DAIRY AND SEED IMPROVEMENT MEETINGS. 253 



observations, somewhat discouraging. This is contrary to 

 what might be expected on general principles, unless it should 

 be shown that it, like tobacco mosaic, can be readily trans- 

 mitted from plant to plant in the field. 



Our work at Highmoor Farm last summer suggested the pos- 

 sibility that local climatic or soil conditions might be a factor 

 in the development of the trouble, for on the crop there only 

 mild cases of mosaic occurred, while the seed tubers came 

 from plants which showed it in a pronounced form at Aroos- 

 took farm the season before. Certain other interesting results 

 were obtained from this lot of potatoes, but I will not take time 

 to discuss these now for it is unsafe to draw conclusions with- 

 out repeating the experiments, possibly several times. 



Net-necrosis and Spindling Sprout. 



For some years we have been observing in Maine a peculiar 

 type of tuber trouble — something which I think most practical 

 potato growers have seen at one time or another. This is 

 characterized by numerous, minute brownish streaks often 

 forming a more or less imperfect net-work throughout the 

 flesh of the potato, more particularly at the basal end. This 

 has sometimes been confused with the fungous trouble, known 

 as Fusarium disease. The discoloration in the case of the lat- 

 ter is confined to the vascular tissues and appears as a more or 

 less imperfect ring a short distance below the surface of cross 

 sections made near the stem end of the tuber. Dr. W. A. Or- 

 ton has proposed the term net-necrosis for the condition first 

 mentioned. 



Prof. F. C. Stewart of the New York Station, a short time 

 ago, published some very interesting observations on another 

 potato trouble of considerable economic importance, which had 

 been previously overlooked. This he has called spindling 

 sprout, and the name is a particularly descriptive term. Now 

 that our eyes are opened we find we also have spindling sprout 

 in Maine, and it is by no means uncommon. This is another 

 emphatic reminder that whenever we see an abnormal plant 

 we should not pass it by without further consideration. It may 

 be mi-re worthy of serious attention than all the healthy ones 

 on the field. 



