Some Bacterial Diseases of Plants. 15 
If the beets are stored in silos and rotting sets in, they should 
all be inspected and the decayed ones put in a pile by themselves, 
so that all will not contract the rot. Cold storage does not seem 
to have any influence on checking the trouble, for even at low tem¬ 
peratures the germs continue to grow and produce havoc. It is 
recommended that beets from sick soil be thoroughly sunned and 
dried before storing, inasmuch as the dessication and sunlight have 
been found to be very detrimental to the growth of the germs. 
Prevention is the only remedy that can be suggested at this 
time. Grow beets on relatively dry ground, if possible, and plant 
corn or some other suitable crop on former beet ground where the 
excess of moisture can do no harm. Our greatest hope of control¬ 
ling this disease, as well as others, is by breeding up some resistant 
variety and, by careful selections, secure a strain which can be 
planted on wet land and yet remain immune. There is no question 
but that such resistant varieties will be forthcoming in the near 
future now that the scientific world is so wide awake to the won¬ 
ders of plant breeding. 
BLACK ROT OF CABBAGE. 
The black rot of cabbage is to the truck producer what pear 
blight is to the fruit grower; in fact, it may be considered far worse, 
for on the one hand there is only the loss of the crop, while on the 
other, not only is the cabbage destroyed, but, in addition, the soil 
on which it has been grown may be so inoculated that it will 
be practically useless to attempt to raise the same crop on the same 
field with any degree of success for a number of years. While 
this condition of the soil exists almost universally in the East, 
there seem to be exceptions to it in this State, since Prof. Paddock 
reports that in certain localities in Colorado he has grown cabbage 
successfully on land which was badly infected the previous season. 
Bacterial examination of diseased plants has shown the sick¬ 
ness to be due to a kind of germ, Pseudomonas campestris (Pammel, 
Smith). The disease is by no means confined to the cabbage, but 
attacks other cruciferous plants such as cauliflower, collards, kohl 
rabbi, kale, brussels sprouts and broccoli. It has also been reported 
as occurring in turnips, rutabagas, wild radish and mustard. It is 
widely distributed in the United States, having been found most 
prevalent east of the Mississippi River. In 1901, Prof. W. Paddock 
reported it from Colorado. Previous to 1899, we do not hear of 
the black rot in Europe, but the investigations of Harding,* con¬ 
firmed by foreign workers, show the disease to be wide spread and 
of long standing. England, Holland, Denmark, Austria and Switz¬ 
erland are mentioned as constant sufferers from the malady. This 
*Cent. f. Bakt. II Abt. Bd. VI., pp. 305-313 (1900). 
