New York Agricultural Experiment Station. 423 



in 1896, a potato field which had been sprayed five times and yet 

 it was estimated that 33 per cent of the plants were affected by 

 the disease. 



Although the experiment shows that a fair yield of healthy 

 tubers may be obtained from diseased " seed," we cannot recom- 

 mend the practice of planting such " seed." Six 50-foot rows 

 planted with healthy " seed " of the same variety and grown 

 under parallel conditions, yielded 379 pounds of merchantable 

 tubers, or at the rate of 305 bushels per acre, which is 39 bushels 

 per acre above the yield from the diseased " seed." 



Attempts were made to inoculate the disease upon other 

 solanaceous plants. Badly diseased tubers were finely chopped 

 and put into the soil close about the roots of 28 young tomato 

 plants, 25 young egg-plants, 10 younger pepper plants (Capsicum), 

 10 young plants of the Chinese lantern plant [Physalis franchetti) 

 and 6 young petunias. These plants were kept under observation 

 throughout the season, but none of them showed any symptoms 

 of a disease like the potato stem-blight. In fact, all of them 

 except the petunias were remarkably healthy and productive. 

 They, too, were occasionally sprayed with Bordeaux mixture. 



III. EFFECTS OF COMMON SALT ON THE GROWTH OF 

 CARNATIONS AND CARNATION RUST. 



iSome florists have advocated the use of an aqueous solution of 

 common salt (sodium chloride) on carnation foliage. The salt 

 solution is to be applied in the form of a fine spray, and it is 

 believed that the plants are benefited in two ways; (1) by pre- 

 venting the attacks of rust (XJromyces caryopJiyllinus), and (2) by 

 giving the plants a more vigorous growth. 



iSome experiments which we have conducted during the past 

 three years lead us to believe that salt solution is worthless for 

 either of the above purposes. In a previous bulletin* we have 

 reported a spraying experiment on carnations in which salt solu- 

 tion (8 lbs. to 45 gals, of water) applied once a week, failed to 

 prevent rust in the least, every plant showing rust at " lifting " 

 time; neither did the plants seem to be any more vigorous or 



* New York Agl. Exp. Sta. Bui. 100, pp. 56-62. 



