No. 374] PLANT MORPHOLOGY AND PHYSIOLOGY. 99 
Davip G. FAIRCHILD: Basidiobolus, a Fungus Derivative of the 
Conjugate. Read by title. 
Dr. G. E. Stone: Zhe Conjugation of Spirogyra. Read by title. 
Dr. G. E. STONE: Chemotropism in the Peronosporee. Read by 
title. 
Dr. Erwin F. SMITH: Additional Notes on the Bacterial Brown Rot 
of Cabbages. Field studies of this disease were made in Michigan, 
Wisconsin, Ohio, and New York in August, September, and October 
of 1897. These served to confirm the earlier published statements 
of the writer’ respecting the manner of infection and the usual. 
symptoms. A number of new facts which appear to have an impor- 
tant economic bearing were also brought to light. Some of these 
discoveries are as follows: (1) this disease is serious in many parts 
of the United States; (2) the greater part of the infections take place 
through natural openings of the plant, że., through water pores 
located on the serratures of the leaves; (3) the disease is frequently 
disseminated by insects; (4) the wild mustard, Brassica sinapistrum, 
is one of the common host plants; (5) the disease is very frequently 
disseminated by man, ż.e., by making seed beds on infected soil, and 
transplanting the germs in infected seedlings to land previously free 
from it; (6) when a soil has once become infected, there is reason to 
believe that the germs are capable of living in it for a series of years 
and will attack cabbages which are planted on it; (7) the disease may 
be restricted by planting seed beds on healthy soil; by transplanting, 
as far as possible, to sod land, or at least to land not previously occu- 
pied by crucifers; by destroying wild mustards and parasitic insects; 
by removing badly affected plants bodily; and, in early stages .of the 
disease, że., when the disease has only recently passed out of the 
water-pore stage of infection, by removing affected leaves. A full 
“account of the economic aspects of this disease has been published 
by the Department of Agriculture in the shape of a Farmers’ Bulletin, 
which may be had on application. Cultures of the parasite and dried 
leaves and stems of cabbage showing the characteristic symptoms 
were passed around. 
Dr. Erwin F. SMITH: Occurrence of Kramer's Bacterial Disease on 
Sugar Beets in the United States. Attention was called to the exist- 
ence in parts of the United States (Michigan, Wisconsin, etc.) of a 
disease of sugar beets much resembling, if not identical with, that 
1 Science, June 18, 1897, p. 963, and Centralb. f. Bakt., 2 Abt., July 7, 1897, 
p. 284. 
