44 transactions of the american institute. 



The Cause of Blight upon Fruit Blossoms. 



Mr. S. writes from Orang-o, N. .1., May, 'H : " The fiiiit treoR cf all 

 kii'.ds, gave an early jjroinisc of an aluindaiit liarvest; indeed, I never saw 

 them look better; luit within a lew days, (ir weeks, Homethivc/ lias occured 

 to hlast all the cherries and most of tiie ciurant.s, and also lias afTrcted apjde 

 and pear trees to some extent. What can have caused it? Can it be the 

 eflfect of the recent prolonged and heavy rain-stt»nn ? Did yonevei liear of 

 fruit blossoms being 'drowned' by such rains ? It is a great disappoint- 

 ment to find that the fruit-t-rnps will be liglit in these days of high prices 

 of meat, »!tc.'' 



^Ir. W. S. Carpenter insisted upon it tliat it was owing to the storm, and 

 Dr. Trimble that it was caused entirely I'v the warm w<;t weather that 

 rotted the capsule of the frnit, particularly white cherries, and caused the 

 fruit to decay. 



Mr. John G. Bergen says that the cherry trees are much affected with 

 insects or some other disease, which will very much diminish the crop. 

 Some say it is caused by easterly storms, but he does not believe in that 

 theory. 



Dr. Trimble sa^'s that he has carctnlly watched the disease, and insects 

 have nothing to do with the case; it is all caused by changes in the atmos- 

 phere. He also declares that he has proved by investigation that the curl- 

 leaf of peach-trees, and all similar diseases, are caused 1)}' insects. The 

 aphides will very much lessen the crop this year, and would miuh more, 

 but for tlie birds, which destroy vast quantities of them. 



Mr. John G. Bergen controverts the theory of insects causing tli(> curl, 

 because he has tried in vain to discover them upon curled leaves with a 

 good jnicr(isco])(,'. With all of our theories we are still very ignorant. 



Fragrant Grass. 



Mrs. Mary Treat, HIairstown, bnva, writes: "Inclosed you will find some 

 specimens of a native fragrant grass. It blossosns with our earli(;st flow- 

 ers and is vt-ry fragrant, making it a desirable acquisition to our spring 

 boiKpiets. The specimens I send you were gathered in April. It r(!tain8 

 its beauty and fragrance for some weeks. If you would like some seed, I 

 will send it gratuitously as soon as it ripens." 



Mr. Wm. 8. Car[tenter. — It is a very beautiful grass, and I Impi; the sec- 

 retary will write to the lady thanking her for her ofier. 



Mr. Wm. 1\. Prince — The specimens of grass sent to the club by Mrs. 

 Mary Treat, of Iowa, is the J/iaruchloa burcalis, Seneca grass or sweet sum- 

 mer grass, described by Torrey and Gray, and in Katnn's Manual of Botany. 



It is a perennial, and found abundantly in th<' Newark and llackensack 

 meadows, in the environs of Seneca Lake, and in many localities in the 

 western States. It is remarkable for its sweet and pleasant o<lor. It is a 

 native creeping specie's and spreads rapidly. A species of Ilierocloa grow- 

 ing in Norway and northern Germany greatly resi'tubles, and by some 

 botanists has been deemed identical with this plant. I difTer. 



In the Eastern Hemisphere, however, they possess a grass of a distinct 

 genus, which presents a counterpart of our own Seneca grass as to char- 



