!H 



^\ith regard to the administrative side a special attempt was 

 made to develop the Intelligence Service inaugurated last year 



1 1 j • *T f* i 1 1 i \ • • i i* • 1 



sease 



I as a whole. On the research side work on problems of general 



importance was continued, and investigation carried out on the 

 I biology of several important parasitic fungi. As in previous 



I years the routine duties of the laboratory interfered with experi- 



ments and research, but on the whole the various branches of 

 pathological work were carried out successfully. 



This report deals exclusively with the myeological side of the 

 work carried out in the Laboratory. The Board's entomo- 

 logical staff have also worked in the sunie building and through- 

 out the year the closest co-operation has been maintained 



between the workers m these two branches of plant-pathology. 



* 



Staff. — In connection with the approaching changes, several 

 alterations took place with regaid to the staff. Mr. W. B. 

 Brierley commenced work at the Phytopathological Institute at 

 Kothamsted on TNovember 18th, and on the same day Mr. A. D. 

 Cotton and Mrs. N. L. Alcock were transferred to the staff of 

 the Board of Agriculture. Miss M. N. Owen also left the 

 laboratory in October to take up work in the Department of 

 Technical and Industrial Research, and Mr. R. Beer was 

 appointed temper ry technical assistant. 



Intelligence Service. — The Plant Disease Survey (including 

 both animal and fungus pests) was instituted last year by the 

 Plant Disease Sub-Committee of the Pood Production Depart- 

 ment. By means of a system of monthly reports prepared by 

 specially qualified honorary correspondents in all parts of the 

 country, a very large amount of information was gathered. 

 Further data were acquired by means of visits, circular letters, 

 and special enquiries. In this way it has been possible to 

 obtain a more accura and detailed idea than has ever been 

 obtained before of the incidence of disease in the country. The 

 wftrk of collating reports and of preparing summaries of the 

 fungus diseases ha^ been largely entrusted to Mi s M. G. 

 Aikman, and the report for the season will shortly be published. 



Diseases. — AVith regard to noteworthy fungus diseases in the 

 year 1918, the following may be mentioned. Amongst cereals 

 a rather bad attack of Yellow Bust of Wheat (Puccinia glu- 

 warum) occurred throughout a very large part of the country 

 during the early part of the season. This was in striking con- 

 trast to the previous year, when Yellow Rust w r as practically 

 absent. In the eastern counties especially the attack was 

 severe, and even resistant varieties such as i( Little Joss 

 suffered to some extent. Much of the wheat, however, outgrew 

 the disease as the season advanced, but in many cases the plants 

 suffered considerably. An attempt was made to determine the 

 susceptibility of the different Varieties in different localities. 

 "Wheat Mildew was also prevalent in certain districts in July 

 and August, especially where nitrogenous manures, such as sul- 

 phate of ammonia, had been applied freely. 





