Pla(;i;d ox a Nation-widl Basis 201 



Tuber Treatments for Potatoes," '"' has compared the contributions 

 of Bolley and Thaxtcr thus: 



When the potato scab was assigned to a bacterial cause by BoUcy in 

 1S90, this concept cleared away much of the confusion of the old literature 

 and pointed out a rational plan of treatment. In his first paper Bolley 

 sui:t:ested as a control measure the use of disinfectants such as used in 

 medical practice, rollowuig the work of Thaxtcr ["The potato scab,' 

 Conn. Agr. Exp't Sta. Rcp't 14: 81-95 (1891)} in which the causal organ- 

 ism of scab was isolated, there developed an extensive literature consisting 

 for the most part of detailed tests of various germicides, and as a result of 

 the great body of work, there crystallized out the detinite program of tuber 

 treatments which has been recognized by the Department of Agriculture 

 and all the Experiment Stations. 



In 1890 Durrill associated Irish potato tuber rot with a specific 

 bacterium, which he claimed to have isolated in pure culture." 

 Bacterial origins for several diseases in other crops were being 

 urged that year, among them, Burrilhs bacterial disease of corn.^^ 

 Smith that year was searching for a bacterial explanation of peach 

 yellows. But during the spring he had to leave these studies for 

 orchard work on the Chesapeake peninsula, and in the summer he 

 had to go to Georgia and Kansas for other field research. Some 

 time was spent also in Michigan and Illinois, and, for purposes 

 of preparing an exhibit, he may have gone in August to Minne- 

 apolis, Minnesota. His most important work was in Georgia 

 where, during June and July, at Vineyard, on the plantation of 

 J. D. Husted, he began experiments to bud and inoculate 125 

 peach seedlings and 56 cuttings of Marianna plum. He was to 

 demonstrate tor the first time the " dangerous, contagious nature " 

 of peach rosette, prevalent there and in Kansas. Dr. Kellerman 

 and his aide. Swingle, of Kansas State Agricultural College wel- 

 comed Smith when he arrived at Manhattan. Kellerman wrote 

 Smith at Hubbardston and urged the latter to schedule his arrival 

 in Kansas when he would be there. Smith visited for a time 

 Viola Holmes Greene of Stevensville, Kansas, the younger sister 



^"^ Phytopathology 8 (9): 457, 1918; see also Rep't Conn. Exp't Sta., pp. 153- 



159, 1891. 



"'Preliminary notes upon the rotting of potatoes, Proc. llth Ann. Meet. Soc. 

 for Prom. Agric. Set. (August, 1890, Indianapolis), 21-22. The other diseases of 

 believed bacterial origins will be discussed at other points in this book. 



'*3rd Ann. Rep't III. Agric. Exp't Sta., 1890; Bulletin 6; 165-175, August 1889. 



