646 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



Curly leaf, it is claimed, may be easily transmitted hy grafting and by leaf 

 hoppers. Insects taken from wild plants are not pathogenic, and apparently 

 an incubation period in the body of the insect of no more than 48, and possibly 

 not over 24, hours is necessary before infection can be transmitted. 



The comparative effect upon sugar beets of Eutettix tenella from ■wild 

 plants and from curly top beets, P. A. Boxcquet and W. J. Hartung (Phyto- 

 pathology, 5 {1915), Ko. 6, pp. 3If8, 349, fig. i).— The authors briefly report ex- 

 periments in which 100 specimens of E. tenella obtained from a region of 

 California far removed from the sugar beet area, and about 150 individuals 

 which had been living on curly leaf beets, were confined upon healthy plants. 



The results show that curly leaf is readily transmitted by insects from 

 infected plants, while with the wild insects the beets remained in a normal 

 condition. Twenty wild insects have been kept on normal beets for a con- 

 siderable period without producing any effect whatever. 



Sweet potato scurf, L. L. HiRTEB {U. S. Dept. Agr., Jour. Agr. Research, 5 

 {1916), No. n, pp. 787-192, pis. 2). — An account is given of investigations of 

 the scurf disease of sweet potato first described by Halsted as due to Monilo- 

 chcetes infuscans (E. S. R., 2, p. 416). The author gives the results of inocula- 

 tion experiments and de.scribes certain characteristics of the fungus. As the 

 parasite does not appear to have been definitely published, a technical descrip- 

 tion of it is given. 



A new method of selecting tomatoes for resistance to the wilt disease, 

 C. W, Edgerton {Science, n. ser., Jf2 {Wl.'i), Xo. J 095, pp. 91.',, .0/5).— The 

 author describes a method of growing tomato plants which are resistant to 

 tomato wilt due to Fusarium lycopcrsici. The method consists in the inocula- 

 tion of sterilized soil with the fungus, after which the seeds are planted and 

 the resistant types selected. In this way a much higher i^ercentage of healthy 

 plants, which may be subsequently set out, is produced than of nonrosistant 

 plants, a large proportion of which will be destroyed by the seed bed treatment 



The newer diseases of fruit trees and latest development in their treat- 

 ment, C. K. Orton {Proc. Ann. Conv. Fruit Groiccrs Assoc. Adams Co., Pcnn., 

 9 {1913), pp. 77-89, figs. 5). — It is stated that of the apple diseases known 

 in Pennsylvania, about 20 in number and all but one or two of whicli are 

 attributed to fungi. 5 or 6 are regarded as of recent appearance in that State. 

 This discussion includes bitter rot {GlomercUa rufomaculan.s), blotch {Phyl- 

 losticta solitaria), Baldwin spot {Phoma pomi), blister canker (Nummularia 

 disereta), Volutella rot, and collar rot (for which the name collar blight is 

 preferred). Fruit pit (bitter pit or stippen) and water core are also briefly 

 discussed. 



Pythiacystis infection of deciduous nursery stock, Elizabeth H. Smith 

 {Phytopathology, 5 {1915), Ko. 6, pp. 317-322, figs. //).— In March, 1914. the 

 author undertook an investigation, a preliminary note of which has been given 

 (E. S. R., 34, p. 353), of the dying back and gumming of peach nursery stock. 

 In this the bark of infected stock was cankered chiefly above the bud, and in 

 advanced cases the bark was girdled from 2 to 6 in. above the graft. 



Cultures made from peach showed typical sporangia of P. citrnphthora, and 

 inoculations were successfully made from peach into apple, pear, peach, almond, 

 and other deciduous nursery stock. Attempts were made to infect the Eureka 

 lemon and other citrus .stock with the peach strain, but so far these have bt^n 

 unsuccessful. In March, 1915, under ordinary nursery conditions, successful 

 inoculations were made of the peach strain into apricot and almond, and from 

 the almond strain of the organisjn into almond and apricot. 



During the spring of 1914 a form of Pythiacistis was isolated from a gum- 

 ming almond tree. This was found to differ from the prevailing strain in its 



