DISEASES OF VEGETABLE AND GARDEN CROPS

Abstract

In making inquiries among the agriculturists of the Island as to why the growing of the common northern vegetables was not taken up for at least a home supply, the reply has universally been thatall such attempts ended in failure. At times with the weather favoring one crop would be secured, but a second was apparently impossible. While it was realized that tropical weather conditions would not he conducive to the best growth of northern vegetables, still it was difficult to see why such complete failures resulted. Consequently a close watch was kept on the various trial plots at the Station and in so far as possible upon gardens in other parts of the Island; in particular the public gardens and those maintained in connected with the normal school at Río Piedras. As a result observations have been made upon a very large number of fungi causing diseases of the various garden crops. In some cases these have attacked with such virulence as to readily explain the numerous failures reported, especially those with cucumbers and tomatos. Practically all of the troubles so far observed are those of common occurrence in continental America and have all doubtless been introduced with the seed or other plant parts. Many interesting questions hare arisen in the work with these diseases especially as regards their dependence upon weather conditions (temperature and humidity), their relation to insects as spore carriers, and above all their modes of attack. Soil and cultural conditions have likewise played an important part. Some of these points will be touched upon in the separate account of the diseases to follow, but others must be deferred until more detailed investigations can be carried out.