EXPERIMENT STATION REPORTS. 269 



ing method. It may be pointed out that the seed companies have long 

 been renovating garden beans by exactlj'' this practice. One of the large 

 seed companies of the State has alread}^ grown Michigan beans in Idaho. 

 About 100 bushels of this seed, which, without hand picking showed only 

 5 slightly stained beans, probably blight, in a test sample of 2,000 seeds, 

 have through the efforts of the department been placed in the bean 

 growing counties of the State, for field test along with local seed. As 

 a further check on this seed and on the Earlj'^ Wonder bean, quantities 

 sufficient for field test of northern grown and of clean picked seed have 

 been sent out. The results of this experiment should show the correct 

 practice for Michigan. 



The part of the Bean Disease investigation Vhich has borne the big- 

 gest results is the educational work which was promptly undertaken. 

 The department issued a popular bulletin teaching how to determine 

 the diseases and emphasizing the importance of just as clean seed as 

 possible. It offered to analyze bean samples and determine the percent- 

 age of diseased and clean seed. Farmers and elevator men have sent 

 in to date more than 2,000 samjjles of beans for this testing. When we 

 remember that a sample commonly represents many bushels, all of 

 which are for seed purposes, the direct value of this phase of the bean 

 disease work is evident. 



But the greatest value of the vrork comes from the education of the 

 grower which has taken place. Before the inception of this work the 

 belief was fixed that the trouble was sure to come if the weather was 

 w^et. This opinion was firmly held not only by growers but by elevator 

 men as well. Clean seed was good if you could get it, but the enormous 

 superiority of clean seed was not realized. Bean Blight and Bean 

 Anthracnose are now household words in the bean districts. Growers 

 and elevator men can analyze samples and detect unsafe seed almost 

 as accuratelj^ as a trained plant pathologist. The former president of 

 the Michigan Bean Jobbers Association is authority for the statement 

 that the second jear after the starting of scientific work on bean dis- 

 eases by the College, the jobbers fjut on the market, for one season's 

 planting, more than 100 cars of choice carefully picked beans taken 

 from the best stock obtainable. He stated that this teas done to meet 

 a demand from the groivers toho had been led to see the necessity of 

 safe seed stock. The chief topic of conversation at bean jobbers' con- 

 ventions is clean seed for planting and where to get it. Elevator men 

 are making every effort to have every farmer in their districts plant 

 only seed which is safe. This change in attitude has come as a result 

 of the propaganda directed by the College. It is true that the diseases 

 have been severe, — the losses have raised the question and made grow- 

 ers ready to listen. But these losses came years ago without any 

 awakening of the growers and without any definite constructional 

 work. It is evident that timely information consisting of workable, 

 practical measures has started this great change in practice in the bean 

 growing sections. 



Potato Work. Last year the Fusarium wilt project was established 

 by the State Board. This work has been done by Mr. R. W. Goss. He 

 reports satisfactory progress on the study of the fungus causing the 

 disease. Attention has been concentrated on the clearing up of questions 



