1922.] 



A Metal Plant Bucket. 



88 



18th >]ovember, 1920, but on this date posts Nos. 1 and 2 were 

 given a good coating. On 20th December, 1920, the site was 

 again visited, and it was observed that on post No. 8, which was 

 used for control purposes the fructifications of S. purpureum 

 were appearing, but on the tarred posts, Nos. 1 and 2, none was 

 present. Tar, when in possession of its antiseptic properties, 

 has, therefore, apparently the power to retard the developrnent 

 of the fructification. 



The posts have been kept under observation at various intervals 

 and a visit was again paid on 27th January, 1922, when it was 

 not-iced that on post No. 2 the fructifications of the disease had 

 developed. It is clear therefore that if grov^ers tar over wood 

 cut from Silver Leaf diseased trees without removing the bark it 

 does not prevent the production of the reproductive bodies of 

 stereum. 



It is worth noting that the fructifications did not appear 

 until fifteen months after the post was painted. There is, 

 however, some ground for believing that but for the continued 

 dry period experienced last season these reproductive bodies 

 would have appeared earher. 



Further obseiTations are needed to prove whether tarring 

 after removal of the bark will prevent the production of the 

 fungus. Some authorities are doubtful if it will have a lasting 

 (effect, but since for the commercial grower it is hardly practic- 

 able to remove bark when any quantity of posts are required, 

 this point is not of much economic value. 



The result of this experiment illustrates the importance of the 

 destruction of wood infected with the disease. Such material 

 should not be used for posts under any circumstances, but could 

 be used as fuel for domestic purposes, immediately after pruning, 

 or collected in a heap and burned together with other primings 

 fi*om the orchard. 



***** * 



A DESCRIPTION has been received from one of the Ministry's 



Inspectors of a metal plant bucket intended for use in place of 



A -mm i. 1 -nt j. the Ordinary flower pot. The inventor con- 

 A Metal Plant ^ ^, i- j i. . • i . a 



Bucket stantly noticed that cert am plants appeared 



to give better results when grown in old 

 pails and buckets. After experiments extending over several 

 years he produced a bucket which has now been tested in the 

 production of crops on a commercial basis for over six years with 

 apparently satisfactory results. The bucket, which is approxi- 

 mately 12 in. in heicrht and 9 in. in diameter, is constructed 



