DISEASES DUE TO BACTERIA 125 
It has been ascertained that the disease is intimately 
connected with moisture conditions operative round the 
base of the plant. When the soil is kept uniformly 
damp at the surface, the disease may readily be induced 
by spraying the base of the plant with a water suspension 
of the organism. Ifthesoil is dry at this part the bacteria 
may be pricked into the stem tissues, without causing 
serious trouble. It is thus apparent that any serious 
development of this disease is the result of very wet 
conditions of the soil at the stem base. Alternate 
periods of dryness and extreme dampness are still more 
conducive to the rot, while plants, especially the 
cucumber, which are physiologically weakened through 
bearing a heavy crop of fruit, are most susceptible. 
. The control] of the disease is a simple matter if the 
correct conditions are imposed. It is essential to keep 
the base of the plant as dry as possible, and the indis- 
criminate pouring of water directly on to the stem must 
be avoided. The young plants should be planted out 
in the beds in metal collars about the size of a forty-eight 
pot or else in pots with the bottoms knocked out. When 
the plants are watered no water should be allowed 
inside the collar, but it should be applied to the bed 
around it. The roots readily grow out through the 
bottom of the collar into the beds, and thus gain access 
to moisture, but the base of the plant remains dry. 
Under these conditions the disease makes no progress. 
lf the disease has commenced under normal conditions 
of cultivation, but has not gone too far, it may be checked 
by dusting the base of the plant with a mixture of lime, 
copper sulphate, and sulphur. Ten parts of dry slaked 
lime, two or three parts of finely ground copper sulphate, 
and two or three parts of flowers of sulphur are intimately 
mixed and may be applied from a tin box with a 
perforated lid, or simply by sprinkling by hand. It is 
sometimes necessary to continue the treatment through 
the season, and in any case fresh applications should be 
made when top-dressing the beds. Growers of melons 
