114 THE TREE BOOK 



fruit or foliage of the apple, the quince, or the 

 pear, they are as seeds upon fertile soil. They 

 soon throw out a little fungus thread which 

 delves into the tissues beneath it for nourish- 

 ment. By and by cluster cups are formed which 

 in turn produce spores that are carried back to 

 the cedar trees. This usually takes place in 

 July, August, and September. The fungus be- 

 gins to grow in the tissues of the cedar branches, 

 and there passes the winter. It starts to grow 

 in the spring, and by fall the "cedar apples" 

 have reached full growth. But the cycle of the 

 spore's life is not complete until the following 

 spring, when at about the time the apple trees 

 are in bloom, the cedar apple begins to swell 

 with the spring rains and produce its jelly-like 

 "bloom" of spores. Infection of the apple 

 fruit and foliage may take place over a period 

 of three to six weeks, depending upon weather 

 conditions. If there are frequent rains, with 

 days of bright sunshine between, the cedar ap- 

 ples may swell and dry several times, liberating 

 quantities of cedar spores after each drying. 

 Often cedar spores are carried on the wind for 

 several miles. They cause unsightly yellow 

 spots and deformities on the fruit, sometimes 

 changing it into grotesque shapes almost be- 

 yond recognition as apples. The greatest dam- 



