18 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
oil immersion objective, reports spore-like bodies, separate, 
which gave him the impression of " bacteroids." This I have 
not been able to confirm, as I have not examined the slides with 
a higher power than I inch, and I therefore may have missed 
them. I have, however, found a state of things which appears 
to me to be the result of the ravages of a rapidly growing 
mycelium. In many parts of the slides I see portions of minute 
hyph^e, but I cannot as yet say that anything like a distinct 
branching or matted mycelium is present. The pulp is in many 
places broken down and the oil-cells lying loosely about (known 
by their refracting power). The cells have left remnants where 
attacked, to which the oil -cells still cling by the adhesion of the 
protoplasmic walls. Mucilaginous globules also lie about in dis- 
order. Within the ovules are in some cases bodies suspiciously 
like resting-spores, but I cannot say positively that they are 
such. 
My theory, then, is that the " sleeping " disease is really 
primarily propagated by the seed, and the first thing to be done 
is to refuse to save or use the seed derived from the diseased 
plants. Cases have come to my knowledge where the plants 
have, by means of special soil and new seed-boxes, been protected 
from the supposed infected soil, and yet have died, as seedlings, 
from the disease. No doubt at all exists in my mind tliat 
ultimately the disease is present in the soil, and I have always 
recommended the use of pots in an infected house ; but it seems 
also certain that ]3rimarily the disease is absent from the soil, 
seeing that it makes its appearance in the protected seedling. 
But when once a house is thoroughly infected, Tomatos can only 
be successfuly grown in pots. The best method of treating an 
infected house, as far as my experiments have gone, is — 
1. To grow plants in pots, and to let the natural soil 
of tlie house have a fallow season. 
2. Give heat and water to the soil, in order to germi- 
nate any resting-spores. 
3. To keep the soil loose, to assist the gei'mination. 
■1. Apply lime thoroughly at least once during the 
fallow season. 
5. Also apply 10 to 20 lb. of green copperas per perch 
during the fallow season. 
