284 • NATURE-STUDY REVIEW 



his neighbor to send a quantity of the material to the Agricultural 

 Experiment Station at College Station. The specimens were 

 referred to the Station Pathologist who gave them a most careful 

 examination. It was found that similar specimens were received 

 at the office during the last three years with statements that 

 whenever such "popcorn" grains were found on the mulberry 

 trees, there was no normal mulberry fruit, in many instances 

 greatly disappointing the kids. In one instance it was added 

 that the chickens greatly relished this new "manna". 



Careful study by the Division of Plant Pathology of the Texas 

 Agricultural Experiment Station has conclusively shown that 

 this peculiar growth resembling popcorn seed on mulberry fruit 

 is nothing else than a disease of the fruit which results in the 

 swelling of the individual grains, (Figs. A. and B) the 

 swellings variously reaching the size and shape of popcorn seed 

 or feterita and sometimes milo grains. While these studies were 

 carried on by the Plant Pathologist of the Texas Agricultural 

 Experiment Station, Dr. Lewis, Botanist of the University of 

 Texas, independently came across this same trouble on mulberry 

 trees growing in the vicinity of Austin, Dr. Lewis and the writer 

 came to the same conclusion that this is a disease caused by a 

 fungus. 



While the whole history of this new disease has not been en- 

 tirely worked out, that much is certain. The swelling of the 

 mulberry grains is caused by a fungus which seems to gain an 

 entrance in the fruit, perhaps during pollination or as the mul- 

 berry fruit is still young. The invading fungus keeps pace with 

 the growth of the mulberry fruit. If one looks very closely, 

 he will find that early in the season, around April and May, 

 thcFe swellings may actually become quite perceptible. As the 

 fruit reaches maturity, the swellings of the individual grains seem 

 to have reached their maximiim size. In examining with a hand 

 lens, some of these swelled-up grains, one will find that at the 

 tip end of each grain there protrudes a stout, gelatinous, whitish 

 gray thread. (Fig. C) When this is dropped in water, the gel- 

 atinous thread dissolves and the water becomes decidedly milky 

 in appearance. In examining this under the microscope, it will 

 be found that the milky appearance of the water was due to the 

 presence of large quantities of colorless, roundish spores, which 



