430 THE PRESENCE OF FUNGI. 



pears may be cited as examples of this disease result- 

 ing from the first of these causes. These drop their 

 foliage oftentimes before the fruit is sufficiently 

 mature to pluck from the tree. This ma,kes the 

 fruit less in size and inferior in quality. 



Among the varieties of the currant, the E,ed 

 Dutch is, especiallij in this country, liable to shed 

 its foliage prematurely, in which case the fruit 

 shrivels and dries up ; or, if gathered, possesses a 

 peculiar acidity, showing that the saccharine fer- 

 mentation had scarcely commenced. While this 

 is the character of the E.ed Dutch, some varieties, 

 like La Versaillaise, retain their foliage. This in- 

 creases the size of the fruit, and its adhesion to the 

 bush. 



2. The jjresence of fungi. Mr. Berkeley, in a re- 

 view of the work of Mons. Muger on the causes 

 which induce fungi, states them as follows : 



(1) Fungi always originate on plants which are 

 young and full of sap ; and hence it is in spring 

 that they are found on the young and tender parts. 



(2) Young shoots of trees are more liable to be 

 attacked. 



(3) Younger trees are more predisposed than 

 those which are older. Many species occur in 

 young plantations, which are rarely found in those 

 of older growth. 



(4) Galls are frequently covered with fungi. 



