318 Edwin F. Hopkins 



later. He has done some of the most important work in clearing up the 

 confusion in regard to the various sclerotial diseases of tulips and their 

 life histories. 



The appearance of the disease in America was first recorded by Halsted 

 (1902). He had received in 1901, from a grower at Cape May, New Jersey, 

 a diseased specimen, the bulb of which had originally been obtained 

 from Holland. He stated that the disease had also occurred the previous 

 season (1902:438). Obviously, therefore, it was introduced directly 

 from Holland. 



In a letter to Professor H. H. Whetzel, of Cornell University, Professor 

 W. J. Morse, of the Maine Agricultural Experiment Station, mentions 

 some unpublished records of the appearance of the disease at Barrington, 

 Nova Scotia, in 1904, at Cobourg, Ontario, in 1906, and at Cartine, Maine, 

 in 1910. There are also later notes. Professor Whetzel and the writer 

 have received or collected specimens from Amsterdam, Sassenheim, and 

 Aalsmeer, in Holland; from Germany; from Ithaca, McGraw, Garden 

 City, Jamaica, and Brooklyn, in New York State; from Madison, Wis- 

 consin; from Manistee, Michigan; from Washington, D. C; from Belling- 

 ham, Washington; and from Carthage, Missouri. There is no doubt 

 that the disease is widespread throughout the United States and Canada, 

 and it probably will be found wherever tulips are grown. 



ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE 



There are apparently no exact figures available regarding the amount 

 of damage from the Botrytis blight. Both Ritzema Bos and Klebahn 

 speak of the great loss which this disease occasions to both field growers 

 and florists. In fact, Ritzema Bos (1903:91) was engaged for a- time by 

 a growers' association to investigate the disease. 



Elenkin (1911) reports that in 1911, near St. Petersburg, Russia, 50 

 per cent of the tulip crop was destroyed by this and other tulip diseases. 

 A collection and observations made by Whetzel at the New York Botanical 

 Garden in 191G show the Botrytis blight to have been severe there at that 

 time. Occurrence of the disease is recorded also by Stout (1918:241), 

 and letters and specimens from Dr. David Griffiths indicate that it was 

 very prevalent in the Federal Government's bulb gardens at Bellingham, 

 Washington, in 1917. 



