10 Oct., 193 6.] Blue Mould in Tohacco Plants. 601 



As previously mentioned, meat to be successfully preserved must be 

 treated, especially in tlie hot weather, within a few hours after slaughter. 

 Success is not to be looked for if flesh is allowed to hang about for any 

 length of time before treatment. If, for instance, on a small farm, in 

 the hot weather, a sheep is slaughtered and the requirement is about 

 one-third for a day, unless a cool change sets in the portion unused on 

 day of slaughter will probably be wasted unless it is preserved by one 

 of the methods suggested. 



BLUE MOULD IN TOBACCO PLANTS. 



The following treatments of the soil to prevent root rot and other 

 fungoid diseases, as experienced in America, are well worthy of a trial 

 in Victoria for blue mould, and particularly so for late beds, when the 

 earlier sowings have failed. Tobacco plants can be raised from seed 

 sown as late as the first week in November, in time for late December 

 planting, provided they are grown in cold frames, i.e., the beds enclosed 

 with boards 12 inches high all round, and covered with cheese cloth or 

 coarse hessian. This system maintains a more uniform temperature, 

 conserves moisture, and obviates the risk of infection from outside 

 sources. 



The plants should be exposed for a couple of days to the sun before 

 transplanting to harden them. 



— Temple A. J. Smith, Tobacco Expert. 



TREATMENT OF TOBACCO PLANT BEDfe. 



(bij A. D. Selbij, True Hoiiser, and J. ('• . Humbert, of The Ohio Aifricultitml 

 E-xpcrimciit Station). 



Wliile the root-rot fiiugiis was first examined from certain Clermont County 

 plant beds in 1899, it has not often seemed a serious disease in the Miami 

 Valley District. It was certainly serious in the plant beds during the season 

 of 1915; this root-rot continuing to cause serious losses after the plants were 

 set in the field. In certain soils of the water-holding types, like the soils of 

 the South-Western Test Farm, Germantown, the tobacco crop was little, if any, 

 more than one-third tlie normal average. This agrees with the experience of 

 others in wet seasons. The work heretofore done upon this disease by Gilbert* 

 and others, has shown tiie many-sided nature of the problem. 



Experiments show that tlie root-rot fungus may be thoroughly killed out of 

 old plant beds by eitlier of two tried methods of disinfection applied to the 

 soil, viz. : — (1) By steaming the soil, preferably l)y use of the inverted pan 

 method. (2) by means of formaldehyde (or formalin) drench upon the prepared 

 soil of the bed. 



It is to be noted — 



(fl) that no one will care to extend his losses from root rot into another 



season, if avoidable; 

 (I)) Tliat the root-rot fungus will survive in the soil, as in old plant beds, 

 where it prevailed in 1915. It may survive in fields as well. 



Having the wliole situation before us, it seems wise to kill tlie root rot fungus 

 out of plant-bed soil tlirough sterilization bv steam or formaldeliyde. I<]ither of 

 these may l)e applied before winter begins, if that is so preferred. It is clear 

 that healthy plants are essential to a suiccssful tobacco cn>|). First attention 

 to growing sound plants is accordingly advised. 



• Ollljcrt, W. W., Bill. Bureau o( Plant Industry, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 158 : 1909. 



