— 46 — 



This treatment with formalin will equally apply to oats. About one tenth 

 of the oat crops are lost every year through injuries by smut ; which means that 

 85.000,000 or $6,000,000 are thus lost. 



We particularly intend to retrieve such a considerable amount and hope to be 

 successful at least to a certain extent. 



Many among you will probably think that it must be rather tedious always to 

 preach the same thing, and to be constantly bent on such elementary work. 



In view of the results obtained, which clearly denote the advantages to be 

 derived by the farming community, several will recall to themselves, as I per- 

 sonnally do, that this should be our object and that nothing could be more gratify- 

 ing to us. 



SOME PLANT DISEASES IN THE GREENHOUSE 

 Professor B. T. Dickson, Macdonald College. 



During the past Autumn and Winter 1919-1920 several plant diseases have 

 been prominent in the greenhouse at Macdonald College, Quebec, and a brief 

 account of these may serve a useful purpose. The host plants concerned will be 

 dealt with in alphabetical order. 



Carnation (Dianthus caryopliylliis L.) 



Rust caused by Uromyccs caryophyUinus iSchrank) Wint. was present 

 throughout the crop but affected principally the slips. 



The fungus is propagated principally by urediniospores which are more or 

 less ellipsoidal, 24 to 35 by 21 to 26 microns, slightly echinulate and light brown 

 in color. 



Potassium sulphide 1 in 1000 is a useful control. 



Cineraria {Scnccio crucnftis L.) 



There was an especially fine show of Cinerarias, the plants in most cases 

 reaching a height of 3 feet and having a spread of bloom from I3/2 to 2 feet in 

 diameter. Among the plants were representatives of three types : — the ordinary 

 horticultural type with ray florets about 2 cm. long by .8 cm. broad (Plate III), a 

 stellata type having smaller flowers with ray florets 1.3 cm. long by .35 cm. broad, 

 and a cactus type, apparently newer, in which the ray florets did not unfold but 

 remained with the edges rolled back as is well shown in Plate III. 



Several noticeable features distinguished this last variety from the other 

 two, long before flowering occurred. The plants were small, not growing more 

 than I foot in height and in many cases not more than eight inches. Their leaves 

 were smaller and since the plant was shorter, tended to a leaf mosaic arrange- 

 ment. This gave rise to considerable variation in petiolar length. When flowers 

 did develop the flower mass was spindly and more open than in the case of other 

 plants, (Compare Plates IV and V) and considerably less in size. 



