BLIGHTS OF CONIFEROUS NURSERY STOCK. 13 
Death from late frosts in the spring is rather frequent. Jack pine, 
because of its tendency to start growth very early in the spring, fre- 
quently loses its terminal buds and young shoots as the result of 
severe frosts after growth has begun, although these young, tender 
shoots are capable of standing a temperature considerably below 
freezing without injury. Douglas fir nursery stock in the West also 
seems to be quite susceptible to such injury. The use of some form 
of shade to delay very early growth, placing beds of susceptible 
species on high ground, and possibly the use of smudges, heaters, or 
a temporary straw or burlap mulch on nights when frost is feared, 
are methods which might be suggested for preventing spring frost 
injury. 
EBERMAYER’S BLIGHT. 
In Germany, Ebermayer’ states that death in pine nurseries re- 
sults from sudden warm weather in early spring when the soil is so 
cold that the roots are unable to absorb water normally and make 
sood the transpiration loss. The process which he described differs 
from sun scorch in that it occurs oftenest on heavy soil and when the 
soil contains excessive moisture. It differs from winterkilling in that 
it occurs after the soil thaws. He states that the best method of pre- 
vention is to decrease the transpiration loss by means of shade in the 
early spring. This blight does not occur commonly in the United 
States. 
DISEASES DUE TO PARASITIC FUNGI. 
NEEDLE-CAST. 
Lophodermium pinastri (Schrad.) Chev. causes the shedding or 
“cast ” of pine needles in German nurseries and plantations. The 
disease is not known to occur in American nurseries, whatever may 
be the case as to the presence of a fungus, but it is nearly certain to 
make trouble in the future in moist localities. A brief account of 
the disease, compiled from various statements of the great number 
of Kuropean writers on the subject, will therefore be given. 
The disease has been known in Germany for more than a century 
under the name of “ schtitte.” The causal relation of the parasite 
was first reported in 1852,? but was not established till some years 
later. When the parasitism of the fungus was established some 
writers apparently accepted it as the only cause of: blight, while 
others, notably Ebermayer, who regarded physical factors as the com- 
1Wbermayer, Ernst. Dic Physikalischen Hinwirkungen des Waldes auf Luft und 
Boden. Bd. 1, Berlin, 1873, p. 251-261. 
Zur Schtittekrankheit der Kiefer. Allgemeine Forst- und Jagd-Zeitung, Jahrg. 77, p. 
309-314, 1901. 
2 Goppert, H. R. [Hysterium pinastri als Ursache der Schiitte.] Verhandlungen, 
Schlesischer Forst-Verein, 1852, p. 67. 
