26()  Annual  Report  for  1904  of  the  Consulting  Botanist. 
sudden  appearance,  blighting  the  huds  and  flowers  almost  in 
a single  night.  No  attacked  twig  or  flower  should  be  allowed 
to  remain  on  the  trees,  hut  these  must  not  be  thrown  on  to  a 
rubbish  heap,  for  the  spores  are  so  small  tliat  they  can  be  carried 
about  in  the  air  to  other  trees  and  thus  spread  the  disease. 
Different  kinds  of  fruit  trees  have  been  known  to  fall  a victim 
to  this  parasite.  The  peach  trees  in  the  hothouses  of  a member 
in  Middlesex,  were  badly  deformed  l)y  E.roascuH  defarinam 
Fuckel,  known  as  “peach  leaf  curl.”  This  fungus  also 
attacks  different  fruit  trees,  specially  plums  and  cherries.  It 
has  been  described  in  detail  on  cherry  in  the  Report  for  1901. 
Another  member  in  Hampshire  sent  some  twigs  of  a peach 
tree,  from  which  as  many  as  75  per  cent,  of  the  immature 
fruits  had  dropped.  It  is  a frequent  occurrence  that  ])each 
trees  drop  their  fruits,  and  as  no  sign  of  any  fungal  disturl)ance 
in  the  specimens  could  be  detected,  it  was  suggested  that  some 
physical  cause  had  ai’rested  the  growth  of  the  peaches,  such 
as  sudden  changes  of  temperature,  conditions  of  culture, 
drought,  &c. 
Other  trees. — A beautiful  hundred-year-old  cedar  in 
Hertfordshire  was  in  a pitiful  state  through  its  smaller 
branches  and  leaves  being  killed.  Samples  with  the  injury 
were  applied  for  and  the  cause  of  it  was  ascertained.  The 
leaves  were  killed  and  discoloiired,  but  they  still  adhered  to 
the  branches.  No  similar  attack  on  the  cedar  has  been 
observed  before.  The  leaves  bore  at  the  base  the  conidial 
growth  of  the  fungus,  Botrgfis  cinerea  Pers.  (see  Fig.  1,  S to  Y, 
page  262),  the  parasitism  of  which  is  well  known.  The  fungus 
had  made  its  entrance  through  the  epidermis  at  the  base  of 
the  leaves,  where  they  are  still  covered  with  the  scales,  which 
protect  the  leaf  buds.  These  portions,  which  are  much  lighter 
in  colour  than  the  other  parts  of  the  leaf,  remain  very  tendei’ 
and  soft,  and  are  not.  able  to  resist  an  attack  of  the  fungus, 
the  fine  pointed  filaments  of  which  pierce  their  way  through 
and  take  possession  of  the  inner  tissues  of  the  leaves.  Con- 
sequently most  of  the  leaves  were  found  to  be  killed  at  the 
base,  while  some  of  them  showed  still  living  tips.  When  the 
leaves  were  completely  dead  the  young  twigs  succumbed  and 
the  aspect  of  the  ti’ee  was  greatly  si)oiled.  Professor  Tubeuf 
ascribes  a similar  attack  on  Douglas  fir  to  a species  of  Botrgfis, 
which  he  named  B.  Dovglasii.  It  may  be  that  this  species  is 
identical  with  B.  cinerea,  to  which  I attribute  the  cause  of 
the  disease  on  the  cedar.  The  member  was  advised  to  cut  off 
every  diseased  branch  on  his  cedar,  and  to  spray  the  rest  of  the 
tree  with  Bordeaux  mixture.  This  manipulation  may  spoil 
the  appearance  of  the  tree  for  a time,  but  it  is  the  only  way 
to  save  it. 
1. 
