SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE, MAY 20. 



lv 



from each of the four cells, so that it possesses great powers of dissemi- 

 nating and reproducing the disease. Every such diseased tuber should be 

 removed and destroyed at once, and if the disease appears amongst stored 

 Potatos, the application of some fungicide would be advisable so as to kill 

 any scattered conidia. Probably some slight wound or bruise may be 

 necessary for the mould to obtain entrance into sound Potatos, but to be 

 forewarned is to be forearmed." 



Professor Percival observed that the disease was infectious amongst 

 stored Potatos, so that care should be taken to remove any that were 

 affected. 



Lily Disease. — Dr. Cooke reported as follows upon some diseased 

 bulbs : — " Bulbs and young shoots of Lilium candidum were sent to the 

 last Committee for report. The two bulbs did not exhibit, either exter- 

 nally or internally, any trace of disease. The young shoot, about six 

 inches long, at first appeared to be vigorous, but very soon all the young 

 leaves began to turn brown and die at the tips, gradually passing down- 

 wards, until only the basal portion of the leaves remained green. No 

 mycelium could be found within the tissues, and although the shoot has 

 been kept in a moist atmosphere for a week, there has been no further 

 development. I am inclined to suspect that, if any form of fungus 

 disease is present, it is due to the parasite described by Professor Marshall 

 Ward (' Diseases of Plants,' p. 117) ; but there is no direct evidence to 

 be found in the specimens sent for examination, and it is possible that 

 the failure may be due to external circumstances and surroundings." 



Turnip Varieties. — Mr. Gould, of Sleaford, wrote to say that there 

 was no possibility of a mistake in the case of the ' Red Tankard ' 

 Turnip described at the last meeting. He adds : — " I am leaving all the 

 plants to seed again, to see what the next generation will produce. We 

 are also planting one Cabbage, one Carrot, and one Mangold, and will let 

 you know the result in due course." 



Raspberry Canes and Pear Leaves diseased. — Mr. Gaut, of the York- 

 shire College, Leeds, sent some examples from various places in Yorkshire. 

 They were referred to Dr. Cooke and Mr. Saunders for examination and 

 report. 



Anthurium Scherzerianum. — Mr. Chapman showed two spikes, one 

 having two spathes, from a plant which has- borne thirty-six spikes, all of 

 which were double-spathed. The other specimen was a seedling from 

 this plant, but single-spathed, with a pale rose-coloured stripe along the 

 midrib. 



Stipa viridida, injurious to cattle. — The seeds of a species of Stipa, 

 probably S. viridida, Trinius, were shown by Mr. E. M. Holmes, and 

 were stated to have caused considerable losses amongst cattle on the 

 Canadian ranches. This particular species appears to possess some 

 poisonous principle, which has not yet received a careful chemical 

 examination. An account of its properties is given in the British 

 Medical Journal, 1898, p. 1,059. Haeckel states that S. incbrians, 

 Hance, and S. sibirica, possess similar toxic properties. Other species, 

 likewise fatal to cattle, owe their danger to the seeds. Those of S. 

 aristiglumis, F. von Mueller, being said by Maiden to cause the death 

 of numbers of cattle and sheep by becoming attached to the wool and 



