News and Notes 



201 



fungus. This severe attack, following so closely the epidemics 

 of 1907 and 1908, will undoubtedly kill or severely injure many 

 of the smaller branches of the plane-trees in this region. 



Bulletin 118 of the Bureau of Plant Industry, United States 

 Department of Agriculture, contains the results of four years 

 of research in "Culture Studies of Species of Penicillium" by 

 Dr. Charles Thom, mycologist in cheese investigation. Twenty- 

 seven species and three varieties are described in this paper. 

 In addition to morphological characters, the physiological effects 

 upon nutrient media have been found to be reliable characters 

 in separating some species and in such cases are introduced 

 into the diagnoses of the species. The work is illustrated by 

 thirty-six figures. 



James B. Rorer, mycologist of the Board of Agriculture of 

 Trinidad, has recently been investigating several diseases that 

 threaten the cacao, cocoanut, and banana industries of the Ameri- 

 can tropics (see Bull. Trinidad Dep. Agric. no. 64. 1910, and 

 Trinidad Agric. Soc. Paper 412). Mr. Rorer believes that thor- 

 ough sanitation, by burning in the dry season and burying in 

 rainy weather, is the best means of combatting the bud-rot 

 disease of cocoanut palms ; and he recommends the passage of an 

 ordinance compelling all owners of cocoanut plantations to de- 

 stroy trees affected with this disease. 



An extended report of the Boston meeting of the American 

 Phytopathological Society, by Dr. C. L. Shear, secretary, ap- 

 peared in Science, May 13 and May 20, 19 10. The Society was 

 organized with 130 charter members, and 50 of these were present 

 at the meeting. Three sessions were devoted to the reading of 

 papers, abstracts of which appear in the secretary's report. 

 Among the many interesting things brought forward, the follow- 

 ing may be mentioned : 



Puccinia Malvacearum on the hollyhock may be readily com- 

 municated by artificial inoculation to Malva rotundifoUa, or vice 

 versa. — Malnutrition diseases of cabbage, spinach, and other 

 vegetables in trucking sections along the Atlantic coast, apparently 



