8 HATCH EXPERIMENT STATION. [Jan. 



Most potatoes ought to have been sprayed as early as June 

 12 or 15, in order to check the blight, or, in other words, 

 when they were less than one-third grown. In regard to 

 the mildew and wet rot on the potatoes, the eifects were 

 severe in some localities, and much loss Avas experienced. 



The asparagus rust was more pronounced than last season. 

 A stem rot caused much damage to cultivated dandelions, — 

 a trouble which appears to be an unusual one in this State. 

 Cucumber and melon blight have been exceedingly rare the 

 past summer, being the first for about six years when no 

 trouble has been experienced. The downy mildew {Plas- 

 mopara CuhenMs, (B. and C.) Humphrey) of cucumbers 

 and melons, which is believed to work its waj^ north from 

 the south each year, did not meet our attention once during 

 the season. On the other hand, Alternaria and Anthracnose 

 have existed here and there, but did no appreciable harm. 



The worst injuries were due to winter-killing. In our 

 last report we alluded briefly to disastrous effects of winter- 

 killing of various shrubs and plants, caused by the unusual 

 prolonged fall of 1902, and the severe and sudden cold oc- 

 curring in December of that year. The winter of 1903 and 

 1904 was even more severe than the preceding one in causing 

 injury to plants, and this injury showed itself in a different 

 manner. Last winter was particularly characterized as caus- 

 ing severe injury to native plants, as well as exotic orna- 

 mentals. The etfect of the extreme cold on plants was, 

 moreover, quite dili'erent in the winter preceding, inasmuch 

 as in 1902 and 1903 freezing of the tender wood above 

 ground largely took place, while the effects of last winter's 

 freeze extended both above and below the surface of the 

 ground. The most characteristic feature of the last winter- 

 killing was the injury done to the roots. This was particu- 

 larly noticeable on apple, pear and plum trees, and the white 

 pine suffered to a considerable extent in some localities. 

 Many ornamental shrubs and vines also show the same char- 

 acteristic effects of root killing. Numerous apple trees 

 were killed outright, and thousands lost a greater or less 

 number of limbs, due to an inadequate root system to supply 

 them. Pear trees did not seem to be ati'ected so extensively 



