IV 



The development of the yeast plant is a subject well 

 worthy of study, and any one who has read what Liebeg 

 says on the subject, will like me begin, to think, that we 

 know very little, generally, of a very important subject, and 

 one closely allied to the one we are about to discuss. 



I am aware that Leaf Disease sometimes appears earl- 

 ier in the season and even during the rains, "but I fancy 

 this is merely owing to a plentiful supply of the fungoid 

 spores being over, in the soil, from the visitation of the 1 

 previous year. It is natural to conclude that when once 

 the germs have been propagated, that subsequent repro- 

 duction is facilitated. I am however decidedly of opinion 

 that the occurrence of the first and general visitation is 

 contemporaneous with some peculiar stage of the process of 

 Eramacautis which is favorable to the growth of the fungi 

 and which is not of long duration, and if systematically at- 

 tended to, might be averted altogether. A remarkable 

 fact relative to mushrooms is well known to all natives, 

 viz,, that in the monsoon after thunder, one or two sunny 

 days generally occur, and it is a common saying " it thun- 

 dered to-day let us go for mushrooms to-morrow." Each 

 fungus probably has its season, but also has its require- 

 ments and flourishes in an exagt ratio to the suitability and 

 quantity of its food. If what I surmise is correct, it will 

 devolve on every planter carefully to ascertain the particu- 

 lar condition of soil during the prevalence of the pest, and 

 endeavour to alter it and thus throw difficulties in the way 

 of this mysterious visitation. 



In the second and following chapters I must apologize 

 for changing to the first person in addressing my readers, 

 but such has been rendered necessary owing to many of 

 my remarks having already appeared in the form of letters 

 to the Press, and to save time in making a selection from 

 sucfc I have found it convenient to utilize the printed proofs. 



