August 26, 1921] 



SCIENCE 



171 



Upon the original specimens, which were in 

 fine condition when received, the disease was 

 manifest as a necrotic condition of the bud, in- 

 volving also the surrounding leaves and ex- 

 tending for several inches down the stem. In 

 general appearance the symptoms are similar 

 to those caused by Botrytis, although the in- 

 fected areas are darker brown or black. Ifo 

 evidence of external fruiting of the parasite 

 was found either upon the original specimens 

 or upon subsequent artificially infected plants. 

 Several attempts were made to isolate a simi- 

 lar organism from diseased peonies in the vi- 

 cinity of State College, so far without suc- 

 cess. Inoculations of the pure culture into 

 healthy peonies, however, readily produced 

 infections, and the characteristic " blighted " 

 symptoms, from which the organism was re- 

 isolated with ease. Inoculations were made 

 upon plants growing out doors with pure cul- 

 ture, using bits of mycelium and zoosporangia, 

 and were successful both with and without 

 wounding of the host. The characteristic 

 symptoms appeared in from three to six days. 



The PhytopMhora in question grows readily 

 upon a variety of artificial media, and in this 

 respect differs from P. infestans. The growth 

 is somewhat sparse upon the surface of agar 

 slants, but is abundant beneath the surface. 



It has been grown on ordinary beef pep- 

 tone agar, potato agar, corn meal agar and in 

 beef broth, where it grows luxuriantly sub- 

 merged but not at the surface. Zoosporangia 

 are produced in abundance and measure 16.7- 

 22.3 fj, X 20.4^29.7 fi. These measurements cor- 

 respond closely to those for the zoosporangia 

 of P. infestans^ but are somewhat broader than 

 those of P. ThaUctri^ which would appear to 

 be its closest relative so far as hosts are con- 

 cerned. Oospores have not been observed 

 either in cultures or tissue sections. 



H. W. Thurston, Jr. 

 0. E. Orton 



Pennsylvania State College 



1 Eosenbaum, J., Jour. Agr. Bes., 8 : 233-276. 

 1917. 



2 Wilson, G. W., Bull. Torr. Club, 34 : 387-416. 

 1907. 



QUOTATIONS 



FAIR WEATHER PREDICTIONS 



One fixed determination in the office of this 

 Journal has been that the monthly issue shall 

 always be ready to go into the mails on the 

 appointed date. The staff has loyally cooper- 

 ated in this effort, regardless of hours of 

 work. With the notice given in April of an 

 impending strike on the first of May, the mat- 

 ter passed beyond our hands, and when the 

 strike materialized, the record of promptness 

 was effectually shattered. 



Fortunately for our peace of mind, the 

 Council of the Society, representative of the 

 membership, had agreed, by formal resolutions 

 adopted at the Eochester Meeting, to wait in- 

 definitely for journals, thereby materially as- 

 sisting the printer in his stand against what he 

 considered unjust demands from the striking 

 employees. 



The labor conditions affected most seriously 

 the hand composition work in the printing 

 office, and this force has been recruited on an 

 open shop basis until it is now greater in num- 

 ber than before. N^aturally, men not accus- 

 tomed to printing chemical articles have had 

 to be developed and trained, so that the new 

 force, at first quite inefficient, is gaining stead- 

 ily in efficiency. There is now every prospect 

 that the August issue will quickly follow and 

 that the September issue will go into the mails 

 promptly on the last day of August. Pardon 

 anachronisms in the editorials of the July 

 and August issues, in view of the unusual 

 situation. 



With all of these troubles upon us, there has 

 been one pleasurable aspect of the situation, 

 the hearty cooperation of both authors and ad- 

 vertisers in the effort to get our work upon 

 a right and permanent basis. Letters re- 

 ceived, especially from advertisers, make us 

 feel that there is a strong bond between this 

 Journal and its patrons, and we desire here to 

 express our sincere appreciation of that spirit. 



One further word only to the authors of 

 papers is added. The preparation of reprints 

 requires a considerable amount of hand com- 

 position work and remaking of material. We 



