418 TwiiNTY-DiGHTH Annual Report 



brown discoloration of the cells. Such areas followed the cambium 

 for a distance laterally, then extended along the medullary rays 

 into the pith, or if the disease had continued longer, involved the 

 xylem across two or more bundles. A mycelium was present i'' 

 the infected areas which consisted of brown, septate hyphae quite 

 regularly 4.5 micra to 6 micra in diameter. The hyphae passed 

 into both cortical cells and those of the bundle. Typical spores of 

 fusariiim were found loose in the cortical portion of the cankers, 

 but these may have been produced by saprophytic forms of that 

 fungus." 



The lesser corn-stalk borer completely ruined an acre of pink 



beans on the farm, and greatly damaged an acre of teparies. The 

 latter, however, recovered to some extent. The stand of Darso on 

 one plot was seriously reduced, and about thirty acres of young 

 milo in a neighbor's field was destroyed. 



Dr. A. W. Morrill, State Entomologist, in speaking of the 

 insect and its ravages says : 



"This insect has been in the State for a number of years, but 

 as far as I know last year is the first time when it has proven to 

 be of any economic importance * * * Thorough cultivation of in- 

 fested fields in the fall and winter and a general clean-up of the 

 vines and stalks of susceptible plants is about the only step which 

 can be recommended. In the East farmers are advised to make 

 their plantings of corn, sorghum, and other crops subject to infes- 

 tation as early as possible in the season before the insect has mul- 

 tiplied to a destructive extent. This, however, could hardly apply 

 to our conditions where susceptible crops are planted in midsum- 

 mer. The insect has been recorded as afifecting the following 

 plants: Beans, Indian corn, cowpeas, crab grass, Japanese cane, 

 Johnson grass, milo maize, peanuts, sorghums, sugar cane and 

 wheat. From the fact that the insect has been known to have 

 occurred here for a number of years and has not previously been 

 destructive there seems to be reason to hope that this is an occur- 

 rence which will not be repeated again soon." 



PRESCOTT DRY-FARM 



An additional ten acres were plowed on the Prescott Dry Farm 

 in the spring of 1917, which brought its total cultivated area up to 

 approximately sixty acres. The general cropping scheme was for- 

 mulated with the idea of supplying a maximum amount of ensilage 

 together with a reasonable quantity of hay and cash crops. The 

 planting included only those varieties which had proven their 

 adaptability to that region, with the exception of two new grain 

 sorghums, Darso and African Kafir, and sweet clover. 



