138 DISEASES OF THE SWEET PEA 



and readily break off. At other times the 

 injury extends further down and involves 

 the entire branch. On the leaves the dis- 

 ease starts as whitish spots, which enlarge 

 until all the green gradually fades en- 

 tirely, hence causing death (fig. 24). 

 Such infected leaves become brittle and 

 soon drop off. Examination of an in- 

 fected leaf with a hand lens shows that it 

 is peppered with minute salmon colored 

 pustules. At the time of blossoming the 

 fungus also attacks the peduncle at the 

 point of union with the buds, producing a 

 bud blight; or the fungus attacks both the 

 flower bud and the peduncle, in which case 

 both dry up but do not fall off. The most 

 easily distinguishable symptoms of this 

 disease are on the seed pods. Infected 

 pods lose their green color, become shriv- 

 eled, and are soon covered with salmon 

 colored patches which frequently attract 



