June 4, 1909] 



SCIENCE 



911 



but of which the causal fungus has not been before 

 recognized except by Noack in Brazil, is described 

 and notes on its geographical distribution given. 

 Colletotrichose of the fig, Fious Oarica, is described 

 and its causal fungus. Collet otriehum Oarica n. sp., 

 characterized. 



A Bacterial Rot of the Muskmelon: N. J. Gid- 

 DiNGS, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vt. 

 (Read by L. R. Jones.) 



One fourth of the fruit in a field of Montreal 

 muslvnielons at St. Albans, Vt., was ruined by 

 soft rot in the autumn of 1907. This has been 

 proved to be due to a new species of Bacillus 

 whicli will be described in detail and named in 

 the next Annual Report of the Vermont Experi- 

 ment Station. Its characters in brief summary 

 follow: 1-1.7 M by .6-.9 |U. Actively motile by 

 4-6 peritrichic flagella. No endospores; not 

 stained by Gram's method. 



(Gelatin cultures at 20° C, others at 30° C.) 

 Nutrient broth: Strong clouding in 24 hours; 

 no pellicle or ring formation; slight sediment. 

 Agar strolve: abundant, slightly spreading, con- 

 toured, slimy, glistening, translucent-opalescent, 

 growth, umbilicate in elevation. Agar stab: fili- 

 form. Agar plate: colonies round or amoeboid. 

 Gelatin stab : mfundibuliform liquefaction in two 

 days. Milk: coagulation and some separation in 

 two days; acid production of + 55 in twenty-one 

 days. Fermentation broths: growth in closed arm 

 in saccharose, dextrose, maltose, lactose, mannite, 

 urea, asparagin, not in glycerin. Vegetables rot- 

 ted: muskmelon, citron, carrot, potato, beet, tur- 

 nip. Indol production : slight. Nitrate reduction : 

 abundant. Acid production: slight from carbo- 

 hydrate broths ; pronounced from milk. Ammonia 

 production: strong from asparagin. Gas: slight 

 from asparagin; abundant from milk. Over 99 

 per cent, of gas from milk was CO™. 



The White Pine Blight: Peeley Spaulding, U. S. 



Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. C. 



This popular term includes several well-marked 

 and distinct diseases : a leaf blight accompanied 

 by Septoria parasitica, two leaf diseases caused by 

 Lophodermiuni irachysporum and Hypoderma 

 linoare, a leaf and twig blight caused by winter 

 freezing and a twig blight probably caused by 

 insects. 



Some Toxic Properties of Tannic Acid: Mel T. 

 Cook, Agricultural Experiment Station, New- 

 ark, Del. 

 Within recent years a great deal of work has 



been done in growing fungi on substances con- 



taining different chemicals and in studying the 

 responses to the different stimuli. The series of 

 experiments of which this is a part proposes to 

 treat certain fungi with substances which occur 

 in considerable quantities in the host plants. 

 Tannic acid was selected as the first of these sub- 

 stances because it is so widely distributed and 

 occurs in such great abundance, also because of its 

 occurrence in abnormal growths. It is by no 

 means well understood and is probably somewhat 

 different in different families, genera and species. 

 It has been studied by the chemists and pharma- 

 cologists but neglected by the botanists. It is 

 frequently referred to as a waste product, al- 

 though it is sometimes asserted that it may afford 

 a protection against the attacks of insects, fungi, 

 etc. It has been used to some extent as a germi- 

 cide and fungicide. 



This study has been divided into five series of 

 experiments as fojlows: 



First Series. — A study of the histology of patho- 

 logical tissues; not treated in this japer. 



Second Series. — The growing of fungi in pure 

 media and in the same media to which has been 

 added varying percentages oi tannic acid. Hetero- 

 sporimn, Aseoehyta, Macrosporium, Phyllosticta 

 and Rhizoctonia are checked by small percentages 

 of tannic acid. Glceosporium, Colletotrichum, 

 Cladosporium, Fusarium and Sphceropsis were 

 retarded in most cases, but in some instances were 

 stimulated by small percentages of tannic acid. 

 Alternaria, Sclerotinia, Necosmospora are stimu- 

 lated by amounts not exceeding two fifths per 

 cent. Those which are most strictly parasitic are 

 more sensitive to tannic acid than those which 

 are facultative saprophytes. A number of sapro- 

 phytic forms were also used and were found to be 

 stimulated by or at least to tolerate large quanti- 

 ties of tannic acid in most cases; this was espe- 

 cially true of wood fungi. 



Third Series. — Consisted of growing fungi sur- 

 rounded by barriers of tannic acid. Briefly dis- 

 cussed. 



Fourth Series. — Consisted in treatment of fungi 

 with varying percentages of tannic acid for vary- 

 ing periods of time and then placing them under 

 favorable conditions for growth. In most cases 

 the fungi were uninjured by this treatment. 



Fifth Series. — Consisted in growing fungi 

 through sheets of cork. Most fungi will penetrate 

 cork readily if the tannin has been removed. 

 The Present Status of Rice Blast: Haven Met- 



CALF, U. S. Department of Agriculture, Wash- 

 ington. D. C. 



