December 20, 1901.] 



SCIENCE. 



955 



service alone. In the repression of scabies 

 in sheep nearly 8,000,000 animals were in- 

 spected and over 1,000,000 dipped under 

 the supervision of the Department inspect- 

 ors. In combating the disease known as 

 ' black leg ' the Bureau distributed over 

 1,500,000 doses of vaccine, the result being 

 to reduce losses in affected herds to less 

 than 1 per cent. , where formerly it was in 

 most cases about 10 per cent. To aid in 

 detecting tuberculosis in cattle and glan- 

 ders in horses, over 44,000 doses of tuber- 

 culin and 7,000 doses of mallein have been 

 supplied. The Secretary points out the se- 

 rious evil resulting from a system of State 

 inspection, whicJi, if it became general, 

 would effectually prevent the marketing of 

 live-stock in some sections, and would de- 

 stroy much of the usefulness of the Federal 

 inspection. He regards the present condi- 

 tions as so menacing to the interests of the 

 cattle industry in the West and Southwest, 

 that he has requested the Attorney-General 

 to cooperate in bringing the matter before 

 the Supreme Court for decision as to the 

 constitutionality of these State laws. This 

 request has been favorably received and the 

 assistance of the Department of Justice 

 promised. 



PLANT INDUSTRY. 



The organization of the Bureau of Plant 

 Industry is reported. It has brought to- 

 gether in one group investigations in plant 

 physiology and pathology, botany, grasses 

 and forage plants, pomology, and the ex- 

 perimental gardens and grounds including 

 the experimental farm at Arlington, and the 

 introduction of foreign seeds and plants. 



Plant Physiology and Pathology. — Investiga- 

 tions in plant physiology and pathology 

 have been lately devoted to the study of 

 cotton diseases, diseases of orchard fruits, 

 and of forest trees and construction timber. 

 An interesting discovery to cotton-growers 

 is reported of a cowpea resistant to the 

 fungus that destroys the cotton roots. The 



cowpea being used in rotation with cotton, 

 the securing a resistant cowpea will be of 

 the greatest possible value to cotton-grow- 

 ers. Eemarkable success is reported in 

 experiments in plant-breeding to secure 

 samples of cotton resistant to wilt and 

 other diseases. Numerous valuable hy- 

 brids have also been developed. One from 

 an American upland cotton and an Egyptian 

 variety promises to be greatly superior to 

 either parent. The Department has been 

 for several years trying to secure by breed- 

 ing a race of oranges resistant to frost. 

 A cross of hardy Japanese with the Florida 

 sweet orange has resulted in the hardiest 

 evergreen orange known, and there is 

 promise of ultimately securing a fruit both 

 hardy and of good quality. Considerable 

 success has also been attained in breeding 

 raisin grapes resistant to the disease known 

 as ' coulure. ' 



Botanical Investigations. — In botanical in- 

 vestigations important work has been done 

 on seeds, improvement of crops, and 

 methods of crop production in our tropical 

 possessions, and prevention of losses to 

 cattle in the West from eating poisonous 

 plants. The low germination of commer- 

 cial samples of Kentucky blue-grass seed 

 was investigated. It was found that there 

 is a stage in harvesting this seed when 

 heating takes place in the tops of the grass, 

 piled in windrows, which tends to destroy 

 the germination of the seed. This can be 

 avoided by methods of handling the grass, 

 but the Department is experimenting with 

 machinery which will dry the moist seed 

 without permitting it to heat. Compara- 

 tive experiments regarding the relative 

 value of American and European clover 

 seed give results strongly in favor of the 

 former, at least under conditions prevalent 

 in this country. A remedy has been found 

 which, when promptly administered, is 

 effectual in the treatment of animals 

 poisoned from larkspur and poison camas. 



