REPORT OF THE HORTICULTURIST. 119 



loss to me. The soil is a light loam with very little sand and underlaid with gravel. 

 This is the second year that celery has been grown on the same ground. An early 

 reply will greatly oblige. 



" Very respecfully, 



"Maurice Rodley." 



This disease caused considerable damage to the trial plots of celery grown on 

 gravelly soil on the Experimental Farm and fertilized with spent hot-bed manure. 

 Where this manure was not used the disease was much less injurious. It was kept in 

 check with fair success by using Bordeaux mixture. When the plants are badly attacked 

 all aflfected leaves should be removed by hand before applying the fungicide. The old 

 trench system with its coating of barn-yard manure on bottom is to be discouraged, 



A FUNGOUS PARASITE OF SAN JOSE SCALE. 



Prof. Rolfs, Botanist to the Florida Experiment Station, reported last summer the 

 discovery of a fungous parasite {Sphcerophila coccophila) attacking a native scale (Aspidio- 

 tus obscurus) of Florida. He was also successful in transplanting the parasite to colonies 

 of San Jos6 scale (A. perniciosus) Coms., in neighbouring orchards where it floui'ished even 

 to the extinction of its pernicious host. This was a most important discovery, notices of 

 the work of Prof. Rolfs appeared contemporaneously with the discovery of the San Jos^ 

 scale in some of the orchards of southern Ontario. I immediately secured, through the 

 kindness of Prof. Rolfs, a quantity of parasitized scales in the hope of establishing this 

 friend of the fruit grower in infested Canadian orchards. Cultures of the fungus were 

 made by Dr. W. T. Connell of Queen's University, Kingston. These were taken to St. 

 Catharines, Ontario and applied to several trees of Abundance plum, badly infested by 

 San Jos^ scale. One treated tree was inclosed in a covering, or tent of cheese cloth 

 and examined from time to time. At the close of the season, the presence of the parasite 

 could not be detected by the aid of a hand lense upon the treated trees under cover 

 or unprotected and a laboratory examination made by Dr. Connell later in the season 

 failed to discover any trace of growth or development of the fungus. . It is possible that 

 had the climatic conditions been different the trial might have been successful. As 

 regards moisture the conditions were favourable, but the temperature was rather below 

 the normal for a few days succeeding the application of the cultures. I believe, how- 

 ever, the trial on the whole was a fair one, and failing to succeed, this parasite cannot 

 be looked upon as a practical preventive of San Jose scale in the climate of southern 

 Ontario. 



The following letters from Dr. Connell show the good work done by him in this 

 connection. 



" Kingston, 6th August. 



" Dear Sir, — I inoculated the plum wood affected with the San Jose scale, with the 

 scale fungus Sphcerophila coccophila on Friday last, 30th July. I have examined it 

 from time to time since, and find that the fungus is growing well, invading the bark, 

 and in many cases attacks and grows into the bodies of the scale insect themselves. 

 Whether it grows into the insect during life, I cannot yet say, but it appears highly 

 probable that such is the case. 



" My method of inoculation was to brush over portions of the wood (bark) a watery 

 dilution of the fungus grown on bread. I find that when wood is kept dry, that growth 

 is very slight ; while when more moist, growth occurs freely in bark. 



"Yours very truly, 



" W. T. Connell. 



" Kingston, 23rd August. 



" Dear Sir, — I have carefully examined the specimens of plum wood sent by you a 

 few days since. I have not been able to detect any of the scale fungus {Sphcerophila 

 cocco])hila) upon the wood. 



