20 PROTECTIO^■ OF PLA>^TS, 1920-21 



REPORT OF THE DELEGATE TO THE CANADIAN BRANCH OF THE 

 AMERICAN PHYTOPATHOLOGICAL SOCIETY 



Prof. B.T. Dickson 



The second annual meeting of the above Society was held in the Biological 

 Building of the Ontario Agricultural College, on December 9th and 10th, 1920. 

 There was an excellent attendance of members from as far west as Saskatoon 

 and east from Montreal. ^ 



Dr. Buller, of Winnipeg, was in the Chair, with Dr Reddick, of Cornell 

 University, as the Society's guest. 



The President, in an able address, discussed the losses which constituted 

 an annual tax on the growers and cited specific statistics in the case of the most 

 important diseases. 



Dr. Reddick, in a public evening address, showed that most of the great 

 results in plant pathology were the outcome of quiet, thorough research. These 

 were then applied to the practical side of the science, so that benefits accrued, 

 but in most cases those who thus benefitted knew little or nothing of the pioneer 

 research. The science is still a young one, but much good work is being done 

 and there are plenty of fields of endeavour for the future. It is of prime import- 

 ance, however, to look carefully to the training of those who are going to under- 

 take the work that only the best may be done. 



Prof. Dickson gave an illustrated paper on mosaic diseases, dealing with 

 the list of plants at present known to suffer from mosaic. This included clovers, 

 potato, tomato, tobacco, violet, etc. It was pointed out that symptomatically 

 raspberry is a member of this list and it is possible that, in the past mosaic and 

 curl, or yellows, have been confused. Histologically also this type of raspberry 

 disease falls in the mosaic class. It remains to be seen whether curl is an 

 advanced stage of the raspberry mosaic. Work is in progress at present on that 

 problem. 



Prof. Fraser reported the work done by himself, Miss M. Newton and Mr. 

 Bailej'- on biologic forms of the black stem rust of wheat in Western Canada. 

 Using Stakman's method and tabulation strain IX is found at Saskatoon, XV in 

 one locality, XVII mostly in Saskatchewan, XVIII at Riverstone, Saskatoon, 

 etc., XXI at Winnipeg, Brandon, Edmonton, etc. Strain XV attacks all differ- 

 ential hosts. Kanred and Emmer are resistant to XVII and Marquis is resis- 

 tant to XIX. It is not intended that this be considered a full report of Prof. 

 Fraser's paper. 



