DISEASES OF PLANTS. 507 



no method of treatment was entirely effective. Corrosive sublimate and formalin 

 in solution both jiroved oxi-ellent disinfeftants, and either may be depended upon 

 in practice. Sulphur proved decidedly inferior. Exposure to the sunlight of tubers 

 designed for seed greatly reduced the amount of scab. In this case the seed tubers 

 were exposed for 4 weeks previous to planting and a fairly clean crop was given, even 

 when very scabby seed was used. This treatment has the additional advantage of 

 hastening the growth of the tubers and is often practiced for this reason alone. The 

 exposure of seed potatoes to sulphurous gas, which has been strongly recommended 

 by some investigators, was less efficacious than soaking, either in corrosive sublimate 

 or formalin or exposing to formaldehyde gas. The formaldehyde gas, although the 

 experiments are not as conclusive or satisfactory as is desirable, gave i-esults that seem 

 to indicate its superiority over both the formalin and corrosive sublimate solutions. 



Concerning the fungi occurring in the beet-seed capsules, F. Bubak {Ztschr. 

 handle. Versuclmr. Oesterr., 4 {1901), Nu. 4, pp. 477, 478). — The author reports a series 

 of studies in which cultures were made from the capsules of beet seed, the fungi 

 being cultivated in various sterile media. He found present as parasitic fungi 

 Sporidesmium putrefaciens, Cercospora beticola, Phoma bets', and Entyloma hetipJdlum, 

 n. sp. ; and as saprophytic fungi, numerous species of Penicillium, Aspergillus, 

 Sterigmatocystis, Vertic'illium, Mucor, Rhizopus, Chtetomium, as well as Eurotium 

 repens, TluDiinldium elegans, Stachijhotrys atra, Alternaria tenuis, Hormodendron clado- 

 spor/o/c/c'.s', Tricliotherium roseum, Sordaria fimicola, Stysanus stemonitis, etc. 



A disease of mangolds and sugar beets, R. H. Biffin {Dept. Ayr. Cambridge 

 Uiiic. Jipt. 1901, pp. 87-89). — The first symptoms of disease consist of the brown and 

 dead outer leaves, while the inner leaves become yellowish green and much 

 wrinkled. The disease usually makes its appearance on the edges of the leafstalk. 

 When examined the roots externally show but little evidence of disease except that 

 the affected ones are somewhat drier and liarder. When cut across, the fibrovas- 

 cular bundles of the diseased root are deeply stained a purplish lilack color, and the 

 leafstalks are marked in a similar manner. Specimens removed from the field to a 

 greenhouse were not destroyed by the disease but made a slow, stunted growth. 

 Further examination showed the vessels of the fibrovascular bundles plugged with a 

 mucilaginous mass containing large numbers of bacteria. Sugar beets have been 

 noticed as affected in the same manner and the bacteria present are believed to be 

 the cause of the disease, which is to be a subject of further investigation. 



A soft rot of carrot and other vegetables, L. R. Jones ( Vermont Sta. Rpt. 1900, 

 pp. 299-33::^, fiys. 11). — A detailed report is given on the soft rot of carrot and other 

 vegetables caused by Bacillus airuiovorus. The occurrence and character of the dis- 

 ease, morphological and ])hysiological character of the organism, and its various 

 relations ari^ descril)ed at length. This disease has been the su1)ject of a previous 

 paper, which has already been noted (E. S. R., 13, p. 362). 



Abaeteriosis of kohl-rabi, L. Heckk {Ztschr. Landw. Versuchsw. Oesterr., 4 {1901), 

 No. 4, pp. 469-476, pi. 1) . — A preliminary note is given on the occurrence of a Ijac- 

 terial disease of kohl-rabi, which is due apparently to the same organism as that 

 causing the brown rot of cabbage and turnii)S, whicli has already been noted (E. S. R., 

 9, J). 847). 



A serious disease in the cherry orchards of Kent, W. Carruthers {Jour. 

 Roy. /fort. Soc. ILondon], 25 {1901), No. 3, pp. 313-316, Jigs. 2; also Gard. Chron. 3. 

 ser.,29 {1901), No. 742, p. 172) . — A brief account is given of a serious disease of cher- 

 ries which simultaneously attacks the leaves and fruit," rendering the fruit unfit for 

 market. The diseased leaves remain attached to the branches, and a further char- 

 acteristic is the shortening of the branches which bear the diseased leaves. The 

 internodes between the leaves do not appear to have been developed. Dwarfing of 

 the branch is said to be not directly due to the fungus, Imt is attributed to a lack of 

 food as a consequence of the early death of the leaf. Tlu^ author reports marked 



