304 Recognition in America 



cabbages today on one farm and much of the bacterial cabbage disease. 

 The first time I have ever seen it in the field. I was more than right in 

 suspecting that the plants are commonly infected through the water-pores. 

 I counted 411 water-pore infections. . . . My bacterial disease of cucumbers 

 is also here — a new locality for it. Saw also Cercospora on sugar beets. 

 They are just commencing to grow sugar beets here on a large scale. The 

 cabbage industry here amounts to about 1,000 acres. 



From Racine, Wisconsin, on September 1, Smith continued to 

 Woods: 



I am still here studying the cabbage disease. It is very interesting and 

 I cannot help mailing you a bundle of leaves to show how well field 

 examinations bear out my hypothesis as to manner of infection. One 

 bundle of the leaves contains only marginal water pore infections. At 

 least 90% of the field infections are of this type. Another bundle contains 

 only middle leaf infections due to the gnawings of insects chiefly larvae 

 of Pieris ropae. Margins and bases still healthy. Stems and heads of 

 plants from which these two bundles of specimens come were still sound. 

 The third set of leaves represents a much later stage of disease i. e. the 

 disease has gained entrance to the stem and has worked its way out through 

 these leaves, the bundles in the base of the petioles being the first part to be 

 infected. By a little cutting with a sharp knife you will see that I am 

 right. ... I have heard of this cabbage disease at Clyde, Ohio, and near 

 Rochester, New York, and should like to stop at these places and see it 

 on my way back from Michigan. . . . The disease is likely to attract wide 

 attention in this country before many years and the Division ought to lead 

 the way. . . . Since coming here I have found the disease in the common 

 field mustard Brassica sinafistrum which is the showy yellow flowered weed 

 sometimes called charlock. I am now hunting for it on other cruciferous 

 weeds. 



Smith exchanged a letter or so with Acting Entomologist F. H. 

 Chittenden of the Department concerning the cabbage weevil. 

 He was gathering material for the herbaria of the Division. Early 

 in September he received his authorization to study the cabbage 

 disease at Clyde and Rochester. On September 9, however, 

 William Alton Taylor, then at his father's home at Douglas, 

 Michigan, requested Smith to " come over to the peach belt for 

 a few days," since he found the " so called ' little peach ' disease 

 [was still} the topic of conversation among fruit growers." 

 September 24, Taylor, who had returned to Washington, wrote 

 again: 



After one day spent in infected orchards in the vicinity of Douglas I am 

 satisfied that there is necessity for prompt and thorough work in the inves- 



