308 AUSTRALIAN AGRICULTURE. 



as blackish, smut-like dust upon the leaves of lemons, 

 oranges, and various flowering shrubs, as mildew on grapes, 

 <fec. ; and the much more numerous and destructive fungi 

 growths penetrate the leaf, twigs, or fruit of the host plant, 

 destroying leaves, twigs, fruit, and the whole plant as they 

 increase. The former are termed epiphytes, or things that 

 live outside. The more dangerous fungi are endophytes, 

 that live inside the host. The epiphytes may indicate other 

 diseases in the plant, as do all fungus growths, and the 

 drainage and manuring should be seen to, while the 

 fungus is destroyed by spraying Bordeaux mixture 

 being effective for the purpose. When e.ndophyte fungi 

 are present the leaves may appear spotted with whitish, 

 yellowish, or brownish blotches which spread more or less 

 rapidly. The leaves and leaf stalks become affected, and 

 the disease then saps the strength of the crop. Such, for 

 illustration, are the visible symptoms of strawberry fungus 

 or " brand," passion fruit and melon " scald," potato 

 blight, &c. Occasionally all at once as it may seem the 

 leaves perish, it may be in masses, and the whole plant 

 wilts as though it were scalded. The term " scald " has 

 long been applied to attacks of this kind, and the 

 idea is still prevalent, even amongst skilled men, 

 that the check to growth has been caused by such a 

 change of weather that the leaves, or it may be the whole 

 range of plants, are scorched by the sun, by sun-heated air, 

 or by hosts of minute insects too small to be visible. 

 Foliage plants are otten attacked in this way. But in reality, 

 the disease may have been present and spreading long 

 before it was observed. That terrible enemy of wheat, the 

 rust, is of this very dangerous kind. Jt may be upon the 

 crop for weeks, even months, in spots, visible under a good 

 glass ; then should moist weather occur while the wheat is 

 ripening, the rust becomes epidemic. 



Specific Names. The names given to these fungi 

 growths are numberless they are bewildering in some 

 cases. But they are useful for scientific classification, while 

 the foregoing classification may be ample for the ordinary 

 purposes of those whose main objects are to identify the 

 enemy promptly, in order to check or destroy the invader 

 as soon as possible, and before serious mischief is done. 



