146 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Damping-ofi Disease in Plant Beds, Control of. By James 

 Johnson {U.S.A. Agr. Exp. Stn., Wisconsin, Research Bull., March 31, 

 1914, pp. 24-61 ; 12 figs.). — ^This paper is devoted to the control 

 methods of damping-off caused by Pythium Deharyanum (Hesse), 

 though they would equally apply in the case of damping-off caused 

 by Rhizoctonia fungus. Damping-off fungus occurs on numerous 

 food plants and garden and greenhouse plants, and may also live on 

 dead organic matter of the soil. The disease is especially favoured 

 by excessive moisture and high temperatures. Of a large number 

 of chemical substances tried, formalin alone proved of value. The 

 author recommends formahn (i in 50 parts of water) at rate of 2 quarts 

 to the square foot of soil. This suffices to kill fungi and is also beneficial 

 to the plant. Sterilization of the soil by heat was, however, the most 

 satisfactory method of dealing with the disease. This sterilization is 

 also of value in that all weed seeds and insect pests are destroyed. 

 Growers should avoid poorly drained soils and thick sowing of seed. 



A. B. 



Disease in Plants, The Treatment of. By D. Houston {Garden, 

 May 3, 1913, p. 215). — Hitherto prevention has been the only practical 

 method, except in a few cases like incipient canker, the difficulty 

 of destroying the myceHum of fungus within the plant being obvious. 

 Miss S. M. Baker has recently tried a method of treatment entirely 

 new to plant pathology, by which the internal parasite is destroyed 

 by the use of a ferment that digests the fungus, while it is harmless 

 to the plant. This is obtained from a toadstool known as Coprinus 

 caudatus. The treatment was tried on a branch of a Victoria Plum, 

 the last survivor of five main branches badly affected with silver-leaf 

 disease. The method of treatment was by injecting a concentrated 

 watery extract of the deliquescing cap of the Coprinus, applying ex- 

 ternally a poultice of the same upon the parts of the dead wood showing 

 fruit bodies of the parasite. After treatment for two years the upper 

 branches showed no sign of silvering, and it had borne fruit in two 

 successive seasons after sterility for three years, and produced remark- 

 ably vigorous new growth. The lower parts of the branch, however, 

 near the infected dead wood, still showed slight silvering. 



The subject is further discussed by Mr. R. Irwin Lynch, Garden, 

 Nov. 29, 1913, p. 603. — H. R. D. 



Early Flowers in Cornwall and the Scilly Islands, The Culture 



of. By W. Dallimore {Btill. Roy. Bot. Gard. Kew, 1913, No. 5, 

 pp. 171-177). — The article describes the commercial cultivation of 

 Narcissi. The method of marketing and the prices realized are also 

 dealt with. — A . S. 



Echium. By W. Vorwerk {Gartenflora, vol. Ixiii. pt. iii. pp. 59-60 ; 

 I fig.). — The following shrubby species of Echium are found in 

 Madeira and the Canary Isles : E. bifrons, E. simplex, E. fastuosum, 

 E. giganteum, E. candicans, E. aculeatum, and E, strictum. E. bifrons 



