E. J. Welsford 



41 



to the drying sheds many of the mature worms forsake the scales, no 

 doubt owing to the gradually increasing dryness, and they may be 

 found in bunches among the roots. In this position they are subjected 

 to rapid desiccation and they soon become dormant and fall off, often 

 on to healthy bulbs. If such worms become moistened they revive 

 in a very short time and speedily infect the material around them. 

 Again, if the sheds are warm, the eggs, which have been deposited in 

 the scales, hatch and the larvae attack the tissue in which they are 



Fig 3. Diseased bulb showing 

 ring of brown tissue. 



Fig. 4. Diagrammatic drawing of bulb which has been 

 cut in half longitudinally. Second year of attack. 

 Infection spreading up from plate. « = crinkly leaves 

 growing at right angles to bulb. 



lying. Dry, cool conditions check the spreading of the disease and 

 prevent the occurrence of fresh infection ; unfortunately such condi- 

 tions are difficult to obtain in practice. 



When diseased bulbs are planted in the autumn a certain proportion 

 of them die and liberate eelworms which infect their neighbours. Those 

 which survive start growing earlier than healthy bulbs (Fig. 5), and in 

 the spring often produce one or more curved leaves showing crinkled 



