90 MAINE AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. I914. 



that the figures and descriptions published by these earlier writ- 

 ers could refer to nothing else than what we know today is 

 Spongospora suhterranea. 



The attention of scientific men was first called to the disease 

 by means of a paper sent by Doctor Wallroth and presented at 

 a meeting held in Brunswick, Germany, September 22, 1841. 

 This paper, however, was not published until the following year.* 

 It should be mentioned in passing that the disease was already 

 sufficiently well known at that time so that the German fann- 

 ers had applied a common name to it. A study of the literature 

 reveals the fact that during the next 10 or 15 years powdery 

 scab or the organism causing it was described or discussed in a 

 dozen or more different publications. From 1856 on, and up 

 to about six or eight years ago, only a very few important arti- 

 cles appeared which dealt with this disease although it was fig- 

 ured and described in various text-books and manuals in tne 

 meantime. One O'f these important contributions was that of 

 Brunchorst already mentioned and another was a short article 

 by de Lagerheim t in which he records the occurrence of the 

 disease on potatoes purchased at a market in Quito, Ecuador. 

 He called attention to the significance of this fact as South 

 America is the home of the potato, and that the disease is gen- 

 erally known in Quito and manifests itself on potatoes from 

 various localities. The natives there called it "Cara" which is 

 equivalent to the English word scab. 



During the past few years several very important papers have 

 appeared dealing with the subject of the powdery scab and 

 the organism which produces it. These have mostly come from 

 pathoilogists in Great Britain and Ireland Where the disease 

 appears to be widespread and destructive and is receiving con- 

 siderable attention. The first report of powdery scab in Nor'th 

 America was made a little over a year ago by Prof. H. T. Giis- 

 sow,t Dominion Botanist of Canada, who stated that the first 

 specimens were received from the Province of Quebec wh^ie 



* Amtlicher Bericht iiber die neunzehnte Versammlung deutscher 

 Naturforscher und Aerzte zu Braunschweig in September 18411 : 1842. 



t de Lagerheim, G. Remarks on the Fungus of a Potato Scat). Jour, 

 of Mycology 7 : 103-104. 1892. 



% Giissiow, H. T. Powdery Scab of PotatO'es Spongospora siibterranea 

 (Wallr.) Johns. Phytopathology 3 : 18-19. 1913. 



