Bean Anthracnose. 299 



of pods was made when most of them were over-ripe and in some cases 

 covered with sand and dirt from heavy rains. The selections should 

 have been made at the time when the pods began to shrivel but before 

 they had become perfectly dry. It was found that hand picking and 

 sorting of these pods was not nearly so difficult a problem as one might 

 expect. The anthracnose cankers are so large and readily recognized, 

 that with a little coaching any person of ordinary intelligence and care 

 may be depended upon to sort out the healthy pods. It was necessary 

 however to examine both sides of every pod. 



Our experience with seed grown on irrigated lands is too limited to 

 warrant us in coming to any definite conclusions in regard to it. The 

 philosophy of the matter is that, "since there is no moisture in the air, 

 (as no rain falls at the particular place where this crop is grown) the 

 spores of the fungus cannot be distributed," for as pointed out on page 

 440, the spores remain glued to the spot on which they are developed 

 until dissolved in a drop of rain or dew. We would naturally infer 

 therefore, that where no rain or dew falls upon the parts of the plants 

 above ground, spores would never find the necessary means for distribu- 

 tion. It is not safe, however, to conclude from the limited experience 

 of the writer that seed from all irrigated lands will be found to be free from 

 the disease. However, such sources are worth consideration , and the writer 

 proposes to again this year plant the clean seed obtained from last years 

 crop of Wardell Kidney Wax, and has already received seed from the 

 same seedman of two varieties of beans of the crop of 1907. These will 

 also be planted and tested out in the same way. The following extract 

 from a letter from Dr. W. A. Orton of the Bureau of Plant Industry, 

 U. S. Department of Agriculture, may be of interest in this connection. 



"In regard to the possibility of bringing seed beans from irrigated 

 regions, I would say that during my summer trips I had several oppor- 

 tunities of observing conditions in irrigated districts, and for the first 

 time. I am somewhat surprised to find how prevalent fungous diseases 

 may become in irrigated fields. In a number of instances I found 

 peronosporas, anthracnoses, and similar fungi, prevalent in irrigated 

 fields, where the operations of watering were carried on in such a way as 

 to create a moisture laden atmosphere around the plants, although the 

 general conditions in the locality were, of course, extremely dry. I did 

 not happen upon any bean fields on irrigated lands, but I do not doubt 

 that such fields might be free from anthracnose, as you have found in 

 your experience. I do doubt very much, however, whether it would be 

 safe to rely upon seed from irrigated fields. . The Pacific Coast points 

 which I mentioned, are peculiar in that beans are regularly grown from 



