78 HATCH EXPERIMENT STATION. [Jan. 



greatly reduced of late, there appears to be no longer any 

 reason why it can not be extensivel}^ used to eradicate dis- 

 eases in those cases where there seems to be urgent need. 

 The cost of treatment in badly infested houses proves an 

 excellent financial investment. For example, some houses 

 have had the drop in them to such an extent that 50 per 

 cent, of the plants would succumb, and in some rare cases 

 the whole crop has been lost. In a house containing 4,000 

 dozen plants at 50* cents per dozen the value of the crop 

 Avould be $2,000; or, at 25 cents per dozen, $1,000. A 

 loss of 50 per cent, would reduce the value of the crop to 

 $1,000 and $500 respectively. Such a loss is the more pro- 

 voking, inasmuch as the maximum amount of the drop 

 occurs just about the time when the plants are mature, and 

 all the labor bestowed on the crop in transplanting, the 

 care given to the same, amount of heat utilized and valuable 

 space which they have taken up, are all for nothing. 



A house of this description was sterilized during the past 

 winter at a cost of $100, and in examining this crop, which 

 was one of the most perfect we have ever seen, there was 

 only one case of disease in the whole house. This one 

 diseased plant occurred near an iron post that supported the 

 house, and there was evidently a small portion of soil in 

 that spot which had not been sufficiently treated. The cost 

 of treating this small neglected area Avould, however, have 

 been very insignificant. When we observed the crop, it had 

 already been mature for nearly two weeks, and was being 

 held back for a better market, which gave an excellent op- 

 portunity for any further drop to develop, if the germs were 

 present. There appears to be no reason why, if a house is 

 once treated as thoroughly as this house was, another treat- 

 ment should be required for some years, providing care is 

 taken to prevent contamination from old refuse material 

 which contains the drop fungus. By allowing a few con- 

 taminated areas to exist in the soil, as a result of imperfect 

 treatment, it would probably be from three to five years 

 before the loss would reach that amount when it would be 



* At the present time, December, 1901, a neighboring market gardener is disposing 

 of his lettuce at 65 cents per dozen. 



