574 



N E IV FIELDS. 



are nothing more nor less than robbers, and the 

 investigations of the economic mycologist are made 

 with a view of learning the habits of these, in order 

 that he may determine the best methods of com- 

 batting them. 



Despite the fact that these microscopic foes have 

 destroyed our crops for years, causing annual losses 

 of millions of dollars, no intelligent attempt worthy 

 of note was made to investigate them until within 

 the past ten years. Five years ago practically 

 nothing had been done in this country toward check- 

 ing their ravages ; in fact, it is only during the past 

 three years that anything like a systematic effort in 

 this direction has been put forth. At the outset, 

 investigators in this branch of science were beset 

 with many difficulties, chief among which was the en- 

 tire lack of knowledge on the subject among the very 

 people the work was intended to benefit. This state 

 of affairs was not the fault of any one in particular, 

 certainly not that of the farmers themselves, as 

 they could not well be expected to be familiar with 



the causes at work is absolutely essential to suc- 

 cess. It is astonishing how difficult it is to make a 

 farmer understand what a fungus is, and how it is 

 that such an apparently insignificant thing can make 

 his potatoes rot, his grapes mildew or his apples scab. 

 With the ravages of insects it is different, for in the 

 majority of cases the intruder can be seen at work, 

 and the farmer has tangible evidence of what is 

 doing the damage. Fungi, in the majority of cases, 

 come "like a thief in the night," the farmer having 

 no knowledge of their presence until the damage is 

 done. Right here, let it be understood, is where 

 we have our greatest difficulty, for it is hard to con- 

 vince our friend that he must not wait until the 

 enemy is present, but must take time by the fore- 

 lock and make preparations accordingly. In other 

 words, there is a strong tendency in all cases to 

 resort to curative rather than preventive measures, 

 and in consequence failure is often the result. 



As the habits of fungi become better understood, 

 farmers and fruit-growers show an increased inter- 

 est in them. They are now discussed at many 

 of our horticultural and agricultural meet- 

 ings and, in many other ways, are more a 

 subject of investigation than of mystery. 



Laying aside these questions for the pres- 

 ent, let us follow for a moment the progress 

 of economic mycology from the time of its 

 first inception in this country up to the pres- 

 ent moment. 



One of the pioneers in these investigations 

 was Professor T. J. Burrill, of the Illinois 

 State University, who first began to devote 

 special attention to the subject sometime 

 back in the seventies. At about the same 

 time Dr. W. Go Farlow, of Harvard College, 

 started the publication of a series of most 

 valuable papers, which were continued up to 

 a few years ago. Among others who con- 

 tributed to the early history of this work, 

 may be mentioned Professor Chas. Peck, of 

 the New York State Museum of Natural His- 

 tory, Dr. B. D. Halsted, Dr. Chas. Bessey 

 and others. In 1883 some work of this 

 nature was inaugurated at the Wisconsin 

 Experiment Station by Professor Wm. Trel- 

 ease, and the year following J. C. Arthur, 

 Fig. 2. of the New York Experiment Station, began 



New. a series of important investigations which 



Fig.i. Pear tree injured by leaf-blight. Fig. 2. 0?i,' saved by treatment. were continued for four years, or as long as 



a subject upon which there was practically no acces- Mr. Arthur was connected with the Station, 



sible literature. Be this as it may, however, the Since the organization of the Hatch Experiment 



trouble has been a serious drawback, especially in Stations, the work has received a new impetus, there 



the treatment of diseases where some knowledge of being economic mycologists connected with a num- 



FlG. I. 



The Old way and the 

 Pear tree injured by leaf-blight . Fig. 



