516 
On the Pacific coast, wheat farmers have 
generally found that bluestone-treated seed 
escapes wholly or in part from soil infection. 
Bluestone solutions (1 pound to 4 or 5 gallons 
of water) are so strong that heavy loss in seed 
germination occurs. To prevent this loss, the 
bluestoned seed is dipped in a lime solution. 
This double dipping adds considerably to the 
cost and labor concerned in the seed treating 
process. Inquiries are frequently received re- 
questing to know if the lime can not be mixed 
with the bluestone and but one dipping given. 
As the lime counteracts the effects of bluestone 
on. smut spores, this process is not advisable. 
In devising some means to meet the situ- 
ation the writer devised tests using the lime 
sulphur-dip so universally used in spraying 
fruit trees for fungous pests. Preliminary 
tests with wheat and barley show the lime sul- 
phur-dip at rather dilute solutions to be very 
effective against both stinking smut of wheat 
and covered smut of barley. As a thick coat- 
ing of the dip adheres to the seed, it is quite 
effective against soil infection. The germ of 
seed wheat and barley dipped in a lime-sul- 
phur solution even as strong as one part to 
one part of water gave, in these preliminary 
tests, no noticable deleterious effects on seed 
germination. If further more exhaustive tests 
confirm the preliminary ones, a fungicide 
which is much cheaper than bluestone and en- 
tirely lacking in destructiveness to the seed 
germ. will have been secured. 
W. W. Macs 
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, 
BERKELEY, Cau. 
SCIENTIFIC BOOKS 
A Text-book of Mycology and Plant Pathology. 
By Joun W. Harsupercer. P. Blakiston’s 
Son & Co., 1012 Walnut St., Philadelphia, 
1917. With 271 illustrations, vii-+ 779 
pages. 
Students as well as investigators in mycol- 
ogy and plant pathology will greatly welcome 
the appearance of the above named work, by 
Dr. Harshberger. This is perhaps the only 
American book of its kind which treats of my- 
cology in its true relationship to plant pathol- 
SCIENCE 
[N. S. Von, XLVIITI. No. 1247 
ogy. The book is of special interest, as it is 
written by a man who combines the knowledge 
and tha technique of the old and the young 
botanist. Dr. Harshberger’s work is the result 
of twenty-seven years experience in teaching 
and in preparing men for the botanical profes- 
sion. 
Like all other of his works, Dr. Harshberg- 
er’s present book is very exhaustive; indeed it 
may safely be called an encyclopedia of mycol- 
ogy and plant pathology. It contains a wealth 
of information all written in concise language, 
It is also abundantly illustrated, and the nu- 
merous references will be especially welcomed 
by students and investigators. A book of this 
nature should not be judged by some few im- 
perfections, or errors, in spelling, but rather by 
its scope and its ability to cover the field in a 
precise way. In this the author seems to have 
succeeded. 
The book is divided into four parts: 
Part I. deals with systematic mycology. It 
is divided into twenty-one chapters in which 
the Myxomycetes, the Schizomycetes and the 
Eumycetes are considered at length. The 
Myxomycetes receive a considerable share of 
attention and emphasis is laid on the patho- 
genic forms. A complete bibliography is also 
appended. The discussion of the Schizomy- 
cetes is taken up in a similar fashion as the 
Myxomycetes. The pages dealing with the 
fungi are preceded by chapters on histology, 
chemistry, physiology, ecology, ete. A com- 
prehensive treatment of enzymes in fungi is 
also given. The chapter on the geographic dis- 
tribution of fungi will be appreciated by the 
plant pathologist. The distinctive features of 
the taxonomic chapters on the fungi is that 
emphasis is laid on the forms pathogenic to 
plants. 
Part II. takes up a general consideration of 
plant pathology. The various forms of dis- 
ease, the predisposing factors, the symptoms, 
ete., are very clearly set forth. 
Part III. deals at first with a list of specific 
diseases of economic plants. These are taken 
up alphabetically and the reader is referred to 
a list of fairly extensive agricultural experi- 
ment station bulletins. The second part of 
