REPORT OF THE SOCIETY 85 



produced both conidia and sclerotia, were encountered. In typical cultures 

 sclerotia only are formed. The variants have been cultured throught ten gene- 

 rations without reversion. Several parallel cases arc mentioned. 



Dickson, B. T. Oat smut control experiments in 1923. 16th Ann. Kept. 

 Que. Soc. Prot. Plants for 1923-1924 : 77-79. 1924.— With a variety of hull-less 

 oats the Cu So 4 dip was found to je the most effective of the several treatments 

 used. 



Drayton, F. L. Survey of the Prevalence of Plant diseases in the Dominion 

 of Canada, 1923. Canada Dept. Agric. Exp. Farms Branch: 4th Ann. Kept. 

 1 — 125. 1924 — Reports from every province are included. There is informa- 

 tion concerning 333 diseases found on 102 hosts. 



Eastham, J. W. Report of Provincial Plant Pathologist, Vancouver. 18th 

 Ann. Rept. B. C. Dept. Agric. for 1923: 41-43. 1924.— Notes on root blight 

 of seedling and heart rot of mature mangels which by some are said to bo 

 due to Phoma betce and by others to unfavourable soil and weather conditions, 

 white pine blister rust, and Colorado beetle. 



FmiU, T. H. Forest Pathology: In Report of Forestry Branch, 1923' 

 Ann. Rept. Min. Lands and Forests, Ont. for 1922-1923: 197-207. 1924.— Red 

 heart rot of balsam fir — a common and destructive decay of this species — is 

 described and the cause attributed to Stereiini sanguinolentum. — Six types of 

 defective balsam fir and four of spruce are described and considered in relation 

 to utilization as pulpwood. — The alternate stage of the fern rust {Hyalopsora 

 aspidiotus) has been found to occur on three year old leaves of Abies halsamea 



Fritz Clara W. Cultural Criteria for the Distinction of Wood-Destro^dng 

 Fungi. Trans. Roy. Soc. Can. (3rd series). 17 (Sect. 5): 191—288. PI. 

 1-12. 1923. — This investigation was undertaken in order to provide a labora- 

 tory method — based on cultural characteristics — to supplement the field 

 methods — propinquity of fruit bodies and gross characteristics of decayed wood 

 — used for the identification of wood rots. An introductory historical review 

 of the study of wood destroying fungi, both in nature and in artificial culture, 

 is given. Eleven of the common wood-destroying polypores and six different 

 forms affecting balsam fir were used. In the case of the eleven fungi cultures 

 were obtained from sporophore tissue and compared with cultures from decayed 

 wood. For the decays of balsam fir cultures were of necessity secured from 

 rotted wood. Later, two of these were identified on account of similarity 

 to tissue cultures as Poria subacida and Pohjporus balsameus. Cultures were 

 grown in a non-illuminated incubator at 22oC. A number of synthetic and 

 vegetable media were used but for diagnostic purposes potato-dextrose agar 

 was found to be the most suitable. Most of the forms permitted a wide varia- 

 ticn in growth conditions without a corresponding change in cultural characte- 

 ristics. A key for the identification of the seventeen fungi studied is presented. 



