induced by overcrowdiug, and undoubtedly the carnation would 

 suffer less if more light and air could reach the stems. 



Various stem rots could undoubtedly be eliminated, to a large 

 extent, by changing the soil conditions about the plants, such as 

 by the application of coarse sand around the stems. In one case 

 the stem rot in the parsley was greatly reduced by setting the plants 

 well up above the soil, thus exposing the stem and crown to light 

 and air, which resulted in the development of more resistant tissues. 

 The matter of moisture on the foliage plays an important part in 

 infection. The carnation rust has been largely reduced by sub- 

 irrigation methods and also by applying water absorbents, such as 

 lime, to the foliage. In short, many fungous diseases peculiar to 

 foliage can be much lessened and in many instances prevented by 

 regulating the moisture conditions of the air. If it were possible 

 to control the moisture conditions out of doors the same would hold 

 true there. For example, a cold, wet spring induces peach leaf 

 curl, while a dry, warm spring is not favorable to the development 

 of the fungus which causes curl, and many other cases might be 

 cited where infection is due to weather conditions which cannot be 

 controlled ; whereas, in under-glass culture there is little difficulty 

 in controlling these conditions, and preventing such diseases. The 

 application of the moisture absorbent to asparagus plants has in 

 some instances very perceptibly reduced the rust, and even the 

 cover of an apple tree is often sufficient to keep the dew off, and 

 render the plants free from infection. With this idea in mind, 

 tent cloth crops have been tried with some degree of encourage- 

 ment, although the expense of tent covers, and the results obtained 

 from the same, do not at present appear to be such as to warrant 

 their use except in special cases. Another element which has a 

 great bearing on the health of plants, in general, is proper feeding. 

 The influence which proper feeding and cultivation has on the 

 susceptibility of crops to disease is quite marked. There is little 

 doubt but that in many cases time and money could be better spent 

 in securing robust crops by cultivation and feeding than in spraying 

 sickly ones. 



Tomatoes. 

 Blight or Mildew {Cladoxporium fulvum^ Cke.) . 



This mildew grows on both outdoor and greenhouse tomatoes. 

 Infected plants show, on the under surface of the leaves, a velvety 

 brownish-colored downy mass. The upper surface of the leaves 

 turn yellowish and the edges become curled. It propagates quickly 

 and freely by spores. The method of preventing mildew in the 



