I02 THE CONNECTICUT POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY 



A spirited discussion and many questions followed the 

 address. 



The main points in his wonderful success with peaches 

 Mr. Morrill thought were: Constant cultivation — as many 

 as 35 or 40 times in the growing season ; severe and 

 thorough pruning ; careful thinning of the fruit ; well- 

 balanced fertilizing and a proper ripening of the buds, so 

 that they frequently stand 20 degrees below zero. [Season 

 of 1899, Mr. Morrill reports 400 7-year Elberta peach trees 

 that yielded 2,800 bushels of extra fruit, that sold for 

 $6,400. — Ed.] 



THE INFLUENCE OF RAINFALL UPON FUNGI 



By PROF. BYRON D. HALSTED. New Jersey Experiment Station 



WEATHER is a subject of universal interest. If one 

 talks about his neighbors his gossip may lead many 

 into trouble, but all can converse upon the weather 

 and no one is harmed. One's opinion of the weather may 

 be held ever so staunchly and his judgment upon other 

 subjects of church or state remains without compromise. 



But what is weather — this subject of daily and almost 

 hourly comment? It is not so easy to define in a few 

 words. By that term is understood the heat, the moisture, 

 the winds and the cloudiness of the atmosphere. We live 

 at the bottom of a great ocean of air, and are influenced 

 greatly by the changes that take place therein. 



It is our present purpose to glance only at that element 

 of the weather generally known as rainfall. Rainfall is 

 measured in inches upon the whole exposed surface. This 

 amount varies greatly with the locality and the seasons. 

 It is greatest in the regions of the equator. As a rule the 

 rainfall decreases as the distance from the sea increases. 

 It increases to altitudes of 4,000 feet, and then decreases. 



In the United States the largest precipitation is in 

 Florida (50-75 inches) and in the far northwest. On our 

 western coast there is a winter maximum of rain and a 

 dry summer. The Mississippi valley has a summer maxi- 

 mum, and our eastern coast a late summer maximum, 



