260 
black-foot, black-stem, stalk disease, foot disease, root disease, foot-rot, 
wheat-stem killer, straw blight, piétin, pied noir des céréales, mal del 
piede, mal do pé do trigo, briseur de chaumes, brusone, fogheta, piétin du 
blé, maladie du pied, Fusskrankheit—occur in Italy, France, Germany, 
Belgium, Australia, Sweden, Finland, United States, Mexico, England, 
New South Wales, Holland, Russia, Brazil (?), and Japan, and have 
been attributed to several different fungi, but most prominently to Ophi- 
obolus. 
In connection with a study of the Illinois disease it was necessary 
to glean as many facts as possible from the literature concerning foot- 
rot, or take-all, and related diseases, and the large amount of material 
resulting suggested the utility of putting some of it into permanent 
form as a convenience to students of the subject. The following chrono- 
logical account presents facts and opinions selected from important 
articles cited in the appended bibliography. 
Disease of the nature of foot-rot is said by Mangin (158) to have 
been known in France as early as 1840. In 1823 (1), 1845 (2), 1856 
(3), 1863 (4), 1875 (7), 1884 (11), 1887 (14), and 1897 (44) Ophi- 
obolus was noted or collected on cereals, not, however, with reference 
to its pathogenic relation to the plant. The disease is said to have been 
noted in South Australia in 1852 (84). In 1864 Parliament appropriated 
£200 for the study of take-all and other cereal diseases (89), and in 
1868 a report of a Commission on Diseases of Cereals was published in 
Australia (5). In this they say of take-all, “Its ravages are irrespective 
of climatic influence.” In 1870 (6) a fungus was observed in the lesions. 
In 1878 (8), in France, the first definite description of piétin was 
published, the disease beitig attributed to an excess of moisture and a 
mild winter. In 1880 (9) the disease was noted in Italy. In 1883 
Saccardo (10) mentions Hendersonia as the conidial stage of Ophi- 
obolus. In 1884 the first reference in England occurs under the name 
“straw blight” (12). Prillieux and Delacroix (16) in 1890 emphasize 
the importance of a brown mycelium and attribute the disease to Ophi- 
obolus graminis Sace. In 1892 Schribaux (19) noted that early varie~ 
ties are most susceptible, and tried various control measures. Loverdo 
(20) reports the disease on Cynodon and Agrostis. 
Cobb, in 1892 (22), in a rather extensive article, discusses the dis- 
ease known as take-all as found in Australia and attributes it to Clado- 
Sporium herbarum. He advises rotation, drainage, good tillage, burning 
stubble, seed treatment, and resistant varieties. The disease was also 
noted as occurring in oats. Frank (23) (24) (25) (26) (27) in 1894 
discusses foot-rot in Germany, as does also Hiltner (28) (29). In 1895 
Saccardo and Berlese (34) note foot-rot in Italy and attribute it to Sphae- 
roderma damnosum. Frank in 1895 (30) notes Leptosphaeria herpo- 
trichoides on rye and Ophiobolus herpotrichus on wheat. The mycelium 
grows into the roots, which become black and die. No conidial form was 
observed. In 189” (43) the disease was noted on wheat, rye, and barley 
