EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETINS. 



273 



charactor, and well adapted to the experiment. The figures are much too 

 extended to be presented here. 



There was no evidence whatever that older seeds give shorter and more 

 productive vines. In fact, there was no uniformity of behavior between 

 seeds of like ages. The largest vines in some instances came from oldest 

 seeds, in others from the newest, and in others from those of intermediate 

 ages. All this variation is evidently due to heredity of the individual seeds 

 or to conditions of growth of the immediate parents, rather than to age of 

 seeds. The following summary of figures obtained from cucumbers may be 

 taken as an indication of results in other species: 



The ratios in the last column are obtained by taking the shortest average 

 growth as 1, and dividing the other averages in the same variety by this 

 number. In the first variety, Long Green, the shortest vines grew from 

 1884 seed and the longest fron 188(3 seed. In the Short Green, the short- 

 est growth was from the most recent seed, and the longest from the oldest 

 seecl, while in the Early Cluster the result is reversed. 



THE STEAWBEKEY LEAF-BLIGHT. 



Cornell University— Bulletin No. 14. 



Sphaerella FragarHC.^SxccAV.BO. 



During the season of 1888 the strawberry leaf-blight was unusually 

 abundant. This disease has long been recognized as due to the attack of a 

 parasitic fungus, believed by some to appear in several different but gen- 

 etically connected forms on the host-plant, by others to be limited to one 

 form only. Finding it extremely prevalent about Ithaca in September and 

 October, it was resolved to observe its habits during the winter and suc- 

 ceeding spring ; and, if possible, add something to our incomplete know- 

 ledge of its life-history. The general lines of the work were then mapped 

 out? and the very numerous details were placed in the hands of a competent 

 observer in our laboratory.* 



* Miss J. W. Snow, holder of one of the University Fellowships during 1888-1889, desiring to m form 

 herself concerning methods in work of this nature, undertook and carried on trom October, 1888, till 



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