New York Agricultural Experiment Station. 105 



Later^ pure cultures from the Geneva material proved capable 

 of producing disease in carnation plants, so that the fungus is 

 very likely pathogenic. 



Moreover, on at least two occasions a RMzoctonia has been 

 found producing damping-off among seedling beans in the gieen 

 house. The disease is characterized by an ulceration of the stem 

 at the surface of the soil and later prostration and death of the 

 seedlings, 



ON THE BEET. 



{Beta vulgaris.) 



Our attention was first called to this disease by specimens of 

 affected beets sent to us from Binghamton. A few days 'after- 

 wards the disease was discovered as a beet trouble of consider- 

 able importance at Cattatonk, N. Y. This occurrence has been 

 fully treated in Bulletin 163 of the Cornell Expeidment Station, 

 and at this time a summary of these notes will sufiSce. At Catta- 

 tonk a three-aqre field was attacked so severely that fully one- 

 third of the crop was lost. Diseased plants are usually found in 

 scattered areas throughout the field; but the fungus undoubtedly 

 passes readily from plant to plant in the row and it has a tend- 

 ency to spread rapidly. Cold weather or dry conditions quickly 

 retard the spread of the trouble, and it is much more abundant 

 where the soil is moist or the surface drainage bad. 



During hot weather the fungus secures a hold most readily at 

 the bases of the leaves^ perhaps because here there is moisture 

 with the slightiest rain or dew. Inoculation experiments also 

 demonstrate that in these parts the disease " takes " well. The 

 progress of the injury may be noted by the blackening of the 

 leaf bases, and finally the wilting and prostration of the leaves 

 themselves. The leaves do not, however, turn brown until after 

 they have fallen. When the fungus has worked into the crown 

 and root proper, a browning of those parts is evident, and finally 

 deep cracks may appear, as shown in Plate VIII. 



The brown mycelial threads of the fungus among the diseased 

 leaf bases are evident to the unaided eye, and after the root has 

 become affected, a considerable mycelial weft may be found in 



