INSTITUTE.. PUSA, FOR 1919-20 65 



stored (1) in dry sand, (2) in sacks loosely packed, 

 and (3) on racks made of wooden battens. The rest 

 of the fumigated potatoes were treated in ' corrosive 

 sublimate solution (1 in 2,000) for 1 "hour and after- 

 wards taken out and dried and were stored exactly in the 

 above manner. The experiment lasted during May and 

 June 1919. The year being exceptionally trying on account 

 of the excessive heat, potatoes started rotting very soon 

 and in every case the bulk of the potatoes became rotten. 



These results bear out the conclusion previously come 

 to that the rot is primarily a result of excessive tempera- 

 ture and that it will be difficult, if not impossible, to check 

 unless some form of cool storage can be devised. The 

 natural suggestion is storage in the hills (at present a 

 large proportion of the plains crop is from hill-grown seed 

 and it should be possible to develop this by improving 

 transport facilities and cheapening freight) but the alter- 

 natural suggestion is storage in the hills (at present a 

 Further work is required so as to get a more exact knowledge 

 of the temperature limits at which storage may be expected 

 to pay. 



(6) Root rot of cotton. The writer visited Lyallpur 

 in October 1919, to make a further attempt at diagnosing 

 the cause of this disease. Previous efforts at Lyallpur and 

 Hansi had been unsuccessful, the causes then assigned not 

 standing the test of more exact observations and experi- 

 ments. The conclusion arrived at on this last visit is that 

 the disease is a non-parasitic one which is associated with 

 some unknown soil condition. Further work will probably 

 have to be taken from another side than the mycological. 

 The disease occurs sporadically through most of Northern 

 ' and Western India. 



IV, Systlmatic work. 



A good deal of progress, was made in the preparation of 



a fungus flora of India, so far as the materials at present 



exist. The total number of recorded species is probably 



under 2,000 which is certainly not one-fourth of those that 



