49 



fed or used for bedding.' The writer discovered one striking outbreak 

 of this disease iu South Carolina in 1894 which could be accounted for 

 in no other way, the divsease making almost a clean sweep on the live 

 acres which received most of the manure. If there is the least reason 

 to suspect the manure pile, commercial fertilizers should be used instead. 

 (5) Farmers whose lands have become generally infected are advised 

 to grow other crops on their own fields, and to rent uninfected land 

 from their neighbors for the purpose of melon growing.^ 



UNFINISHED WORK. 



It is a source of regret that this bulletin could not be made more 

 complete, but during the period covered by this investigation many 

 other important lines of work have also demanded attention. In the 

 scant time at the writer's disposal for this special work he Las there- 

 fore done as juuch and as well as he could, and must so leave it. 



So far as relates to the life history of the fungns, the most important 

 things remaining to be done are as follows: 



(1) Determine time and manner of infection of cotton and cowpea 

 plants. 



(2) On cotton establish the genetic relationship of the various spore 

 forms, perithecia and external and internal coiiidia. 



(3) On watermelon obtain experimental proof that the perithecia on 

 the dead stems bear the same relation to the internal and external 

 conidia as they do in case of the cowpea fungus. ' 



(4) Obtain infections with ascospores on cotton, melon, and cowpea. 



(5) Connect the okra fungus with the cotton fungus by experimental 

 studies. 



(6) Determine why it is impossible to grow perithecia from some 

 conidia and easy to grow them from others. Does remoteness of origin 

 from the ascospore interfere? 



(7) Determine by additional cross-inoculations and field observations 

 whether under any circumstances the fungus from one host plant can 

 transmit the disease to another host plant. 



(8) Determine how and where the melon fungus gains an entrance 

 into the plant. 



(9) The ease with which the perithecia may be grown would seem to 

 ofi'er a good opportunity for studying the question of the sexual or 

 non-sexual origin of the ascospore fructification in this group. 



* Melon hay consists of hay made on inolou fields late in the season, after the 

 melon crop has been harvested. It is composed of wild grasses iDterspersed with 

 dead melon stems. If the latter are inft'sted with this funi^ns, then the dung heap 

 becomes inoculated, and subsequently any laud on whicli this manure is used. 



^This advice was given by the writer to Mr, T. S. Williams, of Monetta, S. C, in 

 1894, with the happiest results, as indicated by the following excerpt from an unso- 

 licited letter written by him iu 1897: "Financially your researches here have been 

 worth thousands of dollars to myself and others. By the information you gave us 

 we were able in a great measure to avoid land likely to die." 

 4133— i^o. 17 4 



