38 EXPERIMENT bTATION. [Jan. 



DISEASES MORE OR LESS COMMON DURING 



TEIE YEAR. 



G. E. STONE. 



Like the year before, this season has been characterized by 

 severe dronght in the summer months, with some rain in the 

 fall, although the rainfall in August, September and October 

 was less than the normal. In ISTovember, however, it exceeded 

 the normal. In May, June and July the drought and heat were 

 such as to cause considerable defoliation of trees and unevenness 

 in corn fields, although this last was in some cases due to poor 

 seed which was affected by frost the year before. 



The unusually large onion crop ripened poorly in some fields, 

 and in the Connecticut valley many hundreds of bushels had to 

 be left on the ground owing to non-maturity. Potatoes were of 

 excellent quality, with less than the usual amount of early 

 blight, and the rot was not very noticeable. Apple trees showed 

 some winter killing of the twigs and roots as the result of the 

 preceding severe winter, with some sunscald and a few cases of 

 what appears to be injury from spraying with oil. The leaves 

 of those trees in particular which were not sprayed were affected 

 to an unusual degree with scab (Fiisiclndiiim) and leaf spots 

 (Sphcuropsis). The scab was more or less common on the fruit 

 in the fall and was accompanied in almost every case by pink 

 mold (Cephalothecium) , but no serious injury occurred. Apple 

 rust (Gymnosporangium) , which has been more or less common 

 the Inst three or four years, was seen occasionally on the leaves, 

 and in a few instances affected iho, fruit. Storage burns were 

 common in some localities, due possibly to defective storage con- 

 ditions, and in other cases to the rather poor ripening or harden- 

 ing up of the fruit. Apple fruit rots were unusually abundant 

 late in the fall, being caused, apparently, by the abnormal ripen- 

 ing of the fruit. As usual, there was very little rot (GIocospo- 



