6 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



KEPORT ON THE DISEASES OF VGETATION. 



The power of God, which has so often been put forth to build 

 up and protect our beloved country, has in a special manner 

 interposed itself during the past year to shield our crops from 

 pestilence ; and that Providence which " tempers the wind to 

 the shorn lamb," has filled our barns and -granaries with a 

 healthy and abundant harvest. We have indeed peculiar cause 

 for thankfulness, that while disease has ravaged the potato 

 fields of Ireland and Canada, and the crops of all Europe have 

 been cut short, we, as a nation, have been l)lcssed with an abun- 

 dance of food. Yet notwithstanding we have been preserved 

 from the devastating effects of vegetable disease, the opportuni- 

 ties for studying the subject entrusted to us have not been 

 altogether wanting, since the total failure of the fruit crop is 

 only to be regarded as a manifestation of disease, and the 

 disease of the apple tree, which formed the main topic of our 

 report a year ago, has been constantly under our observation. 



In previous reports a disease of the bean has been alluded to, 

 which has been steadily increasing and enlarging its area, and 

 will probably soon place us in reference to this legumenous plant, 

 in the same uncertainty which affects us in reference to the 

 potato, making it essential to secure new varieties often, or to 

 find ourselves forced to give up the venerated dishes of our 

 ancestors, baked beans and succotash. 



The disease alluded to commences with small brown spots 

 upon the pod, having a nearly uniform direction, commencing 

 near the back of the pod and spreading thence toward its front. 

 The long diameter of these spots being oblique to the two sides 

 just named, apparently affecting the parenchymatous matter 

 deposited between the ribs of the pod, which lie in the same 

 direction. 



These spots commence upon the external surface of the pod, 

 and gradually work their way through to its interior, the brown 

 color changing to black as it progresses. If the kernel lies 

 contiguous to such a spot it takes on the same appearance, and 

 becomes dark colored or even black, according to the time which 

 is afforded for its progress by the period which elapses after the 

 disease commences, previous to the ripening of the pod. The 

 superficial area of the spots does not appear to increase after 

 their commencement, and their nature would seem to be that 



