ANTHRACISrOSE OF CUCURBITS. 47 



are allowed to lie in the field until thoroughly ripe, there is abundant 

 chance for their infection. The disease was also found on cucumbers 

 in several of the fields on a seed farm in Michigan, but it was not 

 present in the melon fields. In August, 1917, the disease was found 

 to be rather serious in several fields of cucumbers on another seed 

 farm in Michigan, and in October, during the seed-harvesting season, 

 anthracnose was found very prevalent on the seed fruits in one field. 

 The badly diseased condition of the fruits in one hill is shown in 

 Plate VII and the lesions on a seed fruit in Plate VIII. 



On June 29, 1917, 12 seed fields were visited in Florida in the chief 

 watermelon seed-producing region. Anthracnose was found in six 

 of these fields ; in one it was very serious and widespread and occurred 

 on the young fruits as well as on the vines. The melon seed crop is 

 later than the commercial crop of that region and runs along well 

 into the rainy season of July, so that anthracnose development is 

 favored. Melon seed is also secured in other districts from the unsal- 

 able fruits remaining in commercial fields after the better ones are 

 shipped. This almost insures the use of diseased fruits. In any 

 case, the melons are allowed to remain in the field until dead ripe, 

 and on account of the higher temperatures of that region they are 

 more subject to severe anthracnose infection than seed cucumbers. 



Although the disease has been found in the State, no anthracnose 

 has been reported in the cucurbit-seed fields in Colorado, and since 

 practically all cantaloupe seed is produced in the West, this may 

 explain the absence of anthracnose from the cantaloupe fields as 

 observed at Blackville, S. C. 



It is quite evident, then, that the disease is present in both cucum- 

 ber and melon seed fields and that seed fruits become abundantly 

 infected. It remains to be shown whether or not seed infection or 

 contamination may occur. Theoretically, the fungus might be 

 present within the seed, upon the surface of the seed, or in diseased 

 fruit fragments mixed with the seed. First, what is the likelihood 

 of the two latter contingencies ? 



PROCESSES OF SEED EXTRACTION. 



In the North, cucumber and melon seed is extracted by passing 

 the fruits through a machine known as a "grinder." The fruits are 

 thrown into a hopper and pass down between revolving cylinders, 

 the surface of which is spiked, ridged, or fluted. These rollers crush 

 the fruits sufficiently to free the seed and pulp. The wet mass of 

 seed, pulp, and rind fragments then passes through inclined revolving 

 screens, which separate the seed and juice from the larger fragments 

 of rind and pulp. The fluid mass of seed and juice is usually allowed 

 to ferment two to four days in open barrels or pits, to remove from 

 the seed the adhering pulp and the capsule or gelatinous epidermal 



