1918.1 DISEASES OF PLANTS. 849 



District, and on Sesbajiia grundiflora at Nellikuppan, South Arcot, and R. vio- 

 lacea on Medicapo saliva in tlie Salem District. On tlie Nilsiri HilLs, Phyllac- 

 tinia corylea (conidial stage only) was found on leaves of Moms alba, O'idium 

 citri on Citrus auranUum, and Pestalozzia funerea on Evcalyptus globulus. 

 Vermicularia curcumw was found on Curcuma longa in the districts of Kistna, 

 Coimbatore, and Kurnooi. CoUybia albuminosa, an edible mushroom, appears 

 each year during and after the northeast monsoon, growing from the " comb " 

 of an Odontotermes. 



Diseases of v.oody plants in North Africa, R. Maire [Bui. Sta. Porest. 

 Nord Ajrione, J (1911), No. 5, pp. 183-1S6, fig. i).— Study of a leaf spot and 

 deformation of Rhus oxyacantha showed the presence of a fungus which is dis- 

 cussed and technically described as a new species of Exobasidium under the 

 name E. hesperUlum. 



Rhizopus maydis, a new species, J. Bruderlein {Bui. Soc. Bot. Geneve, 

 2. 'seu, 9 (1917), No. IS, pp. 108-112).— A fungus found in corn meal is con- 

 sidered a new species and is technically described as R. maydis. 



Grain smut, G. i.o Pkioee {Staz. Sper. Agr. Ital., 49 (191(1), No. IS, pp. 425- 

 435). — Referring to earlier studies by himself (E. S. R., 7, pp. 224, 787) and 

 by others, the author gives an account of his more recent investigations on 

 Cladosporium herbarum as to its effects on different varieties of wheat. These 

 effects are discussed as to the alterations produced by the fungus. 



Results of corn disease investigations, 6. N. Hoffeh and J. R. Holbeut 

 (Science, n. ser., 41 (1918), No. 1210, pp. 246, 247). — A preliminary report is 

 given of a three years' study of some little understood diseases of corn, tlie 

 investigations having been made with dent corn in ear-to-row tests. 



The authors have found that barren stalks and .stalks which bear only 

 nubbins appear to be correlated with certain pathological conditions in the 

 plants. In test rows grown from ears wliich exhibited this pathological con- 

 dition in the seedlings, 15.2 per cent were barren stalks, and 6.2 per cent of 

 the stalks bore nubbins only, as contrasted with 6.3 per cent barren stalks 

 and 3.4 per cent nubbin-bearing stalks where no such condition was shown. 



These investigations indicate that surface-sterilized seeds may harbor bac- 

 teria and species of Fusarium. This is particularly true of the bacteria which 

 cause a rotting of the seedling root tips, and this rotting is said to be charac- 

 teristic of the ears of corn which develop the greatest number of barren and 

 down stalks in the field. Controlling by hand poUiuation tlie fertilization of 

 apparently disease-free stalks greatly reduced the number of barren stalks. 



Tests made of seed in the germinator are said to have shown that all kernels 

 from the same infested ear do not harbor pathogenic organisms, nor can the 

 rate of seedling development usually referred to as vitality be taken as a 

 criterion for assuming freedom from bacteria and species of Fusarium. The 

 rate of seedling development in the germinator is claimed to be not indicative of 

 the yield possibilities of that seed ear. 



Greenhouse experiments en the rust resistance of oat varieties, J. H. 

 Parker (V. S. Dcpt. Agr. Bui. 629 (1918), pp. 16, i)ls. S, figs. 3).— This paper 

 presents results obtained in greenhouse culture work at Cornell University with 

 the stem rust (Pucciiiia graminis avenw) and the crown or leaf rust of oats 

 (P. lolii avence). 



Inoculations made on more than 120 strains showed SO of these to be entirely 

 susceptible to the rusts at both the seedling and the heading stages. Unques- 

 tionable resistance to stem rust appeared in only two varieties. White Tartarian 

 and Ruakura Rustproof, though several varieties of red oats (Avena sterilis), 

 including certain strains of Burt. Cook. Appier, Italian Rustproof, Red Rust- 

 proof, and Turkish Rustproof, are very resistant to crown rust. Resistance 



