W. F. Bewley 165 



was kept moist, and the seed-boxes obtained their moisture by capillary 

 attraction. The results of these experiments are shown in Table IV. 



The foregoing experiments indicate that either morning or evening 

 watering is preferable to midday watering and that bottom watering 

 is preferable to top watering. The high percentage of diseased seedlings 

 obtained where the boxes were stood continuously in water emphasises the 

 intimate relation between the rapid progress of the disease and a high 

 water content of the soil. Excellent results were obtained by placing 

 the boxes upon damp earth and allowing them no water except what they 

 obtained by capillary attraction from the earth below. Under such 

 conditions the percentage of diseased seedlings was reduced from 

 45 per cent, to 12 per cent. 



The effect of potash, phosphates and nitrogen upon the incidence of the disease. 



In order to test the effect of different manurial treatments upon the 

 incidence of "damping off," 0-5 per cent, of sulphate of potash, nitrate 

 of soda and superphosphate was added to the soil either singly or in 

 different combinations. 



100 seeds per box were sown, covered in the usual way, and the 

 seedlings removed as soon as they became diseased. 



Table V. 



