452 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



them well with flowers of sulphur and putting- them in large paper 

 bags. They are then well shaken until the sulphur has worked into 

 the bulbs thoroughly, and while still covered with the powder are 

 planted. This treatment was first tried in ]89G, and the crop produced 

 showed a marked improvement in the flowers, the plants seeming to 

 be entirely free from disease. 



Septoria graminum, a parasite of wheat, L. Margin {Com pi. Bend. 

 Acad. Sci. Paris, 126 {1898), No. 20, pp. 1438-1440). — The author calls 

 attention to the parasitism of this fungus, it being sometimes considered 

 a saprophyte, and shows that under certain conditions of weather it 

 undoubtedly becomes parasitic on the leaves of winter wheat. He states 

 that a mild and rainy winter favors the extension of the parasite, 

 and reports having found it abundant on the leaves in February, the 

 pycnidia carrying spores in an advanced state of germination. Reports 

 are given of inoculation experiments made in February, March, and 

 April, in which the spores were placed on the leaves and the leaves 

 kept damp either by means of contact with filter paper or under bell 

 jars. In about seven days all the leaves which had been treated 

 began to turn yellow, and a week later their tips became blanched and 

 in the dead tissues the characteristic pycnidia of the fungus made its 

 appearance. The author considers the parasitism of Septoria gram inum 

 established, and states that the damage done by the fungus can be 

 easily seen in fields of winter wheat in the spring, the diseased leaves 

 being smaller and of a different color than normal. 



Wood ashes and apple scab, S. A. Beach {New York State Sta. 

 Bui. 140, pp. 065-680). — The author reports an experiment continued for 

 5 years in which liberal applications of hard-wood ashes were given 124 

 trees to test the effect of such treatment on the prevalence of apple 

 scab, the theory being that the application of the ashes would induce a 

 much more vigorous growth of the tree and so render it resistant to 

 disease. The treated sections of the orchard showed in many cases an 

 improved appearance of foliage, but there was no evidence of an increase 

 in immunity from the disease. The author concludes that under the 

 conditions of the investigation a liberal application of hard wood ashes 

 to the soil does not increase the immunity of apples from apple scab. 



The communicability of potato-stem blight, F. C. Stewart {New 

 York State Sta. Bid. 138, pp. 632-634).— -The author conducted experi- 

 ments to ascertain if possible the communicability of the potato-stem 

 blight described by him ( E. S. R., 8, p. 235). So far as his investigations 

 go, the disease is not due to bacteria or fungi, but appears in all proba- 

 bility to be due to some impairment of the physiological functions of 

 the plant. The results of the experiments give strong evidence that 

 the disease is not communicable. Although they show that a fair yield 

 of healthy tubers may be obtained from diseased seed, the planting of 

 such seed is not recommended. 



Attempts were made to inoculate the disease upon other closely 

 related plants but without success. 



