Notes and Brief Articles 



219 



The heart-rot of Western Hemlock is discussed by J. R. Weir 

 and E. E. Hubert in Bulletin 722 of the U. S. Department of 

 Agriculture. The fungus causing this disease, Echinodontium 

 tinctorium, is ordinarily known as the Indian paint fungus, be- 

 cause of its use by the Indians of the Northwest for war paint. 

 The authors suggest cutting the infected trees and destroying by 

 fire all material that might disseminate the spores of the fungus. 



An article on the wet-rot of Para rubber roots, by W. N. C. 

 Belgrave, forms the subject of Bulletin No. 28 of the Department 

 of Agriculture of the Federated Malay States. This disease, 

 formerly attributed to Porta hypolateritia, is now said to be 

 caused by Fomes pseudo-ferreus. The treatment of trees af- 

 fected by this fungus is said to be of little use. Prevention by 

 clean clearing of jungle stumps is recommended. 



A new species of Amanita, A. mntabilis, is described by Beards- 

 lee in the March number of the Journal of the Elisha Mitchell 

 Scientific Society, as occurring in white sand on Davis Island, 

 North Carolina. The characters of this species are said to sug- 

 gest a relationship to A. pantherina and A. cothurnata. The 

 pileus is white or pale-yellowish and the context of the stipe 

 changes to carmine in about three minutes. 



An interesting account of the Physoderma disease of corn, by 

 W. H. Tisdale, appeared in the Journal of Agricultural Research 

 for February 3, 1919. This disease occurs throughout the United 

 States as far westward as Texas and Nebraska and northward 

 to southern Minnesota and New Jersey, considerable damage 

 having been done in the Atlantic and Gulf coast states and in the 

 Mississippi valley. 



Dr. W. C. Coker has published another one of his valuable, 

 handsomely illustrated articles on larger fungi of North Carolina. 

 This article is entitled " The Hydnums of North Carolina." Al- 

 most the entire March number of the Journal of the Elisha 

 Mitchell Scientific Society is devoted to this interesting group of 



