BUREAU OF PLANT INDUSTRY. 67 



PLANS FOR CURRENT WORK. 



The plans for the ciirrent year in the Pathological and Physiological' 

 Investigations have been referred to more or less from time to time 

 under the items given as a rcQord of the investigations for the fiscal 

 year ended June 30, 1902. The work on sugar beets is being con- 

 siderably enlarged, and a number of experiments are under way 

 having for their object the determination of practical methods of 

 holding in check some of the more common maladies. Owing to the 

 resignation of Dr. B. M. Duggar, to which reference has already been 

 made, some changes will be made in connection with tlie work on 

 cotton diseases. A part of this work, particularly that under way in 

 Texas, will be handled by Mr. C. L. Shear. Further field studies of 

 the root rot disease in Texas will be carried on and experiments inau- 

 gurated to determine the best methods of prevention. In the work on 

 wilt diseases of cotton further attention will be paid to the develop- 

 ment of resistant types and the fixation of such types of resistant cot- 

 tons and other crops used in rotation with cotton as have been under 

 investigation. The investigation of cranberry diseases will be pushed 

 as rapidly as the funds will permit, special attention being paid to a 

 study of the life history of the fungi causing the diseases and exper- 

 iments in the line of remedial measures. The diseases of orchard 

 fruits will receive special attention, particularly the matter of practical 

 treatment for the prevention of these troubles. 



The investigations of " Little peach" have indicated pretty conclu- 

 sively that the disease is transmissible by budding, and this would 

 lead to the belief that radical measures must be adopted in controlling 

 this malady. So far the investigations have shown that the disease is 

 of such a nature that it can only be handled by such measures as have 

 been adopted for peach yellows and rosette, viz, the systematic eradi- 

 cation of all trees showing infection. Plans have been made for put- 

 ting into operation a systematic line of experiments of this sort, the 

 object being to demonstrate the efficacy of such treatment and to 

 convince those who may hesitate in regard to taking out such trees. 

 The experiments in the treatment of bitter rot of the apple and of pear 

 blight will be continued until satisfactory conclusions are obtained in 

 regard to the best methods of treatment. In the plant-breeding work 

 the investigations of cotton, corn, and other crops will be continued, 

 with a view to securing crosses for special purposes. The work con- 

 nected with the breeding of long-staple cottons will be continued. 

 From the nature of this work several years will necessarily be required 

 to obtain final results in many cases. It is particularly desirable that 

 this work be extended to Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas. 

 The promising hybrids already obtained should be tested and possibly 

 further selected,"^ to adapt special strains to this region. The work in 

 the introduction and improvement of Egyptian cottons will be extended 

 to other regions, and a careful study will be made of the markets for 

 such cottons. In the case of corn, one of the most important lines of 

 breeding investigation is the selection of more vigorous and produc- 

 tive strains of some of the ordinary standard sorts. This work will be 

 continued in the District of Columbia, Virginia, Maryland, Michigan, 

 Ohio, Indiana, and Tennessee. The work on the improvement of 

 citrus fruits, pineapple, and other tropical or semitropical products, 

 will be continued. In the pineapple especially it is desirable that 

 there should be produced smooth-leaved, disease-resistant sorts of 

 good quality, with large and attractive fruit. The only smooth-leaved 



