Report of the State Botanist. 9 



through the point of contact, which is a strong argument for the 

 proper thinning of fruit. Peaches sometimes transmit the 

 disease, through the agency of the mycelium of the fungus, 

 to the branch that sustains them, and then the branch 

 soon withers and dies. This may be prevented by 

 promptly removing the affected peaches. But sometimes 

 young and tender branches are killed by an attack through the 

 agency of the spores. On a young plum tree the tips of several 

 branches on which there were no plums died and showed the 

 characteristic spore clusters of this fungus on their surface. A 

 young apricot tree, on which there was no fruit, lost the tips of 

 many of its branches by the invasion of this same fungus. New 

 shoots started, but during a renewal of the rainy weather the 

 attack was repeated and these were in like manner killed. The 

 fungus is certainly one capable of doing a vast amount of mis- 

 chief; nor is it to be overcome by picking and destroying the 

 affected fruit and twigs unless this is promptly done by every 

 one in an affected district, for if the trees of one orchard or 

 garden are cleared, the spores are quickly wafted to them again 

 by the winds from any neglected neighboring orchard or tree. 



Another minute mold-like fungus, Rhopalomyces C^icui'hitarum, 

 has "putrid squashes'' recorded as its habitat. But in this case, 

 as in the others, the fungus is itself the cause of the putridity in 

 the squashes, not a consequence. Young but sound squashes 

 scarcely out of blossom are attacked by it and quickly reduced 

 to a pulpy putrid mass. Mature squashes are less often injured 

 or destroyed by it unless there is a contributing cause. Some- 

 times centipedes eat cavities in the under side of a squash where 

 it is in contact with the earth. Through these cavities the 

 fungus spores gain access and quickly reduce the squash to a 

 worthless putrid mass. 



Very respectfuU}'^ submitted. 



CHAS. II. PECK. 

 Albany, Octoher 1, 1891. 

 2 



