688 



THE Y SA Y. 



Potato Scab. — H. L. BoUy, of Purdue University, 

 has been making a long and careful study of potato 

 scab, and he is convinced that it is a bacterial disease. 



A Dangerous Rubus Mildew. — While at the Bio- 

 logical Institute at Cold Spring Harbor, Long Island, I 

 came upon a small area of Rubus villosus var. /iiiiiiif li- 

 nts badly attacked by Peronospora Rnhi, Rabenh. This 

 mildew is a member of a most destructive genus — the 

 genus that includes such enemies as the grape mildew, 

 onion mildew, lettuce mildew, spinach mildew and 

 several others, to say nothing about the potato rot, which 

 was for a long time classified among the peronosporas. 

 This is the first time, as far as I can determine, that 

 this mildew has been found upon the rubus genus in 

 this country, save the instance when the Writer found 

 the same fungus upon the black caps in a fruit garden. 

 In Europe, where the species was first discovered, it has 

 been taken upon two species of rubus, but different 

 from either of the two above mentioned. 



The fact of the presence of this mildew in this coun- 

 try is significant. It is well known that the members 

 of the genus rubus are closely related, if we may judge 

 by the way fungi behave, and this is one of the best 

 means of getting a clue of kinship. Take, for example, 

 the raspberry anthracnose, that has been quite destruc- 

 tive in some localities. It is common to the blackberry 

 and black cap as well as the raspberry, and the same is 

 true of various other fungi upon the genus. This being 

 the fact, it is natural to expect tha.t the mildew in ques- 

 tion will spread to other members of the genus, and it 

 is very likely will become a plague to the grower of 

 small fruits. The closely allied species common to our 

 vineyards was unknown to Europe until within the past 

 few years, but having once found an entrance there, it 

 has spread with great rapidity. 



It seems to me that there might well be a fund in every 

 state that could be drawn on for the destruction of such 

 pests, when they are in small numbers and only in one 

 place perhaps. The legislature of New Jersey saw the 

 force of this, and at its last session passed a law setting 

 apart a thousand dollars, that can be used each year for 

 the suppression of fungous diseases. New York might 

 well spend a few dollars in the destruction of a worthless 

 blackberry that may otherwise prove a propagating bed 

 for a mildew, that in time can play havoc in the fruit 

 gardens of the whole country. — Byron D. Halsted, 

 Rutgers College. 



Drying Large Fleshy Flowers. — There are some 

 parts of plants that loose a great deal of their beauty, 

 not to say characteristic shape, by the ordinary process 

 of drying for preservation between paper under pres- 

 sure. For example, the leaves of the various kinds of 

 pitcher plants are no longer the round long sacs for hold- 

 ing water that they were when growing, and the large 

 blossoms of fantastic shapes so conspicuous, strange and 

 beautiful in the orchid family lose nearly all, in ordi- 

 nary drying, that made them attractive while fresh. 



Many persons with conservatories wish to preserve some 

 of the floral specimens in a dry state, but usually give 

 up in despair after one or two attempts in the ordinary 

 dry way or by means of the various solutions that have 

 been recommended from time to time. 



During the past two years some experiments have been 

 made with a view of finding some cheap and convenient 

 way of preserving the tender parts of plants or those of 

 peculiar shape in their normal form. Nothing has been 

 found that is better than hayseed. For a body like the 

 pitcher of a cephalotus, timothy seed is excellent. The 

 pitcher may be placed in a vessel containing the seed, the 

 cavity or "pitcher" being filled with the same material. 

 I have simply hung the pitchers up in the open air filled 

 with the seed, and had them dry in perfect form. With 

 the tender fantastic orchid flowers for example, some 

 of the lighter grass seeds, as those of red-top, are better. 

 The main point is to have a light and absorbent sub- 

 stance that will fill up the cavities and at the same time 

 be of some weight to hold the slenderest part in place. 

 I have had some of the orchid flowers with long slender 

 floral parts several inches long dried in this way, that is, 

 packed in grass seed, and they have held their shape 

 and much of their color for a year pinned to a door cas- 

 ing in the laboratory. 



The method is so simple that any one can practice it. 

 The material is cheap and the results are satisfactory. 

 Simply have a large-mouthed vessel — I used straight- 

 sided glass jars, holding a half gallon — and fill in the 

 seed around the specimens carefully, and let them stand 

 in a dry warm room. — Byron D. Halsted. 



Hoeing. — The editor's ideas as the best method of 

 hoeing (see pages 485 and 486) are undoubtedly correct 

 for clay or heavy soil of any kind. 



On the light sandy soils of east and south Florida, in 

 dry weather, I should prefer the "scraper." I want 

 all the surface hoed to kill every weed that has sprouted, 

 even though not yet in sight ; but the shallower this 

 work can be done, the better the soil will resist a drouth. 

 The more this light sand is stirred, the drier it becomes. 

 I have often seen it as dry as gunpowder to the full 

 depth the cultivator had run. 



The more compact most of our soil can be left through- 

 out the dry season the better the result. Of course, 

 during the rainy season, when we have almost daily 

 showers, it is no injury to stir the soil deeply, provided 

 the roots of the plants are not injured. In fact, it is 

 often a benefit by hastening the evaporation of the ex- 

 cess of moisture. — W. C. Steele, Florida. 



Substitute for Glass (Conference Corner, August). — 

 Having tried various methods and forms, I wish to state 

 my decided preference for either cloth or manilla paper, 

 saturated with pure raw linseed oil, without the addition 

 of any other material. 



Cloth coated with boiled oil always grows hard very 

 quickly, and in a year or so becomes so rotten that you 

 can punch a finger through it anywhere. On the other 



