350 ■ EXPERIMENT STATION EECOED. 



No treatment for the disease is suggested, as on account of the large size of 

 the trees and the fact that the fungus is an internal jiarasite in the leaves and 

 twigs. s])ra.ving would not be possible. 



A blight disease of young conifers, P. Spaulding (Science, u. so:, 26 (1907), 

 Xo. 6-59, 1)1). 220, 221). — During the past spring a serious outbreak of blight 

 was noticed in a large conifer nursery in Nebraska on the needles of 2-year- 

 old seedlings of I'iiiKS potuJerosa and P. diiaricata. The damage was very con- 

 siderable, several hundred thousand trees being affected. 



The disease is characterized by a gradual dying back of the needles from 

 the tip to the base. From specimens of diseased trees placed in moist cham- 

 bers spores were obtained of a species of Pestalozzia. Cultures were made 

 from these and successful inoculations made on healthy seedlings. The various 

 species of Pestalozzia have been known as parasites of conifers in Europe, 

 but while the fungus has been found in this country, its presence as an active 

 parasite seems to have been overlooked. 



For jireventing the spread of this disease throughout the nnrsei\v the author 

 recommends the removal and burning of diseased trees, accompanied by thor- 

 ough spraying of the remainder with Bordeaux mixture containing some 

 adhesive substance. 



Some stnut diseases of garden plants, G. Korff (Prakt. BI. Pflaiize»baii n. 

 ScliKtz. •'} (1901), .Yo. 7, PI). 19-82, flu. 1). — Descriptions are given of the smut 

 of violets, due to Vrocystis viohr, and onion smut (U. cepiihr). and the occur- 

 rence noted of T. gladioli on gladiolus. V. anemones on species of aconite and 

 anemone. I'. flVipenduhv on spinea. and IstUaijo scorzonera' on black salsify. 

 ['. riolacca- on pinks, and ['. tuUpo' on tulips. 



The leaf-tip blight of Dracaena fragrans, J. L. Sheldon (Jour. Mycol., 13 

 (1901), Xo. 90. pp. 138-lJiO). — The author reports studies on the diseased leaves 

 of greenhouse specimens of Dracaena fraf/rans. in which the lower leaves were 

 entirely dead and the middle ones dead at their tips. Small black, specks were 

 scattered throughout the dead portions of the leaves, and a microscopical exam- 

 ination showed that they had probably been killed by a species of Gloeosporium. 



The author found that a similar trouble had been described in a report 

 of the New Jei'sey Station (E. S. R., 6, p. 823) in which the fungus was attrib- 

 uted to Gloeosporium. A study of the material mentioned above revealed some 

 doubt as to the specific relationship of the parasite, but as it corresponds more 

 nearly to the genus Physalospora than any other, it is placed in that genus 

 for the present, and the name Pln/salospoia dracfrna n. sp. proposed for it. 



A bacterial disease of cultivated stock, F. C. von Faber (Mitt. K. Biol. Anst. 

 Land n. Forstir., 1901, Ao. .'/, pp. 2'f. 2-)). — The author notes the occurrence 

 of Pseiidoinonas cainpestris upon cultivated stock. 



Protection against plant diseases and insects (Oklahoma Sta. Rpt. 1901, pp. 

 26-31). — Formulas are given for the prei»ar;ition of Bordeaux mixture. Paris 

 green, and Bordeaux mixture to which Paris green is added, together with 

 directions for their application. 



ECONOMIC ZOOLOGY— ENTOMOLOGY. 



Selection and crossbreeding in relation to the inheritance of coat pigments 

 and coat patterns in rats and guinea pigs, II. MacCurdy and W. E. Castle 

 (Caiiictjie Inst.. Washington Pub. 10, pp. .':0, pis. 2, figs. .'>). — The experiments 

 reported in this paper were undertaken to obtain evidence of value in determin- 

 ing whether evolution and the formation of species are accomplished by the 

 natural selection of minute variations or by mutation. The experimental 

 animals were rats and guinea pigs and were crossed according to various plans 



