300 BULLETIX 255. 



planting to harvest without a drop of rainfall or irrigation water. Condi- 

 tions in the West are however extremely variable and each locality- 

 must be studied by itself for I found localities like this just mentioned, 

 which were, nevertheless, subject to occasional outbreaks of fungous 

 diseases because they were exposed to continued hea\^^ fogs from the 

 Pacific. This makes an additional reason why general statements 

 in regard to the source of seed would not be reliable." 



RESISTANT OR IMMUNE VARIETIES. 



Very little work, so far as the writer has been able to discover, has 

 been done along this line, and as pointed out in the criticism on bulletin 

 239, nothing can be added at the present time to this phase of the subject, 

 It is proposed during the season of 1 908 to make a test of as many varie- 

 ties of beans as can be gotten together to determine what ones may be 

 found more or less resistant to this disease, and perhaps later to carry 

 on in connection with the Plant Breeding Department, some work in 

 breeding resistant varieties. Little immediate relief, however, can be 

 promised from results of such work, since even if resistant varieties are 

 obtained, there will probably be no satisfactory types that can at once be 

 substituted for varieties now generally recognized as most favorable for 

 certain purposes. There would probably be required at best, yearsof selec- 

 tion to bring them to a condition where they would be of general value. 



PLANS OF FUTURE WORK. 



A plan of the future work on this problem, may not be out of place 

 in concluding this outline. Briefly, the lines along which the work on 

 this problem are to be prosecuted are as follows: In general the plan 

 comprises, first experiments on the University Farm, carried on under 

 the careful and constant observation of the writer and an assistant, 

 who will be chiefly concerned with this problem for the next three years ; 

 second, with cooperative growers about the State, to test in the field 

 the results obtained in an experimental way here at the Station. The 

 chief problems to be solved are : 



First, to test the effectiveness of clean pod selection as a means of 

 obtaining clean seed and to demonstrate whether such seed will under 

 all weather conditions grow a clean crop, without spraying or any other 

 treatment for the disease. 



Second, to devise and test out a practical method of obtaining sufficient 

 clean seed for planting the crop each year. The latter will be largely 

 cooperative work with the grower. 



Third, to determine whether the fungus is carried over winter in the 

 soil, or on tops, pods, etc., and thus to find out whether it will be safe 



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