BUREAU OF PLANT INDUSTRY. 59 



have been obtained. The control of the wilt disease is, for the most 

 part, applicable to the Sea-island districts. A more serious problem 

 lias been enconntered in the control of the wilt disease in Upland cot- 

 ton. The breeding of resistant varieties in Upland cotton has been 

 under way for two years, but the work is more difficult than with the 

 Sea-island cotton for the doulde reason that the Upland varieties are 

 naturally less resistant to wilt than the Sea-island, and the j)lanters 

 are, as a rule, not willing" to undertake such work alone. Extensive 

 cooperative experiments have been inaugurated with cotton growers 

 in a number of parts of the South for the purpose of encouraging the 

 production of resistant strains and developing varieties having 

 increased values in other directions. 



Cranberry diseases. — In the last two or three years the cranberry 

 crop has siiffered serious loss from a number of very destructive dis- 

 eases. The attention of the Bureau was called to this matter and an 

 attempt is being made to determine, if ijossible, the means of checking 

 these destructive maladies. This work has been under the direction 

 of Mr. C. L. Shear, who is now engaged upon a special stud}^ of the 

 diseases, and is also conducting experiments with a view to determin- 

 ing the most satisfactory methods of prevention. The cranberry crop 

 for 1901 had a value estimated at about $2,000,000. The losses from 

 the several fungus diseases to which the crop is subject will probably 

 amount to about 20 per cent. The efforts that have been made in the 

 direction of determining the causes of a number of diseases have been 

 partially successful, and it is believed that with proper facilities at 

 hand remedies can be secured. 



Diseases uf orchard fruits. — The stndy of diseases of orchard fruits 

 has been carried on, under Mr. Woods's direction, by Mr. M. B. Waite, 

 who has charge of this particular branch of pathological investiga- 

 tions. During the year extensive work was conducted in iieach and 

 plum orchards, Aviih a view to the prevention of the rot fungus which 

 attacks the fruit about the time of ripening. Some exceedingly 

 interesting practical results have been obtained by sprayings with 

 Bordeaux mixture, it being found that even in an unfavorable, rainy 

 season the rot is greatlj^ reduced by the proper application of this 

 preparation. Sjiecial attention was given b^^ Mr. Waite to the inju- 

 rious effects of copper comjiounds on peach foliage, a subject which 

 has long attracted attention, and under his direction satisfactoiy 

 answers to many of the questions involved have been reached. 



Work was also carried on by Mr. Waite on tlie " Little peacli " dis- 

 ease, which has caused such serious losses in various parts of the 

 country during the past three or four years. All observations that 

 have been made seem to indicate that the in-ompt rooting out of dis- 

 eased trees on the first symptoms of the disease serve to eradicate it, 

 or at least keep it in check where it occurs. The disease is a very 

 difficult one to control, as are, in fact, all such maladies. The i^rin- 

 cipal hope of success seems to lie in prompt extermination. Possiblj" 

 there may also be some results secured in the line of resistant stocks. 

 At any rate, this branch of the work Avili be pushed as rapidly as pos- 

 sible. In the work on the treatment of bitter rot of the apple there 

 have been some veiy satisfactory results obtained. Tlie verj- serious 

 nature of this disease has made it imperative to find, as soon as pos- 

 sible, some satisfactory remedy. The experiments last October were 

 only partiall}^ successful on account of the failure of bol h the sprayed 

 and unsprayed trees to fruit. The present year more careful experi- 



