The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-06-01

formation and ideas deducted there
from.
Fungi differ from ordinary plants in
three important particulars: First
They propagate by spores instead of
| seed. Every particle of dust from
puff-ball is a spore, but the spores of
| most kinds are so small that the unaid
ed eye cannot see them. These spores
float in the air till they find Judgment
in favorable place to grow. Second
Fungi cannot use inorganic (rnineraD
plant food; hence they live upon matter
that has been organized by other
plants. Third-Fungi are never green,
because they possess no chlorophyll.
which is the green substance that cir
culates in common plants, and it per
forms much the same functions as
blood in animals. Fungi cannot
organize its own food because it lacks
the green substance chlorophylL The
prevailing colors of the fungus plants
are various shades of white, black.
brown, blue, yellow and red.
Fungi anr plants. Mushrooms, toad
stools. puffballs are examples of fungi
that may be easily seen with the naked
eye; moulds, rots, rusts, mildews,
fungi that are visible in mass. but the
single plants of these kinds can be seen
only by the aid of the microscope
Fungus plants are of two classes
saprophytes and parasites. Saproph-
ytic fungi live ON dead matter. Taod-
stools, puffballs and the half-moon
shaped brascket-like growtlls on
dead trees and stumps are saphroph-
ytes. Moulds, fe1ment yeast Ghe mi
croscopic plant used to raise bread
and the still smaller bacteria that cause
pptrifactfon and decay are also sophro-
phytic fungi. The smuts, rots blights,
ruStS, etc, are parasitic fungi and it
is these with which the Sprayer has to
deal. They fasten themselves to his
trees, vines and various crops, and Sc
cure their food from the living tissues.
much as fleas lice and ticks secure
their food from the living animal upon
which they prey. Just as puny ami
nal fails an easy victim to lice or
mango, SO weakly plants are most apt
to succumb to the attacks of the fungi;
therefore, the first step in fighting fun
gi rs TO plant good seed of vigorous
varieties and by proper fertilization
and cultivation keep up vigorous
growth. Some varieties strongly resist
the attacks Of fungi-rust-proof oats,
for instance. These should be planted
in sections liable to the ravages of
rust. 1t is not practicable to spray
field of oats, wheat or corn. Seed of
g crop that was affected with smut
should not be used; but if used, it
should first be dipped for ten minutes
into a barrel of water heated to 1873
degrees, and then fifteen minutes into
smother barrel of water heated to 1873
degrees. The first dipping is to warm
the seed; the second is to kill the smut
spores.
Parasitic fungi are of three classes:
F'irst-Those which remain inside,
floating in the cell sap, absorbing its
vitality. Such are the pear blight and
the various rots of vegetables Second
Those which form and live on the
outside. such as the powerdy mildew of
the grape. Third-Those which remain
within the plant attacked till ready to
reproduce by means of spores, when
they come through the pores to the out
side of the plant attacked. Rusts,
SmutS. black rot and brown rot of ap-
pies, etc, are of this class.
AS a rule, fungicides are applied as
preventives rather than as cures. 1t has
been found that fungi spores VIII not
terminate in the presence of the salts
OF copper, and various spraying mix
lures contain these salts. The best
of all these is the Bordeaux mixture
1t is composed of 6 lbs. copper sulphate
(biuestone), 6 lbs. quicklime, and so
gallons water. 1t is always we'll to add
four ounces of London purple to kill
insects as we'll as fungi.
For peach and plumb rot spray with
Bordeaux mixture. beginning when the
buds swell, again just before they open,
and again as soon as the blossoms fall,
this time adding London purple to kill
curculio. Use plenty of lime in the
mixture. both to make it stick and to
keep the poison from burning the
leaves. Promptly remove and burn all
rotting fruit as soon as seen. For leaf
rust of plumb and peach, spray with
Bordeaux
For strawberry blight, use Bordeaux
early and thoroughly.
The cardinal essentials of spraying
are to begin early, act promptly apply
thoroughly mixtures carefully prepared.