50 JlXPERlMKNT STATION RECORD. 



times am! in (liffcrcnt soils. A iiuiuticrul' fmi;.Mci(l('S were test (■<! as pTcvonfivp troat- 

 iiH'iit when appliivl to tlie si'etl, and eau celeste -was found to<iive such poor results as 

 to l)e abandoned from further investigation. In the treatments which were carried 

 out conii)arison was made of solutions of copper sulphate, corrosive sul)limate, and 

 formalin. In the trials made copper .sulphate has proved (juite satisfactory and being 

 less poisonous is to be preferred to corrosive sublimate, although the latter is some- 

 what more efHcient. The experiments, so far as they have been concluded, have 

 shown the efficiency of formalin, and the author believes that subsequent investiga- 

 tions will show that this substance is to be preferred to either corrosive sublimate or 

 copper suli)hate for treating seed of wheat for the prevention of the stinking smut. 



Experiments on the brown rust of brome grasses, ¥j. M. Fkeemax {Ann. But., 

 10 {l!>n^), Xo. h:J, pp. 4^S7-4<i4). — Theex})eriments liere reported were undertaken to 

 ascertain the relative capacity of infection of different species and the determination 

 of some whose systematic position was somewhat doubtful. In all 40 species of 

 Bromus were inoculated with spores from B. sterilh and B. moUh. The spores were 

 placed upon the first foliage leaves of the plants and the plants given protection by 

 bell jars against injurious influences. The weather throughout the period of the 

 experiments was colder than normal, and the long period of incubation of many of 

 the sjwres is attributed to this fact. Each experiment was continued for about 3 

 weeks, although a period of incubation of about 12 days was sufficient to demonstrate 

 the ability of the fungus to infect the host. Of the species inoculated, 22 did not 

 show any infection; 12 were successfully infected with the spores from B. niollis but 

 not with B. sterili^ spores. One species (B. sta-ilts) was only infected with the spores 

 from that species, while 5 species of Bromus were ei^ually infected with the spores of 

 both species of rust. 



Critical notes on Sclerospora of Gramineae, G. B. Travkrso {Malpighia, 16 

 {1902), No. 5-7, pp. 2S0-290, fi(j. 1) . — A study has been made of the various species 

 of Sclerospora which are reported as occurring parasitically \\\n)i\ various grasses, 

 and the author concludes that there are not more than 2 species of that fungus which 

 attai'k the grasses. These species are >S'. gnuiiinicola and S. macroApont. The species 

 which has been described as >S'. Iriegeriana he says is undoubtedly the same as S. 

 macruKjxird. The species desciibed by Peglion as occurring on wheat is S. vtacro.spora 

 insteail of S. (/nnniiiicoln, as that author has claimed. 



The histology of TJredo dispersa and the mycoplasm hypothesis, II. INIar- 

 SHALL Ward {Proc. Roy. Soc. [London'], 71 {1903) , No. 473, pp. 3.53, 354).— An abstract 

 is given of a detailed study of the histological features of the germination, infection, 

 and growth of the mycelium of the Uredo in the tissues of grasses, the work refer- 

 ring especially to the uredo form of Puccinia di.tprr.'ia in the tissues of Bromuft .^ecaVnus. 

 The author critically examined the relation of the hyplue and haustoria to the cell 

 contents of the host, and the evidence obtained not only failed to supi^ort P'ricksson's 

 mycoi)lasm hypothesis (E. S. R., 10, p. 316) but so far as the histological facts ol)served 

 are concerned they would indicate that Ericksson's observations are entirely reversed 

 from the true order of events. The so-called special corpuscles observed by Ericks- 

 son are said by the author to be the cut-off haustoria of the fungus, and have no 

 relation whatever with the subsequent development of the mycelium. The haustoria 

 have been formed by the hyphte, and not vice versa. 



Diseases of flax and flax-sick soil, H. L. Bolley {NorUi Dakota Sta. Bui. 55, 

 pp, 1S6-19S, figfi. 5). — rsince the previous publication regarding the flax wilt (E. S. R., 

 14, J). 55) a number of new points regarding the disease have come to light. In addi- 

 tion to the fungus {Fu.'^((rium llni) which was described as the cause of the charactei'- 

 istic wilt, a number of other fungi are now known to destroy the young plants and 

 persist in the soil so as to seriously interfere with the growth of flax. Examinations 

 of flaxseed and soil from a numl)er of localities have shown the presence of the wilt 

 organism, and in addition to the Fusarium there was found a species of Colletotrichum 



