Report of the Vegetable Pathologist. 851 



The United States Department of Agriculture has also supplied a 

 great variety of seeds of grasses and forage plants, and altogether 

 about 100 varieties are being tested at Rutherglen, Leongatlia and 

 Port Fairy. Several seasons are required to test them thoroughly 

 both as to their growth and their suitability for different districts, 

 but so far Rhodes grass fChloris abyssinica) may be mentioned as 

 yielding abundant fodder and standing the summer heat and winter 

 cold very well. 



Treatment you Diseases. 



Rust in, Wheat. — Experiments have been continuously carried on 

 for over 1 2 years, with the object of obtaining rust-resisting varieties 

 by means of selection and crossing. One such wheat, Rerraf, was 

 distributed to about 400 farmers and the great majority of them 

 found it to possess this quality, while varieties grown alongside were 

 badly rusted and the yield consequently diminished. 



Take-all and White-heads in }]lieat. — For over 50 years the cause 

 of this disease has been the despair both of practical farmers and 

 scientists in Australia, but it has now been conclusively proved to be 

 due to a fungus (Ophioholns graminisj . Experiments are now under 

 way for testing the best methods of treatment, and a detailed plan of 

 the various measures being tried was given in the last (July) issue of 

 the Journal. 



Stinking Smtit. — Comparative experiments were made with several 

 steeps for the seed, and formalin proved to be the simplest remedy. 

 A leaflet has been issued giv^ing full instructions as to treatment. 



Black 8j)ot of Apple and Pear. — In some fruit-growing districts 

 the past season has been the worst experienced for many years, owing 

 to the ]jrevalence of this disease, brought on by the late spring and 

 summer rains. But where spraying operations were properly carried 

 out the success was very marked. 



.The life-history of the fungus has been carefully studied, because 

 of its important bearing on the time of spraying, and it has been 

 found that over 90 per cent, of the fruit may become infected even 

 before the petals have all fallen. This shows, what has been fully 

 borne out by experiment, that the first spraying with Bordeaux 

 mixture should be given just as the first few blossoms begin to 

 expand, and if this one spraying is thoroughly done, it is all that is 

 required, except in a very wet summer. When a second spraying is 

 given it should be applied just when the fruit has set ; but witli some 

 varieties this second spraying has a tendency to burn the fruit unless 

 done with the greatest care. In other parts of the world growers are 

 recommended to spray as many as four or even more times, but the 

 experience here proves that one spraying at the right time is generally 

 enough, while more than two are quite unnecessary and needlessly 

 expensive. 



Bitter Pit. — Experiments with various manures and dressings have 

 been carried out at Pakenham for the last two seasons on the Sturmer 

 variety of apple, which is known to be liable to this disease, but in 

 the absence of a definite development of the disease no satisfactory 



