Gray Mold of Castor Bean 
Mar. 3,1923 
68l 
RANGE OF THE DISEASE 
A preliminary survey was made early in August, 1918. The disease 
was found to be especially serious in Florida, which State was more 
extensively planted to the crop than any other. At Gainesville it was 
well scattered over a large field. At Orlando it had just made its appear¬ 
ance on a small scale. At Tampa, Seffner, and Fort Meade, it had already 
destroyed a considerable percentage of the blossoms and young pods and 
was rapidly spreading. The most serious outbreak of the trouble was at 
De Land, on the east coast. Here on August 10, approximately 50 per 
cent of the inflorescences were affected, and continuous moist weather 
gave promise of still further development of the disease. Farther south 
along the east coast, at Vero, West Palm Beach, Miami, and Davie, the 
disease had not yet made its appearance. In South Carolina, Alabama, 
and Georgia it was not to be found. In Louisiana, the first large field 
examined disclosed none of the fungus. In another field it was found in 
Fig. i. —Map of the southern portion of the United States, showing the distribution of the gray mold of 
the castor bean. 
abundance. The significance of this diversity became evident when it 
was learned that the first field was planted to seed grown in America the 
year before. The second field was planted to the usual Bombay seed. 
This feature will be emphasized later (p. 701) in connection with the origin 
of the pathogene. In southern Mississippi the disease was found in one 
field, in a locality that had been subject to recent heavy precipitation. 
It was reported by other observers who had become familiar with it to 
be absent from Texas, Arkansas, Tennessee, and northern Mississippi. 
In September and October further surveys were made, to follow up 
the previous observations and to note any further spread. It was found 
to have become definitely established in fields at Kissimmee, Lucerne 
Park, Haines City, and at Moorehaven, on Lake Okeechobee, where a 
number of fields were seriously affected. In October a report of its 
occurrence in eastern Texas, following a protracted wet period, was 
followed up; and it was found that the disease was causing from 10 to 25 
per cent loss in fields near Houston and Alvin. At a point in southern 
Texas not visited by the writer personally the trouble was not present, 
according to reliable reports. Here the whole summer was known to 
