Excerpt from A Maple Leaf Disease Caused by Cristulariella Depraedans

On September 3, 1928, Dr. C. G. Deuber of Yale University and Mr. Francis A. Bartlett of the Bartlett Tree Expert Company noticed that the trees and seedlings of the sugar maple, Acer sac c/iaruin Marsh, in the woods across the road from the High Ridge Country Club at North Stamford, Connecticut, possessed an unusual appearance in their foliage. At first glance it was thought that this phenomenon was a sun-scorch wilt, since the leaves exhibited very soft areas, as if they had been scalded, but Observa tion revealed tiny white fruiting bodies of a parasitic fungus on the under surface of the affected leaves. The attack Of the fungus had been very sudden, as evidenced by the color of the foliage, since no yellowing or gradual decomposition had occurred. The wilted leaves, though green, had a grayish tinge in their badly infected portions, which was due to external mycelium. Wilting was so severe at the base of many of the leaf blades that the blades hung limp from the petioles. A slight shaking of the trees caused the infected leaves to fall freely.

Such rapidity of attack by the fungus appeared to be intimately connected with the weather factors during the last week of August and the first few days of September. Weather conditions recorded by Dr. Deuber for this period are as follows: On August 22, it rained all day and every day for the next week. Foliage of all trees remained in good condition. August 29. 30. And 31, and September 1 and 2, were very hot days with high humidity. On the night of September 2, a cloud - burst occurred at North Stamford, and on September 3, it rained all morning.

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