July 14, 1916] 



SCIENCE 



63 



the notes bear dates ranging from 1810 to 1828 

 and it probable that the water-color work was 

 largely done in the early part of this period, for 

 several varieties are illustrated which accord- 

 ing to the manuscript did not live long, or 

 were destroyed as being of little value or 

 particularly subject to disease. 



In this connection it may be of interest to 

 pathologists to call attention to early records 

 which the manuscript and drawings contain 

 relating to plant diseases, some of which were 

 not described or apparently were but little 

 known at that time to botanists or mycol- 

 ogists, and one of which at least was not 

 recognized until fifty years later. There were 

 few mycologists in this country or Europe at 

 that early period and many diseases were not 

 of sufficient economic importance to attract 

 their attention. In fact most of the growers, 

 if they paid any attention to fruit spots at 

 all, considered them a part of the fruit. Many 

 of the diseases now well known were doubtless 

 of common occurrence even then, and perhaps 

 much earlier. Microscopes of any decided 

 magnification were then unknown, and scien- 

 tists of those days can hardly be blamed for 

 failing to make such observations. 



In Coxe's published work of 1817 but one 

 disease is mentioned, the fire blight of the 

 pear (Bacillus amylovorus (Burr.) De Toni) 

 which evidently then as now was a serious dis- 

 ease towards the eradication of which but little 

 progress apparently has been made in the 100 

 years which have followed. In the season of 

 1915 which was unusually wet, this disease 

 swept over a large part of the apple-producing 

 section of the country, doing great damage to 

 the trees. Stevens and Hall state 1 that this 

 has been known over 100 years. It is probable 

 that much earlier records could be found by 

 the examination of older literature. The or- 

 ganism that causes the blight was not de- 

 scribed until 1888. 



In the unpublished colored drawings and 

 the manuscript accompanying them are found 

 descriptions or very accurate colored illustra- 

 tions of the following fungous diseases : 



i Stevens, I\ L., and Hall, J. G., ' ' Diseases of 

 Economic Plants," 101, 1910. 



Leaf Blight (Fdbrcea maculata (Lev.) Atk.). 

 — The species was first issued in exsiccati by 

 Leveille in 1843 as Entomosporium maculatum 

 and described somewhat later. The character- 

 istic fruit spots are well depicted on both the 

 pear and apple. 



Pear Scab (Venturia pyrina Aderh.). — This 

 was for many years confused with the apple 

 scab and was not separately described until 

 1896. 



Apple Scab (Venturia incequalis (GooTce) 

 Winter). — This was first described under 

 Sphcerella by Cooke in 1871. 



Flyspeck of Apple (Leptothyrium pomi 

 (Mont. & Fr.) Sacc). — This was first de- 

 scribed under Labrella in 1834. The sooty 

 blotch (Phyllachora pomigena (Schw.) Sacc.) 

 according to Duggar is only one stage of the 

 flyspeck, and was first described by Schweinitz 

 under Dothidea in 1832. Both are well illus- 

 trated on a number of varieties of apples. 



Bitter Rot (Glomerella rufomaculans 

 (Berk.) Spauld. & Von Schrenk). — This was 

 first described by Berkeley under Septoria in 

 1854. Spaulding and Von Schrenk did not 

 discover an earlier reference to the disease. 

 In the Coxe manuscript under date of May 

 30, 1829, the bitter rot is referred to as com- 

 mon, with the statement that the author had 

 been told by John Hoskins the elder that 

 slaked lime was a good remedy for the dis- 

 ease. In accordance with this suggestion he 

 spread a peck of slaked lime around each of 21 

 apple trees and worked it into the soil. "So 

 notes were made as to results, owing to his 

 early death. 



Fruit Spot (Oylindrosporium pomi Brooks). 

 This disease is well illustrated on several vari- 

 eties of apples and has been identified beyond 

 question by Mr. Brooks. The disease was first 

 discovered by Brooks in 1896. He states that 

 it was first reported in Germany by Sorauer in 

 1879 and in this country by Jones in 1891. It 

 was evidently not previously distinguished 

 from the bitter rot. 



Peach Scab (Gladosporium carpophilum> 

 Thiim.). — This was first described by von 

 Thiimen in 1879. 



Probably other fungi are figured on the vari- 



