724 The American Naturalist. [September, 
the Purdue University Agricl. Experiment Station, Lafayette, 
Indiana, in (26) Diseases of the Sugar Beet, issued April 13, 1892, 
and forming Bulletin No. 39, Vol. 3, of that station, pp. 54-58, ` 
and summary, pp. 61-62. 
(2) Geographical Distribution —This disease appeared in 
sugar beets grown for experimental purposes at the Indiana 
station, and seems to have’ first attracted the attention of the 
station chemist owing to the low percentage of sugar found in 
some of the roots. These were examined microscopically, and 
bacteria, or bacteria-like bodies found in the tissues. This was 
in 1890. “ Owing to the lateness of the season, and the lack of 
a plant house, the observations on the disease soon came to an 
end, to await the next growing season. The following descrip- 
tion of the disease, and of its distribution and cause, is there- 
fore the result of studies made almost wholly during the summer 
of 1891 and the winter of 1891-2.” The disease is prevalent 
in many places in Indiana. In 1892 it occurred in all of the 
eight varieties of sugar beets grown on the Purdue Station 
grounds, and was found to some extent in nineteen of the 
twenty-seven samples of beets sent in for analysis from as many 
different localities in that State. This is not, however, it is 
stated, an entirely fair indication of the prevalence of the 
malady, since it is customary to select the best beets for analy- 
sis, and the proportion of diseased ones in such lots is less than 
the actual average. Of a total of 434 beets received from differ- 
ent parts of Indiana, and examined for this disease, 12 per 
cent. were affected. No record was kept of the percentage of 
diseased beets appearing on the experiment station grounds, 
but this is stated to have been large. 
(3) Symptoms.—* This disease does not usually cause the 
death of the plants, any spots upon its surface, or any altera- 
tion or discoloration of the tissues.” 
“The beet root shows externally no marks by which the 
presence of the bacterial parasite can be detected; the most 
diseased and the strictly healthy roots cannot be separated by 
any external characters. This statement, however, does not 
apply to the leaves. While the plants are small, the foliage of 
healthy and diseased plants remain normal ; but as the plants 
