EXPERIMENT STATION REPORTS. 277 



agents, growers and bean jobbers in fourteen counties. One acre is 

 planted in each counl^^ On this plat are grown Early Wonder, Idaho- 

 grown Michigan and Clean Picked seed. The.se experimental plats are 

 located in the following counties: P]aton, Grand Traverse, Gratiot, 

 Genesee, Huron, Ionia, Kent, Livingston, Mecosta, Newaygo, Oceana, 

 Saginaw, Sanilac, and St. Clair. In all there are twenty experimental 

 plats. On the College experimental plats these experiments have been 

 duplicated. 



Special stress is being laid upon the investigation of the means of 

 dissemination of the bean Anthracnose and Blight organisms under 

 field conditions. 



Seed treatment with chemicals, hot water and dry heat have in the 

 main proved unsatisfactory^ In most cases, when the fungicide strong 

 enough to kill the organisms penetrates to the deeply imbedded fungus 

 mycelia or the bacteria, it also kills the bean seed. One chemical em- 

 ployed seems to promise more satisfactory results and further te.sts 

 are being made with it. 



In connection with the graduate work done, during leave of absence, 

 the results show that for the seed treatments employed, there was no 

 effect upon the susceptibility of the plants to disease. 



For the past two seasons, a stem disease of beans has caused serious 

 damage to the crop. This disease attacks the stem at the first node, 

 girdling it and causing the plant to fall over. This breaking over is 

 usually seen when the beans are about half mature. This disease is be- 

 ing investigated and inoculation experiments both in the greenhouse 

 and field have been started. 



Some work has been done with a leaf-spot disease of greenhouse 

 geraniums. This leaf spot seems to be of common occurrence. The 

 causal organism, a species of Pleospora, has been isolated and its path- 

 ogenicity established. Cross inoculations with species of Ascochyta 

 from Vetch, White Sweet Clover and Pea are being carried on prelim- 

 inary to a more thorough study of these diseases. 



Very respectfully, 



J. H. MUNCIE, 

 Assistant in Plant Pathology. 



