174 
THE FLORIST AND POMOLOGIST. 
[ August, 
here on December 12, it has battled bravely with this cold spring, and is now 
(June 9) in pod. 
These two new Peas are not yet let out to the public, but are in the hands of 
Messrs. Janies Veitch and Sons, who will doubtless bring them out in due time. 
Touching the peas raised by this clever but unfortunate man, I may mention 
that Standard is a superb variety, growing from 3 ft. to 3-|- ft. high, averaging nine 
peas in each pod, and these so tightly packed when allowed to grow as to burst 
each other, but when gathered young they certainly are the right thing. If we 
take Harbinger as a first crop. Standard and Marvel as second, and that fine Pea, 
Omega, as the latest, no other four sorts could successfully compete against them. 
I must, perhaps, except Dagmar, and the Baron, Peas of which more will be 
heard at some future day.— E. Gilbert, Burghley Gardens^ Stamford. 
PEACH BLISTER. 
VERY one who is acquainted with Peach trees is probably equally well 
acquainted with the disease of the leaves known as Peach Blister. This 
disfiguring disease of the foliage is not confined to the Peach, but occurs 
on Almonds and allied plants, is generally most common in spring and 
early summer, and makes itself manifest by large leathery red wrinkled blisters 
on the leaves. A fungus known as Ascomyces deformans (syn. Taphrina 
deformans) frequently or invariably accompanies this red blister of the leaf; it 
grows upon the blister, generally upon the lower surface, but not unfrequently 
upon the upper side. At times, the fungus may be sought for in vain ; in fact, 
judging from our own experience, the blister is far more common than the fungus 
which is said to produce it. This led Mr. Smee, who made careful observations 
on a large number of growing Peach trees, to say that the distorted leaves are caused 
by an injury inflicted by an aphis, and he stated his belief that the aphis is 
constantly present, and that the fungus is but rarely so. An opinion, too, has 
recently been printed, from an authority equally good with Mr. Smee, that the 
blistering is “ caused b}?- spring frosts rupturing the sap-vessels,” “ and that the 
fungus lives upon the extravasated sap.” 
De Bary, on the contrary, describes and figures the fungus in an early state 
as living inside the leaf amongst the cells, and at length only emerging to perfect 
itself on the exterior. This seems very reasonable, and would in a way account 
for the discoloured cells in the blister, which change in the diseased state from 
green to vinous red. A similar discoloration, not red, but blackish-brown, takes 
place amongst the cells in Potato-leaves, when they come in contact with the 
corrosive spawn of the fungus which is supposed to cause the murrain. 
We have recentl}’’ had a good opportunity of examining this Peach-leaf fungus 
when in the best possible condition, and give a figure of it, as seen under the 
microscope. To make the parasitic fungus at once clear to the mind, we have 
engraved a single blistered leaf natural size (a), with the fungus at b, which is 
almost invisible to the unaided eye, and can only be seen with a strong lens as 
