Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1884-01-19
INJURIES BY FUNGI.
Losses SUSTAINED BY FRUIT GROWERS
AND FARMERS.
Interesting Description of the Various
Glasses Of Fungt-Nethods Of
pagation-Remedies

DR.. H. W. Hardness, in a recent lecture
upon "Fungi Injurious to Fruit Trees, y
gave many points OF information and value
to fruit growers and farmers, and which is
below given. He said
This subject is one of very great import
ance TO those who cultivate the soil; in
deed, it may be said that the loss to the
agriculturist through the bsneful influences
of fungi far exceeds that caused by the in
sect pests, while to the horticulturist they
must rank as second in the list of destruc-
tive agents. A few of tae most striking
examples of their injurious effects upon
vegetation may not be out Of place here.
Unlike ordinary plants fungi are destitute
of chlorophyl, leaves, flowers, or of seeds,
in the ordinary acceptaticn of the term,
the reproductive bodies being known as
spores, name given to the fruit of all
fowerless plants. These spores are ex-
ceedingly minute, often not more than the
five-t housandth Of al inch in diameter, are
generally nearly transparent, extremely
buoyant, and forming at all times a con-
siderable portion of the atmospheric dust,
and transported by the wind to remote
distances. These spores are produced in
numbers which, to one unfamiliar with the
subject, appear almost Incredible. Nature
seems to have provided with bounteous
prodigality for the safety of species of the
lower orders, both of plants and animals,
and the number of germs produced is in
almost constant ratio with the danger to
which the organism is exposed. Countless
millions OF germs may perish, but the
species lives on. As an illustration familiar
to all, l vii mention the puff-ball, the
smoke from which
CONSISTS ENTIRELY OF SPORES,
Which, separately, are quite invisible to the
naked eye, and each one of which is capa.
| bic under favorable conditions of reproduc-
ing its kind. l have in my cabinet sim
gle putf.ball (Lycopertloa giganteu1n) which
is so abundantly supplied with spores that
the entire State of California might be
planted from this individual, each square
inch of the vast area being supplied with a
spore. the consideration OF these facts
will explain why, when the conditions are
favorable for the termination of an unu-
| sual number Of spores, these microscopic
| organisms are able to devastate large areas
| in single night, as often happens with
! LICINlo "a NhCGbY III WHICH case IL Is OLIV
necessary in certain localities that there
should be warm foggy night, continuing
for few hours in the morning, and FOL.
| lowed by warm sunshine, TO produce the
| red rust of the grain, known to the
mycelogist as PWccmia grHmjnis. Proba.
| bly, most are familiar with the appearance
of this parasite, which first shows itself
as minute rusty spot upon the leaf or
stem. If it appears before the formation
of the head it causes little damage, but
if, as occasionally happens, it should at.
tack the plant while the berry is in pro-
cess of formation, it proves disastrous to
| the crop. In such localities the farmer
soon learns to submit without repining to
an evil for which no economical remedy
can be applied, and to plant to other
crops those tracts lying adjacent to the
streams, which experience soon teaches
/ him are most liable to be attacked. An
other fungus which endangers the wheat
crop is
THE "WHITE RUST"
Or Erysiphe gramiais. This fungus is of
grayish. white color, and attacks the leaves
| or stems, often encircling the latter at
point near the earth with a felt like invest
ment. 1t does not penetrate the cuticle to
! any great extent, but Injuries the plant by
closing the stomata or breathing pores OF
! the plant. Some years ago many thousands
! of acres of wheat in the Sacramento Valley
were placed in jeopardy by this pest, the
/ catastrophe being averted, as believe, by
. northerly wind of several days duration
nevertheless, the berry was shIunken TO
| an appreciate degree. Another Of the
! well. known bhghts which has been the
| cause of famine in Ireland, aud has wrought
/ incalculable mischief in other lands, is the
! fungus known as PerOHoSporu mtsStans.
| Little complaint of it has reached US from
/ the interior, but near the coast it has
caused much by attacking the leaves and
/ stems, and destroying them in a few hours.
As yet it has act affected the plants early
enough to prevent partial crop. Some
/ twenty or more years ago the coffee plant
was introduced into the Island of Ceylon
| by the English. The first few years of it's
/ cultivation were years Of success and pros
| perity the tree was of luxuriant growth.
the berry perfect, and the crop immense.
| 1t is not to be wondered at that under
such circumstances, and with the advsnt-
age of cheap native labor, the planter
should have felt assured of fortune in the
near future. But after gathering a few
crops at great profit,
YELLOW SPOTS UPON THE LEAVES
Began to be noticed These spots were
examined with curiosity, but without ap-
prehenson, and received the name of
! HemileiH UGstatrir. In short time it
spread from plantation to plantation, liter
ally with the velocity of the wind. The
leaves, exhausted by the fungus, shriveled
and shrunk, and finally ;ell from the trees
/ leaving in many cases the exposed berry
to shrink and droop, also It's supply Of
nutriment being cut eff, and itself left
! sbelterless under the rays of tropical
/ sun, In this manner, and by means of
! this tiny pest, the crop was ruined upon
many plantations, and rendered light and
| OF poor quality upon others. In the first
! season of its prevalence the damage caused
by it was estimated at S., 900, COO and this
| ID stated to be about the average loss for
the past fifteen years. Short of pestilence
or famine, there is nothing more sad than
| the decay and death of a great industry
! 1t Is so difficult to Iproot tle old and plant
anew. To the English planters OF that
| delightful island the disaster has proved
overwhelming, and friend lust from that
| place informs me that all or nearly all the
| planters, who began with such high hopes
a few years ago, are now bankrupt. This
| fungus has extended beyond the limite of
| the Island and attacked plantations upon
the main land of tho Indian peninsula.
! Where this scourge will end we cannot say
but it has not yet reached the fine planta-
tons OF Costa Rica and Guatemala, as l
find no trsce of il in large consignment
OF sickly leaves from those localities.
THE BLACK KNoT-lsPuERIA MoRBoSN.
TGis fungus is one of the few Of those
affecting fruit trees which destroy the tree
as well as the fruit, and America may
Justly, though not exactly with pride,
claim to be its home. 1t was carefully OBJ
served, studied and named as early as
1922, by Dr.. S5hweiniiz, Moraviau min.
istor, then resident at Salem, n c., where
it was at that time doing great damage to
the cherry and plum trees. l. first ap.
pears as $ slight swelling in the bark of the
| branches the bark soon ruptures, produc.
ing irregular assures from one to three
inches in length, which are quickly filed
by the fungus. 1t usually encircles the
branch with corrugated, unsigntly mass,
which in the early stages is of a greenish.
brown color, soft and velvety, and very