6 Annual Report of the State Botanist. 



The unusually wet character of the season now ended has 

 afforded an excellent opportunity to observe the influence of rainy 

 weather in promoting the growth of fungi. The prevailing tem- 

 perature has not been high and there has been an almost con- 

 spicuous absence of thunder showers, yet rain storms have been 

 frequent and sometimes copious, and cloudy, wet weather has 

 been of long continuance. Under such, influeuces the abundance 

 and destructiveness of the parasitic fungi has been remarkable. 



Bloniiia fructigena, a fungus which attacks apples, pears, peaches 

 and plums, even while hanging on the trees, and breaks out upon 

 their surface in small grayish or yellowish gray tufts, has rarely, 

 if ever, been more abundant and destructive. It is such a pest to 

 peaches that, in regions where they are generally cultivated, it has 

 received the common name of " peach rot." But it is no less 

 dangerous to plums in districts where their cultivation is general, 

 and it might with equal reason be called " plum-rot " in sucli 

 places. The diseased fruit often remains on the tree during the 

 winter and becomes the source of infection to the next crop. This 

 danger might be greatly lessened if the affected fruit could be 

 gathered and burned or deeply buried in fall or early spring. 



A currant-leaf fungus, Gloeosporium 7'ibis, has also been excess- 

 ively virulent. In some localities currant leaves have been so 

 severely attacked by it that their vigor was destroyed and they 

 fell to the ground long before the usual time. In my own garden 

 the currant bushes were as destitute of foliage in August as they 

 usually are in November. This fungus does not attack the fruit, 

 but when it is abundant on the foliage, which it covers with brown- 

 ish or discolored spots, it must necessarily weaken the plants and 

 diminish the succeeding crop of currants. 



Gloeosporium lagenoriimi is a fungus generically related to the 

 preceding species. Its attacks upon muskmelons and water- 

 melons have, in some instances, been very severe. It not only 

 causes spots on the fruit, thereby spoiling it, but it has also 

 attacked the foliage, causing spots on it and finally killing it and 

 the vines. 



Gloeosporium Lin demuthianum is another species which commonly 

 attacks the pods of some varieties of wax beans, producing dis- 

 colored spots on them and injuring their market value. This year 

 it has been quite aggressive and, in some instances, attacked 

 varieties that were formerly free from it. 



