286 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



tree diseases and timber rot are second only to forest fires as causes of 

 loss. The reduction of ilisense in the forest and of decay in cut timber 

 must come about through gradual modifications and refinements of 

 current forest practice and wood-preservation methods. To bring 

 about such changes the closest possible cooperation between this 

 Bureau and the Forest Service is necessary. Accordingly, one mem- 

 ber of the stalf of this office, Mr. C. J. Humphrey, Assistant, has been 

 permanently stationed at the forest-^jroducts laboratory of the Forest 

 Service at Madison. Wis., where he is working on the pathological 

 data which underlie wood decay and wood preservation. Another 

 member of the office staff. Dr. PI P. Meinicke, Plxpert, is permanently 

 stationed in California to work on the pathological problems arising 

 in district 5 of the Forest Service. It is hoped that by the next fiscal 

 year three more men may be employed, to be stationed in three other 

 forest districts to work out the local pathological problems arising 

 in the administration of those Forests and to apply in local practice 

 the results obtained in the central office. 



Work with orna:mental akd shade trees. — The increasing public 

 interest in the culture of shade and ornamental trees and the 

 great individual value of such trees make it desirable that a larger 

 share of the eli'ort of this office be devoted to this class of work. As 

 far as possible work of this character is being undertaken. Experi- 

 ments are alread}^ under way to determine the real value of tree 

 surgery and to control certain specific diseases. Cost of treatment 

 is almost a negligible factor in ornamental tree work; hence this is 

 a particularly rich field of investigation. 



COTTON AND TRUCK-CKOP DISEASES AND SUGAR-PLANT 



INVESTIGATIONS. 



The investigations of diseases of cotton and truck crops and the 

 plant-disease survey have continued in charge of Mr. W. A. Orton, 

 Pathologist. On January IG, 1910, the sugar-plant investigations, 

 upon the resignation of Dr. C. O. Townsend, Pathologist in Charge, 

 were placed under the charge of Mr. Orton. A brief summary of the 

 progress made in these lines of work follows. xVssisting in the in- 

 vestigations during all or a part of the year have been Messrs. H. A. 

 Edson and J. B. Norton, Physiologists; L. L. Harter, Assistant 

 Physiologist; W. "W. Gilbert and H. B. Shaw, Assistant Pathologists; 

 and E. C. Eittue and Misses Nellie A. Brown, Ethel C. Field, and 

 Clara O. Jamieson, Assistants. 



Cotton diseases. — The dissemination of wilt-resistant Upland cot- 

 tons has been continued, and progress has been made in developing 

 new strains combining wilt resistance with adaptation to boll-weevil 

 conditions. As the weevil advances, the need for such varieties will 

 become increasingly urgent. 



Potato diseases. — The Fusarium wilt of the potato has been found 

 to be wideh' prevalent. It threatens to become one of the worst 

 potato diseases. The results so far achieved indicate that rotation of 

 crops and rejection of infected seed will go far toward preventing 

 losses. A method of testing the resistance of potatoes to the late- 

 blight fungus has been found, which promises to facilitate very 

 greatly the breeding of resistant varieties. Potato blackleg, a disease 



