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THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE OF AMERICA. 



on the contrary, lend all possible assistance. All such 

 legislation, as a whole, tends to benefit the community, 

 and in the long rtni each individual gardener, horticultur- 

 ist or farmer, reaps in full of the same benefit. 



As previously hinted, plant disease could easily be 

 avoided if certain precautionary measures are taken. In 

 order to have healthy plants we must begin with healthy 

 seeds. Of course, life is too short for the gardener to be 

 able to attempt to grow his own seeds. He must neces- 

 sarily depend for them on the seedsman. You should, 

 therefore, make it a practice to patronize the honest seed 

 firm, where attempt is made to sell nothing but good seed : 

 seed selected from the best varieties and from the healthi- 

 est plants. But even with the best methods of selection, 

 seecis will nevertheless carry a certain amount of disease 

 in the form of spores, which adhere to the seed coat : and 

 also as internal latent infections. In this case, therefore, 

 it would pay for each individual to select the seeds after 

 he buys them, and to discard the shriveled seeds and those 

 which show any suspicion of disease. Only the plump, 

 healthy seeds should be sown. Before planting, soak the 

 seeds from five to ten minutes (the time depending, of 

 course, on the kind of seed) in a solution of 1 pound of 

 formalin to 50 gallons of water. Delicate seeds, like that 

 of the tomato, require a weaker stregth of formalin. There 

 is still much experimentation to be done before definite 

 formula of treatment can be given. Spraying of the 

 plants is another indispensable precautionary method for 

 preventing disease. When once a plant is diseased, spray- 

 ing will not help it, because the parasite lives within the 

 plant where the poison cannot reach it ; however, it will 

 check the disease from spreading. Spraying should be 

 done on healthy plants and thus prevent the parasitic bac- 

 teria and fungi to gain access to the plant. There are sev- 

 eral good spray mixtures, all of which, no doubt, have 

 their merits in the control of certain particular diseases, 

 but if an attempt is made to use them as a panacea to pre- 

 vent all sorts of plant disease, failure is sure to be the re- 

 sult. The ideal spray mixture that the gardener needs is 

 no doubt one which will not spot foliage nor fruit, and 

 which at the same time will spread and adhere well to the 

 sprayed surface of the plant. Chemical companies who 

 deal in insecticides and fungicides have, no doubt, a great 

 future before them, for we are still in need of a spray 



PERTECT. DISEASED. 



AXTHRACUOSE OF EGG PLANT. 



mixture which can be applied at any time, and which will 

 combine all the fungicidal values in preventing all sorts 

 of fungus diseases, and which will also at the same time 

 combine all the good insecticidal qualities in warding off 

 both sucking and biting insects. This, of course, sounds 

 like a dream at present, but the time is doubtless ripe for 

 it to materialize. 



Finally, the last and most important precautionary 

 method, especially from the point of view of the gardener, 

 the trucker, and the greenhouse man, is that of soil treat- 

 ment. The practice of annually emptying the cold frames 

 and the greenhouse benches by taking out the old and 

 putting in fresh soil, is not always to be commended. This 

 practice entails too much labor and expense, and the re- 

 sults are very uncertain. We never know that the new 

 virgin soil which we bring into the greenhouse is always 

 free from disease, for as we have already pointed out, the 

 soil is a great carrier of disease. The same soil can be 

 used annually in the greenhouse or in the hot bed. When 

 last year's crop is through, allow the soil in the benches 

 to dry out a little. Add then two inches of rotted manure 

 or any other compost that you wish to apply, and water 

 two or three times within a month. This will leach out 

 into the soil all the soluble elements of the manure. Two 

 weeks before planting work over the beds so as to mix 

 well the soil and the compost, and also add at this time 

 whatever chemical fertilizers you think it is necessary to 

 balance the ration for the crop which you are to plant. 

 When this is done the beds are treated with formalin or 

 steam sterilized. The formalin treatment will kill almost 

 all of the fungi in the soil, but it will not kill eel worms. 

 The formalin treatment could be used advantageously in 

 cold frames and hot beds. For greenhouse purposes, 

 steam sterilization is best, as it kills both fungi and eel 

 worms in the soil. 



Soil sterilization can only be done in the greenhouse or 

 in seed frames. Its use in the field is as yet impracticable 

 and impossible, due to its high cost. In case, then, of in- 

 fected fields, the only means of control we now have is 

 rotation of crops. Xo attempt should be made to grow 

 the same crop in succession. This practice never pays in 

 the long run. 



In conclusion, I wish to state that the Department of 

 I'lant Pathology of the Delaware Agricultural Experi- 

 ment Station extends to you free of 

 charge the privilege of calling on her 

 for help or advice in every possible 

 wa\-. This department will be glad to 

 identify diseased specimens for j'ou, 

 and prescribe means of control when- 

 ever possible. As a member of your 

 society, I wish to co-operate with you 

 in every possible way and to help you 

 control your plant diseases. I gladly 

 offer my services free, and hope you 

 feel that you have in me the plant 

 pathologist of your society. 



NATIONAL 

 FLOWER SHOW 



APRIL 5-12, 1913 

 GRAND CENTRAL PALACE 



NEW YORK 



