1902.] PUBLIC DOCUMENT — No. 38. 63 



total loss, and almost without exception the yield has been 

 greatly diminished and the quality of nmch of the fruit put 

 on the market impaired. In two previous reports (lyjJiJ 

 and 1900) we have mentioned this subject, but the trouble 

 has never been so general before. The melon blight de- 

 scribed in our report for 1898 was found to be due to a 

 leaf spot fungus of the form called Alternaria. This disease 

 appeared in the latter part of August, as the fruit was ap- 

 proaching maturity, and soon killed the vines so completely 

 that the crop in the aliected field was a total loss. The 

 trouble was not at the time general throughout the State 

 or even in the immediate region, though it had previously 

 been known in other States. The following year the same 

 disease occurred quite abundantly, and along with it the well- 

 known cucumber anthracnose {Golletotrichum lagenarium) 

 was very prevalent on muskmelons and watermelons. This 

 second disease appeared earlier in the season than the 

 Alternaria^ coming on in July. Between the two diseases 

 and the gradual spread of the trouble the damage to the 

 melon crop was considerably greater in 1899 than during 

 tlie previous year, and many growers determined to gi^■e up 

 this crop. In 1890 more or less trouble was experienced, 

 but not to a marked degree. In that year, however, there 

 appeared in the State upon greenhouse cucumbers for the 

 first time, so far as known, since 1889, the downy mildew 

 of the melon, cucumber and similar plants. During the 

 past season of 1901 complaint has been general from all 

 sections of the State of the complete failure of the musk- 

 melon crop. Examination of the first material sent in 

 revealed the fact that still a third disease had come upon 

 this unfortunate plant, — the downy mildew was abundant 

 on every aft'ected leaf. This proved to be the case in every 

 instance. Afl'ected plants from Amherst, South Amherst, 

 Belchertown, AVorcester, Lancaster, Fitchburg, Belmont, 

 Andover and other towns in the State all showed the downy 

 mildew (^Plasmopara cuhensis)^ while in most instances one 

 or both of the other two fungi were also present on the 

 same leaves. 



The consideration of this trouble is therefore a complex 

 one, and each of these destructive fungi must be taken into 



