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Sir: I submit herewith a circular ou fungicides, prepared in accord- 

 ance with your instructions. 

 Respectfully, 



F. Lamson Scribner. 



Hon. XORMAN J. COLMAN, 



Commissioner of Agriculture. 



FUNGICIDES. 



INTRODUCTORY. 



In combating the various fungus diseases of plants many chemicals 

 and chemical compounds have been tried from time to time, and not a 

 few nostrums of the quack order have been widely advertised for this 

 or that, or for every distemper that plants are heir to. A little knowl- 

 edge of vegetable anatomy and of the character and habits of the fungi 

 to be treated would enable us to avoid the impositions of quacks and 

 assist us in determining the rationale of any proposed treatment. The 

 diseases iu plants caused by fungi are simply the effects produced by 

 other plants of parasitic habits, and we must keep the two — the para- 

 site and the plant attacked — distinct iu our minds in our efforts to pro- 

 tect the one from the evils produced by the other. 



For some of these so-called diseases there is no remedy but the knife 

 or the complete destruction of the infested plant. It is important to 

 understand the cases of this character, not only that we may avoid 

 wasting time and money in vain efforts to treat them otherwise, but in 

 order that prompt action may be taken and sources of infection be 

 quickly destroyed, for all fungus diseases may be regarded as infectious. 

 A large class of these diseases, many occasioning heavy annual losses, 

 may be mitigated or entirely overcome by the application of certain 

 remedial or preventive agents. Those remedies or preventives which 

 have apparently yielded positive results are here enumerated, together 



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