752 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XXIII. No. 593. 



Smith's experiments with Neocosmospora 

 employed soil which was uninfected by that 

 fungus, but apparently was not sterilized, and 

 he states that Thielavia tasicola was present 

 in some of the experiments. To this fact I 

 am inclined to refer the apparent active para- 

 sitism which he found. At any rate, the form 

 which I have isolated from the ginseng plant 

 has not shown active parasitism. 



Howard S. Eeed. 

 Botanical Laboeatoey, 

 Univeesity op Missoubi, 

 March 15, 1906. 



EFFECTS OF AN UNBALANCED RATION. 



In 1904 an obscure disease affected the fruit 

 of certain trees in the orchard of the Maine 

 Agricultural Experiment Station. No sim- 

 ilar trouble had previously come under the 

 notice of the writer, and this note is made 

 simply as a matter of record. A careful study 

 of the cause of the condition described is be- 

 ing carried on at the present time. 



In August, when about the size of walnuts, 

 the fruits began to crack and drop. Marked 

 indentations, somewhat similar to those made 

 by curculio, were abundant. No evidence of 

 insect work could be discovered, however. 

 When the fruit was opened the tissue under 

 the indented parts was found to be dry and 

 brown. Most of the fruits ceased to grow, 

 and by the first of September the larger part 

 of it was on the ground; though early in the 

 season all of the trees were loaded. The 

 leaves, however, appeared perfectly healthy. 



At the time of harvesting, October 10, most 

 of the trees had lost all of their fruit. Such 

 as remained on some of the trees was usually 

 small and deformed; some was of medium 

 size with one side cracked ; and a small portion 

 was without blemish. In all cases, however, 

 the texture of the fruit was soft and spongy — 

 about as might be expected in April or May. 

 The surface of the fruit was also character- 

 istic; there being numerous minute elevated 

 ' pimples,' corresponding to the grayish dots 

 on the fruit. This feature was so noticeable 

 that the workmen spoke of it in handling the 

 fruit after removal to the cellar. 



Though a small portion of the fruit was 



on the tree at harvest time, it dropped so 

 easily that no attempt was made to save it 

 for packing. The slightest jarring of the 

 limbs would cause it to fall. 



The reason for the condition above indicated 

 is, as already noted, very obscure. A careful 

 microscopic examination was made without 

 finding evidence of any fungous enemy, even 

 in the brown dry tissue above mentioned. It 

 was then observed that the condition existed 

 only with certain trees included in a fertilizer 

 experiment, in which an excess of available 

 nitrogen is applied every year. The first tree 

 noticed was on the plat receiving nitrate of 

 soda and acid phosphate. Later it was found 

 that every tree on the plat, as also on the 

 adjoining plat which received nitrate only, 

 was affected as described. In one or two in- 

 stances check trees, which adjoined the nitrate 

 plat, showed a tendency in this direction. 

 None of the other trees in the whole orchard, 

 however, gave the slightest indication of the 

 trouble. The trees on a plat given muriate 

 of potash and acid phosphate, and on another 

 given muriate only, separated from the first 

 by but a single row of trees, were perfectly 

 normal. 



The supposition was made, therefore, that 

 the trouble was physiological and due to the 

 excessive amount of available nitrogen and 

 the lack of potash. Of course this is a matter 

 of conjecture and can be settled only by defi- 

 nite and careful experiment. 



The outcome of a further study of this 

 problem may be of interest and importance in 

 connection with the rational fertilization of 

 orchards. 



W. M. MuNSON. 



Univeesity of Maine. 



NOTES ON ORGANIC CHEMISTRY. 



THE ACTION OF OZONE ON ORGANIC COMPOUNDS. 



Since the discovery of ozone by Schoen- 

 bein, in 1840, many chemists have examined 

 its action on organic compounds, but, hitherto, 

 with very limited success. When a reaction 

 did take place it resulted, almost always, in 

 the formation of carbon dioxide and water, or 

 in the production of highly explosive sub- 



