August 



THE POMOLOGIST. 



103 



For the Western Pomologist. 



Fungi and Fungus Foes. 



Having paid some attention to the formid- 

 able host of fungus foes, known under the 

 general nami'S of smut, blast, mildew, rust, 

 etc., of which Fires has found two thousand 

 species, my attention was arrested in the 

 remark made by W. H. White on the 

 " Bhiddcr Plum," on page 76 of the June 

 number of the Pomologist, stating, among 

 other interesting facts, that " some of the 

 plums would hang till the next spring before 

 falling — beitig drkd to a black Jcrwt like." The 

 black knot has long been known to be a 

 fungoid disease. In order to illustrate what 

 I design to explain, allow me to call your 

 attention to the yellow jelly-like excrecence 

 found on our common savin, especially after 

 rains, whicli subsequently form into a hard 

 knot, called cedar apples. A peculiar jelly- 

 like substance, of a yellow color, on young 

 pear trees, came under my notice, which 

 subsequently hardened. In Science Gossip it 

 is stated that M. Decaisne placed two plants 

 of Savin affected with Toidesoma Sabince, 

 (TremeUa Sabirue of some authors), one in the 

 ground in the midst of four perfectly healthy 

 young pear trees, and the other about six or 

 eight feet from the ground, among the branch- 

 es of a large, healthy "Bon Cure" pear tree. 

 After a few days he found nearly all the leaves 

 of the five trees affected with what is called the 

 " RceMdia CanceUata." What can we infer 

 from such a fact, as it no doubt is ? Whence 

 the change of character? Every tribe -of 

 plants possess peculiar and characteristic 

 species on stem, leaf, or fruit. May we not 

 infer that modifications take place by coming 

 in contact with certain component parts of 

 the plant. Mr. Berkeley, Dr. Hassall, and 

 others, have written on this subject, in 

 respect to the yeast plant, that a particular 

 mould grew pretty uniformly on a solution 

 of malt. A single yeast globule in a drop of 

 water, surrounded by air enclosed in a glass 

 cell, gave birth to a PeniciUium and a mucor. 

 They were also convinced that these were 

 not the only moulds to which the yeast- 

 globules 'gave rise. It is proved then, that 

 yeast consists of a mixture of different 

 moulds, in a peculiar condition, due to their 

 development in a fluid, and that when a fit 

 opportunity offers, these globules are capable 

 of being developed into their ordinary form. 

 But I will not follow up the yeast question. 

 The rotting of fruits is ordinarily found due 

 to the development of the microscopic 

 fungi, Mucor mucedo and PeniciUum glaucwn, 

 which latter is one of the commonest moulds, 

 assuming a variety of forms, froms its grow- 

 ing on all kinds of substauces. It enters largely 

 into the composition both of yeast and of the 

 vinegar plant. I am encroaching upon a 

 boundless field — one writer says, " As a par- 

 ticular vegetation is present in every form of 

 fermentation, its germs, according to those 

 who know everything, (he uses the word 



paiispermists), must have floated loose in the 

 atmosphere from creation up to the time 

 when any new fermented liquor was discov- 

 ered. Did they rest so many ages unoccu- 

 pied, awaiting the moment when Osiris 

 invented oeer? And even now does the 

 atmosphere, loaded with these little seeds, 

 drift them from pole to pole, till the Green- 

 lander or Patagonian sets to work to brew 

 a few quarts of this drink, or till it can 

 fecundate the new ferments which each 

 chemist may invent in the silence of his 

 laboratory ? If it really were so, we might 

 groan over the fate of the atmospliere ! 

 Again, botanists are acquainted with a pe- 

 culiar plant, the Racodium cdlare, which has 

 never been found except on the casks in our 

 cellars. Where did the germs dwell before 

 these were invented, duriug the long ages 

 when our forefathers only employed am- 

 phoric? (a Greek and Roman vessel for 

 liquids, having two handles.)" 



Berard, a physiologist of the faculty of 

 medicine, even speaks of a plant which only 

 lives on the drops of tallow which the 

 miners in working let fall upon the soil. 



Now, strange as these things may seem, 

 they present a highly interesting field of 

 inquiry. It is generally accorded that every 

 sick or djdng plant is certain to be attacked 

 by its special parasite ! There is no explain- 

 ing the introduction of the seedlets of this 

 fatal guest, and we may say there are as 

 many varieties as there are plants. 



Hence, the " Bladder Plum "is one form of 

 a fungus and mode of development. But 

 whence or how it originated, involves 

 another question, which I shall not, with the 

 rush-light of my limited knowledge, attempt 

 to illuminate. J. Staupfeb. 



Lancaster, Pa. 



For the Western Pomologist. 

 Is it the Canker-"Work ? 

 Apple Crop. 



Short 



A small, slender worm about an inch in 

 length is troubling the apple orchards around 

 here. Its locomotion differs from that of any 

 other creeping thing. Its steps are measured 

 by the length of its body. 



About the 10th of May, the trees were 

 swarming with a light colored moth or 

 miller, and early in June the worms I speak 

 of appeared in countless numbers. Give 

 the tree a jar, the worms drop down free 

 from the limbs and then hang suspended 

 for a time by their silken thread. They took 

 the leaves off" clean, giving them the appear- 

 ance of jbeing dead or singed. What are 

 they? Are they the Canker-worm so 

 destructive in some parts of the county? 

 Are they likely to appear again next season, 

 and how can we protect our trees against 



them ? 

 The apple crop is very light in this part 



of Wisconsin. Many ascribe it to the " cold 



snap " in April. I think we may go farther 



back for the true cause. We hear of great 



loss of young trees, which is ascribed more to 

 ihe freeze of October last than to the winter. 

 The summer previous, cold and wet, was 

 unfavorable to a healthy growth of wood. 

 Under such conditions of wood growth, 

 could we reasonably expect the producti(jn 

 of well matured fruit buds ? Fthink not. 

 Charles Waters. 

 SpringvUk, Wis. 



Remakks.— Yes, you have the Canker^ 

 worm sure, and you may look with certainty 

 for its re- appearance next season unless you 

 adopt some method to head it off. That may 

 be done very successfully if taken in time. 

 In due time for action next spring, we will 

 give a chapter on the subject. We do not 

 dread the Canker-worm so much as the 

 Core-worm. The habits of the former are 

 so well understood now [that no orchardist 

 need suffer from its depredations. But how 

 to save our fruit from the Core-worm is not so 

 clear. More light is wanted. 



Pruning the Currant— The Borer. 



There is no shrub, bush, plant or tree that 

 pays more generously for pruning than does 

 the currant. Yet few ever touch it with 

 the pruning knife, while they use it to 

 excess on the grape, apple and pear. To 

 have large, well developed fruit and paying 

 crops, a rich, moist, cool, friable soil, made 

 so by feeding and mulching, and a judicious 

 system of pruning is all important. For 

 mulch there is no substance so valuable as 

 chip manure, or leaf loam, etc., from the 

 forest. The borer is becoming a serious 

 draw-back upon the growing of the currant. 

 As a remedy we know of nothing so effec- 

 tual as close ])runing and burning the 

 trimmings. Gardeuers are often perplexed 

 at the sickly appearance and decay of the 

 two and three year old growths of their 

 bu.she.?. It is a very easy matter to trace 

 out the cause. Examine the pith of the old 

 wood and you will find a little white bodied 

 and copper headed worm making his way 

 up towards the; top. We apprehend more 

 trouble from this enemy of the currant than 

 from the worm that infests its foliage. 

 ♦»-• 



Transplanting Pie Plant. 



We would add a few remarks to what was 

 said in a previous number in answer to Mr- 

 John Stier. We have cultivated pie plant 

 extensively for market, and find the best 

 time to transplant is in the full after the 

 first fro.st. If the stools are large and require 

 a division do not dig them wjjbut divide them 

 as tliey stand with a spade by cutting off or 

 dividing through the center of the plant, 

 leaving the part in the ground undisturbed. 

 By this method you will have a good crop 

 the next spring on those left in the grouncl, 

 and the balance you can divide up and re- 

 set and they will bear a good crop the 

 second year but not the first. We have 

 plants now standing ten years divided in 

 the .above manner (when they get too large) 

 and each year produce a good crop. The 

 ground cannot be too rich, but must not be 

 wet or the plants die out. The Myatt's 

 Linnffius and Grey Fagle are the best for 

 market and the stems need no peeling. The 

 Victoria is too late, coarse and acid. 



J. 8., AssT. Ed. 



