47 — 



Fig. i. — Typical Blighted Foliage. 



the same period of growth. At the same time, the young leaves 

 began to look unhealtlw, and they rapidly assumed a blighted 

 appearance. Most growers assert that those trees which bloomed 

 most profusely were most attacked by the leaf blight. Three or 

 four years ago a similar falling of flowers and blighting of foliage 

 occurred, at least in some parts of Orleans county. In that case, 

 however, the attack is reported to have been a little earlier, and 

 the flower clusters often fell off entire. The meteorological con- 

 ditions were similar in both years. 



All these facts show that there is an intimate connection be- 

 tween the death of the flowers or young fruit and the blighting 

 of the leaves. The blight is caused by the apple-scab fungus. 

 Whether the flowers or young fruits were actually attacked by 

 the fungus in this case, or whether they fell because of the im- 

 paired vitality of the injured trees, I am unable to say, but it is 

 probable that their death is due in large part, directly or indi- 

 rectly, to the fungus. Late in the season dead blossoms which 

 still clung to the trees, or which were picked up under them, were 

 studied by Professor Dudley, but they were so overgrown with a 

 common and harmless rust or mold ( C 'ladosporium >, that he could 

 not determine if the scab fungus had attacked them. The scab 



