Studii-s on Crown Gall of Plants 397 



By imJ-April thcv were in Rome where lie spent some time 

 with Giuseppe (AiU)ni. director of the R. Stazione di Patologia 

 ve^i^ctalc. He found his aide, " Dr. Lioncllo Petri, at the Museo 

 Agrario was very agreeable." Peglion and Brizi were pupils of 

 Cuboni. Smith learned of " a new disease of oleander, supposed 

 by Peglion to be bacterial." He wrote, 



He has published a short paper on it. Petri gave me cultures of it. 

 Cuboni showed me rogna of the vine, the tubercles of which he says con- 

 tain bacteria, although I could find none in the sections I cut and examined. 

 The vine stem was enlarged to two or three times its natural diameter over 

 a length of two feet and was very warty and much fissured. Cuboni is well 

 informed as to literature; has a good card catalogue, takes and reads foreign 

 publications and seems to be a very capable man. The laboratory is not 

 well equipped but has all the absolutely necessary apparatus for ordinary 

 pathological and bacteriological work. Petri showed me stained sections of 

 Dac//s oleae, a dipterous insect in which he has found enormous masses 

 of bacteria in the head, thorax and abdomen. He thinks it may be a case 

 of symbiosis as he says the flies are not injured. His sections were well 

 made and the bacteria well stained. Cultures of the organism on agar 

 looked liked a yellow Pseudomonas or Bacterium. He said, however, that 

 the organism was peritrichiate. 



While in Rome, Smith met the distinguished English chemist, 

 Sir Henry E. Roscoe, " known the world over. He is a man ot 

 very simple ways and charming speech," he observed, 



just as approachable as most truly great men are, and as all should be. 

 I was delighted to meet him. He is here to attend an international con- 

 ference of'chemists. People with them told me that Lady Roscoe is very 

 fond of flowers and is a diligent gardener. Sir Roscoe asked me to call 

 on him in England and promised introductions to various people. He is 

 much interested in the new Lister Institute of which he is one of the 

 trustees. He spoke of [John Bretland] Farmer's - studies of cell develop- 

 ment in Cancer, and of Dr. William Osier, whom they have recently put 

 on their advisory board. 



Farmer's statements and similar statements made by English 

 students of malignant animal tumors later suggested to Smith 

 certain studies in peach, onion, and Paris daisy to determine 

 whether " chromosomes undergo any change in number or loca- 

 tion in the rapidly dividing cells of crown-galls and similar plant 

 tumors." ^ 



^ Professor of the Royal College of Science, London, an outstanding authority on 

 botany and q'toiogy. 



'Bacteria in relation to plant diseases 2: 93, 1911. 



