THE CHERRIES OF NEW YORK 9 1 



but as yet no one seems to have reported on the differences in suscepti- 

 bility of cherries to the disease. 



The leaf -rust ^ {Puccinia pruni-spinosce Persoon) of stone-fruits, occur- 

 ring rarely on the fruit, sometimes attacks cultivated cherries and is a rather 

 common disease of the wild Prunus serotina. This rust is troublesome only, 

 however, in warm, moist climates. It is most apparent in the fall and is 

 easily recognized through its numerous rust-colored sori on the underside 

 of the leaves. Defoliation takes place in severe infestations. Either bor- 

 deaux mixtiore or lime and sulphur may be used as a preventive. 



Old cherry trees are often attacked by a fleshy fungus or " toadstool "^ 

 {Polyporus sulphur eus (BuUiard) Fries). This fungus is said to be world- 

 wide in its distribution and to occur upon a large variety of trees. It is 

 very striking in appearance, the clusters appearing diuring late summer 

 or early autumn in large, shelving branches, the sporophores fleshy and of 

 cheese-like consistency when young but becoming hard and woody with 

 age. At first the " toadstools " are all yellow but later only the under 

 surfaces are yellow while the upper surface is orange-red. The plants 

 are more or less odoriferous, the odor increasing with age. Happily, the 

 fungus is not very vir\alent but is often the cause of decay in the tree-trunk — 

 the brown-rot of the wood of this and other orchard and forest plants. 

 In localities where the fungus thrives it may usually be controlled by 

 covering all wounds with tar or other antiseptic materials. 



At least two other fleshy fungi have been found injuring cherries. 

 These are Clitocybe parasitica Wilcox' and Armillaria mellea Vahl./ the 

 latter the honey agaric, more or less abundant in both Europe and America. 

 Both are associated with and are probably a cause of the root-rot of the 

 cherry and other orchard fruits. Neither is a common enough pest in 

 this country, however, to receive extensive description in texts on diseases 

 of plants. Control meastires are different in localities where fungi occur, 

 consisting in the main of getting rid of stumps and roots in orchard lands 

 and planting to field crops before using for orchard purposes. Infected 

 trees should be removed or isolated by trenching about them. 



1 Scribner, F. L. Leaf Rust of the Cherry, etc., U. S. Dept. Agr. Rpt. 353-355, PI. 3. 1887. 



' Atkinson, Geo. F. Studies of Some Shade Tree and Timber Destroying Fungi, Cor. Agl. Exp. 

 Sta. Bui. 193:208-214. 1901. Schrenk, H. von. Div. Veg. Phys. and Path., U. S. Dept. Agl. 25:40-52, 

 Pis. II (in part), 13. 1900. 



'Wilcox, E. M. A Rhizomorphic Root-Rot of Fruit Trees, Okla. Agr. Exp. Sta. Bui. 49:1-32, Pis. 

 i-ii. 1901. 



^ Duggar, B. M. Fungous Diseases of Plants 473. 1909. 



