DISEASES OF PLANTS. 55 



spraying experiments with I'.ordeanx- niixtnre. 'I lie lesnlts in lOO-i were not 

 entirely satisfm-tory and llic experiments were repeated in ]!)05 with greater 

 snccess. Applii-ations were made of Bordeaux mixture to which was added 

 4A lbs. of connuercial resin-lislioil soaj) to '50 gals, of the solution. Different 

 [ilals were s]irayed at different dates during the season, and in addition to the 

 experimental i)lats several aeres were treated, and the results showed marked 

 differences in the appearance of the fruit on the sprayed .-.nd unsprayed plats by 

 the middle of summer. 



In order to determine whether any injury would result from spraying plants 

 while ill lilooiii. one plat was sprayed while in full bloom and the fruit compared 

 with that oil adjoining plats not sprayed. No difference could be noticed in the 

 amount of fruit on the sprayed and unsprayed plats. 



In order to compare the keeping qualities of sprayed and unsprayed fruit, 

 more (iian ;;,(i()(i berries were collected and placed in glass dishes in the labora- 

 tory and counted each week to determine the amount of disease which devel- 

 oped. On October IS, about the time the fruit from the bog was marketed, 9.8 

 I)er cent of the sprayed fruit showed diseased berries, while 38.1 per cent of the 

 unsprayed fruit and o7.4 per cent of fruit which had been treated with a simple 

 copper sulphate solution were decayed. In other words, four times as much of 

 the unsprayed fruit decayed between the time of picking and marketing as of 

 the sprayed fruit. 



As a result of 3 years" spraying experiments, it is believed that by the proper 

 use of Bordeaux mixture the loss from fungus diseases may be reduced to 10 

 per cent or less. As a rule the benefit is more marked in the second year than 

 the first, and this is evident not only in the prevention of scald and rot of the 

 fruit, but in the general improvement and productiveness of the vines. 



The cost of spraying in the experiments described above averaged from $15 to 

 .$'_'() iier acre, aliout l.ood gals, of solution being applied in 5 applications. 



A new disease of coffee in New Caledonia, I. Gali.aud (Conipt. Rend. Acad. 

 Sci. ll'iirisl, /',/ (inor,), \(,. i.i, PI). S!)8-900).— The author reports the occur- 

 i-ence on the coffee tri'es of New Caledonia of the fungus I'cllicularia koleroga. 

 This parasite which was first described from Mysore in 1880 has since been re- 

 ported from Venezuela and now from New Caledonia. In Venezuela it is said 

 to have proved a very serious pest, and attention is called to the disease to pre- 

 vent its spread if possible. 



The fungus makes its appearance during the rainy season at a time when the 

 coffee trees are most actively growing, and attacking the leaves it causes them 

 to turn yellow, and finally the entire tree is defoliated and killed. In addition 

 1o the leaves it is found on all the- aerial organs of the plant, causing by its 

 brownish mycelium the iiresence of yellowish-brown patches on the leaves, 

 fruits, etc. 



The fungus seems to be a superficial one, and it is thought that jirobably it 

 can be held in check liy the use of fungicides without injury to the host plant. 

 Experiments along this lini' are to be undertaken. 



Cacao diseases, II iBiil. Dcpl. Af/r. {.fmiKiicd \, // ilDOG), .Yr>. /, pp. 11-13). — 

 A description is given of a pod disease of cacao due to the fungus Dijilodia 

 cncuolcoht, most of the information being drav^-n from another source (E. S. R., 

 I."., p. !m;4). 



A tree-strangling fungus {■lour. lid. Af/r. \Loud'iii\, 12 (IDOC), No. 11, pp. 

 i)iU)-(i'.)>, fig. 1). — A description is given of Thclephora UiriiHita. a fungus that, 

 while not parasitic, is more or less destructive to seedlings through its growth 

 about the base of the stems. The fungus adheres clo-sely to the stem, giving it 



(5579— No. 1—06 5 



