I 



396 JOUBNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



This includes the result of a number of tests that have been made to < 

 determine the strength values of various timbers for structural pur- 

 poses. — A. D. W, 



Tobacco, Cuban. By Beinrich Hasselbring {Bot. Gaz. pp. 113- 

 126, Feb. 1912 ; 6 plates). — The author found that the tobacco fields 

 in Western Cuba show a lack of uniformity. There is a great variety 

 of forms, and it is impossible to group all the plants in fixed cate- 

 gories. The chief difficulty of cultivation appears to arise from the I 

 soil being so thoroughly infected with fungi that rain during the 

 growing season destroys all the plants in the seed-beds. The young 

 plants are therefore largely grown in the mountains in soil which is 

 partly sterilized by burning brush on the surface. Some growers , 

 depend on purchase for their young plants. No seed selection is ; 

 practised. After the stems have been cut off, suckers are formed from 

 the roots, and it is these suckers which furnish the seed. The ground 

 is no longer irrigated when the plants have been cut, and these 

 suckers are much choked with weeds. 



Hence the seed is a mixture, and there is no pure breeding. The 

 plants are usually self-pollinated. The author selected fourteen plants 

 in Cuba, and sowed the seed obtained from them. He did not find 

 that there was any great variation in the progeny of any one plant. 

 They differed from the Cuban original, but were uniform in them- 

 selves. The descendants of each plant were like it. 



The author found no " breaking up of the type " due to a new 

 environment. — G. F. S. E. 



Tomato, A New, *Directeur Plateau.' By E. Plateau {Rev A 

 Hort. pp. 107-8, March 1, 1912; one illustration).— This Tomato is 

 described as producing twin bunches of fruit, brick-red and of such a 

 size that a plant yielding six of such twin bunches bears as much as 

 18 lb. of fruit of fine quality. The plant grows about 4 feet high. 



C. T. D. 



Tomato Blight and Rot in Virgrinia. By H. S. Eeed {U.S.a! 



Agr. Exp. Stn., Virginia, Bull. 192, April 1911). — Tomato Blight is 

 due to Septoria Lycopersici, and the Tomato Eot to Phytophthora, twc 

 distinct fungoid diseases, which often occur together on the samej 

 plant. 



The Septoria blight attacks the leaves only, causing small spotfl 

 which enlarge rapidly and destroy the leaves. The leaves become 

 brown and droop from the base of the petiole. The dead leaves hang 

 on till disjointed by the wind, &c. The spores are borne in pycnidis 

 formed in the spots on the older leaves. Favourable conditions foi 

 the spread and development of the disease are warm, rainy weather 

 Long spells of dry, hot weather tend to check the disease. The spore: 

 are slightly curved, and many septate. 



The tomato Phytophthora, is the more destructive of the tw( 

 diseases. The fungus attacks leaves, stem, and fruit. The leave 



