38 



instances, however, have tomato plants become affected with Timber 

 Rot when grown in this soil. Should it ever become serious, the 

 surest remedy to apply will be to sterilize the soil. Under the most 

 favorable conditions this method of treatment can be applied at a 

 low cost at the present time, and, when thoroughly done, it consti- 

 tutes a certain remedy for this and other diseases due to fungi that 

 have their origin in the soil. 



Damping Off. 

 (Pythium De Baryanum, Hesse.) 



Damping off of seedlings frequently causes a great daal of trouble 

 to cucumber growers, and, so far as our observations go, is due inva- 

 riably to the above-named fungus, see fig. i6. Damping off in 

 cucumbers is preeminently a seedling disease and is comparable in 

 the human family to such diseases as whooping-cough, chicken pox, 

 measles, etc. Seedlings up to a certain age are peculiarly susceptible 

 to that trouble. When, however, the plants are a few weeks old they 

 appear to be quite immune to the attacks of this fungus. Damping 

 off is largely the result of abnormal conditions to which the seedlings 

 are subjected. Too rapid forcing which gives rise to the develop- 

 ment of weak tissues renders plants more susceptible to this disease. 

 If the seeds are sown in plats and allowed to germinate 

 over hot steam pipes, they are very likely to develop 

 conditions favorable to infection. Too much moisture 

 in the air or soil, lack of ventilation and insufficient 

 light are detrimental to the development of hardy 

 seedlings and are conducive to Damping off. Anything 

 in fact which tends to produce weak, spindling seed- 

 lings may be responsible for this disease. While gen- 

 F1G.16. Damp- eral hygienic conditions essential to the development 

 ingoff— caused ^j healthy seedlings are necessarv in order to prevent 



by Pythium De -^ ° ' * 



Baryanum. or lessen the amount of Damping off, recourse can be 



had to the sterilization of the soil as a remedy for this trouble. This 

 method of treatment should be resorted to when Damping off is con- 

 siderable, especially if the grower wishes to make use of extreme forc- 

 ing conditions. Since cucumbers are frequently started in plats and 

 transplanted in pots, the amount of soil which would have to be 



