26 A SOFT KOT OF THE CALLA LILY. 



sometimes a little more rapid. It was found that the action was more 

 rapid if the ciK-umbers were nearly ripe before inoculation and when 

 the temperature of the air in which they were kept after inoculation 

 was about 30^ C. Some of the experiments were carried on in the 

 dark and some in diffused light, but there was no apparent difference 

 in the time required for the inoculation to take, nor in the rate of 

 procuress made in softening the cucumbers in the two cases. The rate 

 of disintegration was the same on l)oth tlio upper and the lower sides 

 of the cucumbers. 



Rdir (jreen peppers. — These peppers were obtained from the market, 

 thoroughly washed with distilled water, and afterwards with corrosive 

 sul)limate, and again rinsed with distilled water. With a sterile knife 

 they were cut into slices and placed in sterile petri dishes, two pieces 

 in each dish. One piece in each dish was inoculated immediately with 

 the calla-disease o)-ganism. In twenty-four hours at 20'^ to 25° C. it 

 was seen that the inoculated pieces were slightly attacked by the germ, 

 and in forty-eight hours the disease had progressed, although not as 

 rapidly as in the cases of the cucumber, potato, carrot, and some other 

 vciietables. The organism attacked both the central and the outer 

 parts of the pepper, but the change in color was not sufficient to show 

 in a photograph even after live days. The inoculated parts were all 

 darker than the controls (liidgway's Parrot Green, No. 7, Plate X, or 

 Saccardo's Atro-virens, No. 34, Talile II), while the original was nearly 

 grass green toward the outside. The interior of the pepper, originally 

 nearly white, was changed to Cream Buft\ Ridgway's No. 11, Plate V, 

 or Saccardo's Cremeus, No. 27, Table II. The inoculated parts Avere 

 also soft, had the odor of decaying peppers, and were strongly alka- 

 line to litnuis. 



Ratn mature onion hulhs. — The outside layers were removed and the 

 onion was then cut into pieces of convenient thickness and placed in 

 petri dishes, three pieces m each dish. Two of these pieces were inoc- 

 ulated with a 21-hour-old culture of the calla germ and one was left 

 for control. Several dishes were prepared in this manner. The 

 organism grew on the onion, but not rapidly, and at the end of five 

 days at a temperature of from 20° to 25° C. the decay was apparent, 

 althouuh the layers of the onion were not broken down. The color 

 was Cream Buff, No. 11, Plate V, Ridgway, or Saccardo's Cremeus, No. 

 27, Table II. The odor was that of decaying onions. In reaction the 

 inoculated pieces were moderately alkaline to litmus. 



Raw yoimy ojiions. — Several onions were grown from seeds, and 

 when the young plants were about two weeks old they had produced 

 three leaves each and the longest of the leaves measured from to 

 8 inches. These plants were inoculated with the calla organism by 

 placing a drop of a 21-hour-old beef-broth culture on a leaf wiih a 

 sterile needle and puncturing the leaf several times through the drop 



