and the prevalence of fungi. 



The years 1891 and 1892 were dry ones in which there was 

 no outbreak of fungous troubles. The same is true of 1895 and 



1896. 



The year 1 894 while not a particularly wet one is peculiar for 



the heavy fall of rain in May, 7.72 inches, and in September 7.46, 



amounts about doubling the average for those months, while the 



Other four months were below the normal. It was a dry summer. 



From the mycological standpoint the year was remarkable for 

 the most wide-spread and destructive attack of fire blight that the 

 Avriter has ever seen. Personal visitations to various fruit-growing 

 sections of the State confirmed the written reports received that 

 scarcely an apple or quince tree had escaped and a large percent- 

 age of pear orchards were injured. 



Rainfall does not express all the meteorological conditions that 

 need to be taken into consideration and in this connection it should 



May I St to J 



J 



days following directly upon the heavy rains when the temperature 

 in the day was unusually high with remarkably cool nights alter- 

 nating. In short there was a long period of cloudy, rainy weather 

 followed by a superheated period as above mentioned. 



It was in the wake of these phenomenal meteorological changes 

 that the blight came. This was the beginning of an entire loss of 



