55 



the emergence of sniiit-inoculated oat seedlings through sand and 

 loam soil has heen pidjlished. 



Mr. Bernard A. Friedman, a graduate student in New York 

 University, has enrolled for the research course in plant j^athology. 

 He has undertaken a study of the soft rot of Witloof chicory. 

 This plant product is imported in considerahle quantities from 

 Belgium and, frequently, parts of the shipments are more or less 

 injured hy a soft rot. The bacterial organism causing it is closely 

 related, at least, to the one which causes the soft rot of the iris. 



Ctikstnut Breeding Work in 1938 

 By Arthur Harmount Graves 



The aim of this ])roject is to develop, by breeding, a type of 

 chestnut tree suitable for replacing the now practically extinct 

 American chestnut. Casta iica den fata. Since this species has been 

 virtually wiped out through the attack of the parasitic fungus, 

 Endotliia parasitica, the new chestnut must be resistant to the at- 

 tacks of this fungus ; and since the American chestnut was a 

 timber tree, the new chestnut must also be of a type suitable for 

 timber. In 1930 we began crossing the American s])ccies with 

 the Japanese, the latter being more or less resistant to the fungus, 

 but unfortunately a comparatively low-growing tree and therefore 

 not suitable for timber. Since then we have also made many 

 hybrids of the American and the Chinese species, the latter l)eing 

 the most resistant of all the species that are growing on our jjlanta- 

 tions; but, again, a tree of small stature. As fast as we can we 

 are continuing the breeding of all our types in successive genera- 

 tions. 



There are at least three main specifications indicated for the 

 new chestnut type: (1) Disease resistance; (2) Tall, erect form; 

 (3) Vigorous (rapid) growth. I am pleased to be able to report 

 that we already have the second and third characters and ]:)art of 

 the first (see fig. 4). To develop a type of greater blight re- 

 sistance, two or three more generations (perhaps 10 years) may 



base, 6.5 inches. The man is 6 feet tall. This hybrid shows the form suitable 

 for producing timber. It has been little pruned ; the habit is therefore natural. 

 Being somewhat susceptible to the blight (as shown by inoculation tests) it is 

 being crossed with very resistant Chinese individuals. 



