﻿lo 
  BOTANICAL 
  GAZETTE. 
  [ 
  Januar\', 
  

  

  iarly 
  rapid 
  growth 
  and 
  its 
  susceptibility 
  to 
  climatic 
  condi- 
  

   tions, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  for 
  other 
  reasons. 
  Accordingl}' 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  

   cultures 
  in 
  nutrient 
  gelatine 
  and 
  agar-agar 
  was 
  begun. 
  Bj^ 
  

   this 
  method 
  two 
  distinct 
  species 
  of 
  bacteria 
  were 
  isolated 
  

   from 
  the 
  spots, 
  either 
  of 
  which 
  might 
  have 
  been 
  the 
  cause 
  of 
  

   the 
  disease. 
  

  

  Inoculations 
  were 
  attempted, 
  both 
  in 
  the 
  laboratory 
  and 
  

   in 
  the 
  garden, 
  all 
  of 
  which 
  failed 
  to 
  produce 
  the 
  disease, 
  but 
  

   as 
  the 
  American 
  climate 
  is 
  dry, 
  and 
  therefore 
  unfavorable, 
  it 
  

   was 
  thought 
  that 
  the 
  bacteria 
  had 
  not 
  been 
  given 
  a 
  sufficient 
  

   trial, 
  and 
  so 
  it 
  was 
  decided 
  to 
  let 
  the 
  whole 
  matter 
  lie 
  over 
  

   until 
  the 
  next 
  winter, 
  when 
  inoculation 
  experiments 
  could 
  be 
  

   made 
  in 
  Bermuda. 
  

  

  Shortly 
  before 
  visiting 
  Bermuda 
  for 
  the 
  second 
  time 
  my 
  

   attention 
  was 
  again 
  directed 
  to 
  the 
  fungus 
  as 
  a 
  cause 
  of 
  the 
  

   disease 
  by 
  the 
  appearance 
  of 
  Professor 
  Marshall 
  Ward's 
  de- 
  

   scription 
  of 
  a 
  similar 
  disease 
  caused 
  by 
  a 
  fungus 
  growing 
  

   upon 
  the 
  Lilium 
  candidum 
  in 
  England. 
  Upon 
  my 
  arrival 
  in 
  

   Bermuda 
  m 
  February, 
  1889, 
  I 
  renewed 
  my 
  efforts 
  at 
  inocu- 
  

   lation 
  with 
  bacteria, 
  but 
  in 
  every 
  case 
  without 
  success. 
  I 
  

   also 
  placed 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  plants 
  in 
  glass 
  jars 
  which 
  contained 
  

   liuid 
  cultures, 
  to 
  see 
  if 
  by 
  any 
  chance 
  the 
  action 
  of 
  bacteria 
  

   upon 
  the 
  bulb 
  might 
  not 
  have 
  something 
  to 
  do 
  with 
  the 
  epi- 
  

   demic. 
  1 
  hese 
  plants, 
  however,remained 
  remarkably 
  healtlw 
  

   as 
  did 
  a 
  so 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  plants 
  from 
  which 
  I 
  removed 
  the 
  

   bulbs, 
  placing 
  the 
  stalks 
  in 
  fluid 
  cultures, 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  bacte- 
  

   ria 
  had 
  direct 
  access 
  to 
  the 
  tissues 
  of 
  the 
  plants. 
  The 
  

   weather 
  was 
  extremely 
  unfavorable, 
  so 
  that 
  although 
  I 
  saw 
  

   numerous 
  small 
  spots, 
  I 
  met 
  with 
  none 
  large 
  enough 
  to 
  show 
  

  

  ?omol7e 
  "*" 
  '' 
  ''' 
  ^""^"" 
  .' 
  ^^^^^' 
  thlrefore,^unable 
  to 
  

   complete 
  my 
  experiments 
  satisfactorily 
  in 
  Bermuda 
  as 
  I 
  

  

  could 
  not 
  even 
  get 
  a 
  culture 
  of 
  the 
  fungus 
  as 
  a 
  start 
  ng 
  point 
  

  

  nnH 
  hn"'^^'"'^^^"''"^' 
  ^ 
  ^^^^ 
  hadVcimens 
  senUo 
  me 
  

   and 
  have 
  been 
  able 
  to 
  carry 
  on 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  experiments 
  nt^e 
  

   laboratory 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  which 
  1 
  have, 
  at 
  length, 
  asceiiained 
  

   dehnitely 
  the 
  cause 
  of 
  the 
  disease. 
  Meanwhile 
  I 
  hal^ 
  re 
  

   S 
  .?1 
  '71 
  .^«:---l'-te 
  plants 
  in 
  the 
  laboratry 
  wkh 
  ba': 
  

   tena, 
  all 
  of 
  which 
  attempts 
  have 
  been 
  signal 
  failures 
  as 
  have 
  

   been 
  likewise 
  all 
  attempts 
  to 
  produce 
  thi 
  disease 
  by 
  fumms 
  

  

  upon 
  Vn^In't^ 
  l7"^^ 
  "^^^ 
  ^^^^^^^ 
  ^-^ 
  bee^ 
  plaS 
  

  

  