332 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



(liscussfd at soiuc U'ligtli. In tlu' more ;ulvamv(l work seniiiiary luetliodH of instriK;- 

 tioii were followed to a great extent and have proved very profitable. 



F. y. Covillc gave an account of the e.stal)lishnient of the Desert Botanical Labo- 

 ratory, wbicli has been equipped by the Carnegie Institution near Tucson, Arizona. 

 The relation between the purely botanical subjectH which are to be studied at this 

 laboratory and agricultural and horticultural practice was pointed out, attention 

 being called to studies on the effective use of irrigation waters and also their eco- 

 nfniiical employment. The laboratory is in charge of Dr. W. A. Cannon, formerly 

 of Columliia University. 



Cooperation was the theme of a paper l)y F. L. Stevens. Experiments of this 

 character, carried on with farmers or through the rural schools, were believed to be 

 of great value for demonstration purposes and to reach a class which bulletins do not. 

 Numerous illustrations drawn from the speaker's own experience were cited. In 

 discussing this paper, J. C. Arthur referred to the treatment of seed at elevators. 

 The proprietors of one large elevator treated 150 bu. of seed oats with formalin at a 

 cost of abf)ut 40 cts., the results being so satisfactory that the seedsmen propose treat- 

 ing all of their seed grain in the future. II. L. Hutt testified to the value of cf)op- 

 erative experiments, stating that the Ontario Agricultural College has nearly 5,000 

 cooperative experiments in jirogress. 



In a second paper F. L. Stevens gave an account of the Granville tobacco wilt, which 

 was illustrated by lantern slides. This will form the basis of a bulletin of the North 

 Carolina Station, now in press, and will be noted later. K. E. B. McKenney, of this 

 Department, in discussing the paper believed the disease to be the same that occurs 

 in Ohio and other districts widely removed from North Carolina. It was pronounced 

 due to a Fusarium-like organism. 



Crop Rotation as a Factor in Combating Plant Diseases was the subject of a paper 

 by W. A. Orton, of this Department. Many plant diseases were stated to owe their 

 spread and injury to improper soil conditions, which may be corrected by rotation, 

 green manuring, etc. A lack of humus and potash waste was said to )je incidental to 

 cotton rust and shedding of bolls, and these diseases can be almost entirely eliminated 

 by rotation, green manuring, growth of winter cover crops, and application of potash. 

 Rotation appears to be one of the most efficient ways of combating the watermelon 

 wilt, and the cotton-root rot, which has been referred to species of Ozonium, can be 

 readily controlled by this means. The tomato Fusarium disease requires rotations 

 with 5 or more years intervening between crops of tomatoes. Diseases which spread 

 through the air, whether of fungus or bacterial origin, are less easily influenced by 

 rotations, but the vigor of the plant can be increased by the restoration of soil fer- 

 tility. In addition to rotation, resistant varieties are necessary for sucli diseases as 

 cotton wilt, nematodes, etc. Rotations for the orchard and nursery were also dis- 

 cussed with reference to root rot, nematodes, etc. 



M. A. Carleton exhibited forms of notebooks and records, which he has found very 

 well adapted to field and laboratory work in his investigations with cereals. The 

 system described was designed to secure accuracy, rapidity, uniformity, and perma- 

 nenc}' of records. 



A report was made from the committee on plant-breeding nomenclature, favoring 

 the use of the word " clon," which has lately been proposed by H. J. Webber for 

 plants grown from cuttings, bulbs, etc., the progeny all being members of the same 

 individual. 



SECTION ON KNTOjMOLOGV. 



The sessions of this section were presided over by .1. B. Smith in the absence of 

 the chairman. 



In a paper on Problems of Forest Entomology, A. D. Hopkins called attention to 

 the need of special methods of eradication in fighting forest insects, since manj' of 



