DISEASES OF GINSENG. 105 



other one thing. The first specimen of the Alternaria disease that 

 I received was sent in by one of these traveling growers. He had 

 picked it up in the garden of a grower whom he was visiting, and 

 finally sent it in after he had carried it through several other gar- 

 dens, exhibiting it to the owners in each case as a new trouble to 

 be looked out for. No doubt he carried millions of the spores on 

 his clothes to brush some of them off on the plants in other gar- 

 dens, as he passed through. 



I believe, therefore, that the dissemination of the Alternaria 

 fungus with the seed of ginseng is of far less importance than its 

 distribution by other means. As it is a common parasite on the 

 wild plant, it may be expected to appear in any garden sooner or 

 later. The same may be said of pratically all the other diseases 

 of ginseng with which we are acquainted. They are caused by 

 fungi either peculiar to the wild plants or common parasites on 

 other cultivated crops of field and garden. 



The majority of diseases of ginseng attack the roots. For- 

 tunately few of these are very destructive. It would seem that 

 any of these might be readily distributed with roots, when taken 

 to new beds or new gardens for transplanting. However, since 

 these root diseases are caused in almost every case by fungi com- 

 mon on the roots of many other plants, the disease organism is 

 just as likely to be in the soil, where the roots are planted, as it is, 

 to be brought in with the roots themselves. The spores of all of 

 these parasites are microscopic, and so it would be impossible to 

 prevent their getting into the garden by inspection of the roots be- 

 fore planting. The root itself might be diseased, and yet it would 

 not always be possible to detect it. Treatment of the roots with 

 some disinfectant before setting might be effective in some cases. 

 Dr. Miyake has shown that the rust of the roots may be cured by 

 dipping the roots into Bordeaux as they are being transplanted. 



