III. A BACTERIAL DISEASE OF SWEET CORN * 



F. C. STEWART. 



SUMMAEY. 



In the market gardens of Long Island, early varieties of sweet 

 aovn are much subject to a wilt disease in which the fibro-vascular 

 bundles of the plant are gorged with multitudes of short, yellow 

 bacilli. The disease is certainly different from Burrill's corn 

 disease and is one which has not heretofore been reported. The 

 yellow bacillus found in the fibro-vascular bundles is undoubtedly 

 the cause of the disease and brings about the death of the plant 

 by cutting off the supply of water. It has been artificially culti- 

 vated on various culture media and its behavior recorded. The 

 disease seems to be confined to sweet corn and is most destruc- 

 tive to early varieties. Field corn and pop corn are entirely 

 exempt. Outside of Long Island it is positively known to occur 

 only in Iowa, but, probably, careful search will show that it is 

 widely spread. It is disseminated chiefly by means of the germs 

 which cling to the seed, but also by manure, implements and 

 washing of the soil. As for remedial measures, the principal 

 things to be observed are: (1) Care in the selection of seed and 

 (2) the planting of resistant varieties. Lime and sulphur, applied 

 to the soil have been tried and proven unsuccessful. 



INTRODUCTION. 



During the past three years the writer has had under observa- 

 tion a bacterial wilt disease which has done considerable damage 

 to sweet corn in the market-gardens of Long Island. The dis- 

 ease was originally discovered at Queens, N. Y., on a very early, 

 dwarf variety of sweet corn named Manhattan. It has since been 

 found affecting many dilferent varieties and in all parts of Long 



♦Reprint of Bulletin No. 130. 



2Q 



