DIVISION OF BOTANY 497 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



FIRST REPORT FROM THE BRANCH LABORATORY OF THE DIVISION 



OF BOTANY, ST. CATHARINES, ONT. 



BY 



W. A. McCUBBIN, M.A., assistant in charge of Field Laboratory of Plant 



Pathology, St. Catharines, Ont. 



This laboratory was established by the Division of Botany for the study of plant 

 diseases in the Niagara District and was opened August 1, 1912. 



In the beginning of this year's work, some time was necessarily consumed in 

 fitting up the building, apparatus, and supplies, and in becoming acquainted with the 

 conditions in the neighbourhood. For this purpose the greater part of the Niagara 

 peninsula was visited, and every opportunity taken, of laying before the fruit-growers 

 and farmers the purposes of the station and endeavouring to enlist their co-operation. 

 Advantage was taken of meetings held in Grimsby, McNab, Queenston and Louth 

 Township, by Mr. Caesar of Guelph, for demonstrating the symptoms of ' Yellows,' and 

 ' Little Peach,' and at each of these the aims and objects of the Station were presented 

 in a short address. 



Throughout the season, a study of local diseases was carried on as fully as possible. 

 Collections of over one hundred specimens of various diseases were made and numer- 

 ous observations recorded for reference and for future experiments. An exhibit of 

 some of the commoner and more destructive of these diseases was set up at the St. 

 Catharines Horticultural Show in September. 



Owing to the lateness of the season, experimental work was necessarily limited, 

 but several experiments were begun, the results of which will not be apparent till 

 next summer at earliest. 



A large number of peach cankers were treated in various ways and with different 

 materials in order to find out a cheap, simple, and effective method of dealing with 

 this trouble, which has become quite a nuisance in several orchards here. 



The currant polyporus (Pyropolyporus ribis), found in quite large numbers in 

 one field, was treated with several fungicides. As far as can be ascertained as yet, 

 formalin, copper sulphate, salt and ashes are effective in killing this fungus, which, 

 though not common, seems to be serious enough once it infests a field. 



Considerable attention was given to the ' mosaic ' disease of tomatoes, which 

 appeared in many places in this region during the summer. Certain features about 

 the cases seen here tend to locate the trouble in the soil. Seeds of affected plants were 

 collected and will be- grown next year to make certain that, as has been claimed, the 

 disease is not transmitted through the seed. 



A series of experiments on the treatment of Yellows and Little Peach, begun last 

 year by the Dominion Botanist, were carried on more fully this year. Conclusive 

 results from these experiments cannot be looked for for another year at least. 



About 2,000 peach stones from trees affected by Little Peach were collected, and 

 will be planted next year to determine the germinating capacity. This work is done 

 jointly with Mr. Caesar, Provincial Entomologist and Pathologist. 



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