Notes and Brief Articles 



315 



that the blister rust enters pine trees through the stomates on 

 their leaves, producing at first characteristic golden-yellow spots 

 or bands. 



The first specimen of Grifola Berkeley i I have seen from Ala- 

 bama was sent in last July by Mr. J. E. Fries, of Birmingham. 

 This very large polypore occurs at the base of oak trees and is 

 evidently parasitic on oak roots. It has received several names, 

 such as P. anax, P. lactifiuus, and P. suhgiganteiis, all of which 

 are characteristic ; but the earliest name, P. Bcrkeleyi, was as- 

 signed by Fries in 185 1 to a fragment sent to him by Berkeley, 

 who received it from Curtis in North Carolina. While in Vir- 

 ginia last summer, I saw an immense specimen of this fungus 

 growing against the base of an oak on the college campus at 

 Blacksburg, which measured fully two feet across. 



A bulletin has recently been published by the U. S. Department 

 of Agriculture treating of the rosette disease of pecan trees in 

 the southern states. After considerable experimenting, it has 

 been discovered that this serious disease is caused by soils de- 

 ficient in humus, fertility, and moisture supply. In setting new 

 orchards the bulletin recommends that only good land be used. 

 Deep sand, clays underlaid with sand, and eroded hillsides should 

 be avoided. After the orchard is planted the cultural practices 

 should be such as to increase the depth, humus content, fertility, 

 and moisture-holding capacity of the surface soil as rapidly as 

 possible, and to conserve moisture during dry periods. Inter- 

 cropping with shallow-rooted plants and legumes is a good 

 practice. 



Mrs. John R. Delafield collected a number of interesting fungi 

 at Buck Hill Falls, Pennsylvania, in August and presented them 

 to the Garden herbarium. Notes and colored drawings accom- 

 panied several of the specimens which were of particular value. 

 The very rare Tyroiuyces halsameus, the dainty little Prumilus 

 cyaneohasis, and the brilliantly-colored Melanoleiica Russula 

 were among the number. Also : Chanterel minor, C. cinnahari- 



