New York AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. vat 
While it appears that cabbage seed is not injured by soaking 
for one hour in either solution, fifteen minutes is undoubtedly 
sufficient to accomplish the disinfection and there is no necessity 
for taking any risk on a longer treatment. 
In using the corrosive sublimate solution it should be borne 
in mind that it is a strong poison; also, that it readily corrodes 
metal, hence should not be used in metal vessels. The formalin 
solution is much less poisonous and does not corrode metal. 
A convenient method of treating the seed is to place it ina 
small bag made of any loose cloth readily penetrated by water 
’ and suspend the bag in the disinfecting solution for the required 
length of time. The seed should be dried without delay. If 
artificial heat is used in drying great care should be taken to 
avoid over heating as the germination may be thereby injured. 
Probably drying the seed in the sun should be avoided as it is 
believed by some seedsmen that exposure to sunlight injures the 
germination of cabbage seed. 
THE RELATION OF INFECTION ON THE SEED TO 
OUTBREAKS OF BLACK ROT. 
On accepting the truth of the facts here presented regarding 
the danger of spreading P. campestris by means of the seed the 
reader should not conclude that a treatment of the seed before 
planting will insure total immunity from an outbreak of black 
rot. Neither should the absence of an outbreak in untreated 
seed be taken as a proof of the absence of disease germs. The 
presence of P. campestris is absolutely necessary, but it is only 
one of several factors concerned in such an outbreak. In addi- 
tion to the presence of the disease germ there must be an avail- 
able avenue of entrance to the host plant and the host plant itself 
must be in a favorable condition to succumb before the outbreak 
will occur. 
Outbreaks of black rot in the seed beds are not frequent. In 
our own observations we have found diseased plants there only 
occasionally. However, by the time the disease appears in the 
field the seed beds are usually destroyed and our observations on 
this point have been correspondingly limited. From the early 
history of the fields which we have seen and from the observa- 
tions of large growers of cabbage it seems probable that in 
