THE MICROSCOPE. 173 



Tomato Fungus — Black Rot. — My next specimen was a to- 

 mato sunken so that half of the globe remained and the sunken 

 surface was covered with a black powder. As usual with fungi, 

 I examined the black powder in potassium hydrate with a 

 quarter inch objective and found some rare fungus. For want of 

 sufficient library on the subject I feared that I would be unable 

 to answer the question oft put to the microscopists: ''What is 

 it?" But I chanced to remember that I had seen a picture 

 similar to my tomato in one of the U. S. Agriculture reports 

 and I soon found it in the report of 1883 described on page 339 

 as the black rot of the tomato and figured in a colored plate, as 

 Macrospormm solani. The spores were quite dry and I mounted 

 them in benzole balsam without any previous preparation. 



White Rust. — My last specimen was a small piece of tomato 

 some one had sent me in a small bottle. Taking a small parti- 

 cle, I pressed it down with a cover, examined with a quarter inch 

 and saw the conidia of white rust, Cystopus candidus just as the 

 same is figured in plate X, figure 200, of " Microscopic Fungi '' by 

 Dr. M. C. Cooke. 



SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



Milk — is probably the worst medium of infection in tubercu- 

 losis and several other bacterial diseases. 



Pixol — is a new disinfectant but it has failed as regards chol- 

 era. It is a solution of tar in which the comma bacillus has 

 been exposed 16 hours without effect. Boiling is the surest 

 method of disinfecting. 



Flagella. — The character of the flagella on several kinds of 

 bacilli has been investigated by Dr. V. A. Moore and published 

 in a volume called "The Wilder Quarter-Century Book." Those 

 interested in the subject should write to him for a copy. His 

 address: Washington, D. C. 



Our Own Birds — is the title of a book just issued by Lip- 

 pincott and it is of use in identifying the common birds. 



Botany. --Botany need no longer be taught as of old — merely 

 for identifying species. Vegetable physiolog}^ should take the 

 first place in the student's thoughts. The teacher can give the 

 names of the plants studied and let the student use his micro- 

 scope upon the bacteria, the smuts, the mildews, and rusts. 



