CAULIFLOWER DISEASE. 
129 
On June 3rd, together with further specimens of Strawberry plants 
from the same 14-acre field, Mr. May mentioned that half of the 
plants were affected equally all over the field, excepting on a half-acre, 
where there were Potato clamps before planting, and where they had 
a large manure-mixen. “ These two patches,” my correspondent wrote, 
“ look well, all but an odd plant or two here and there, about one in 
fifty in these two patches; the remainder of the field is just about 
equal. The plants on half the field came from my own old plants, 
and the other half from a neighbour’s.” With regard to the origin of 
the infestation, Mr. May observed, “ I am satisfied it has nothing to 
do with the plants when put in ; they all grew well last season.” 
In the first specimens of diseased Strawberry plants sent me 
I found some Eelworms, and in a further supply sent me on the 28tli 
of May, on opening one of the side buds and tearing it small under 
water, I at once found Eelworms of various sizes numerously present; 
these Nematodes appeared to me to be longer in proportion to their 
width than is the case with the Tylenchus devastatrix, which infests so 
many of our plants or crops, notably Oats and Clover. Not, however, 
having the requisite knowledge of nematoid worms to identify the 
species trustwortliily, I forwarded infested plants to Dr. J. Ritzema 
Bos, Professor at the State Agricultural College, Wageningen, 
Netherlands, for the benefit of his well-qualified opinion. On exami¬ 
nation Dr. Ritzema Bos found the infesting Eelworms to belong to the 
genus Aphelenchus of Bastian, but not to be identical with any of the 
species of this genus with which we were previously acquainted, and 
therefore, as being previously undescribed, he has bestowed the name on 
it (in his “Preliminary Paper” descriptive of the Nematode and its 
attacks) of the Aphelenchus fragarice. 
The much magnified figures of Tylenchus devastatrix, on the plate 
facing p. 48, may be taken as giving a general idea of the shape of 
Aphelenchi, inasmuch as in both cases these are “ long eel-shaped 
Anguillulidce with a flexible ringed skin”; in both cases also there is 
a “spear” or “stilet” in the mouth-cavity or gullet. There are, 
however, essential differences in structure, which, as they can only be 
observed with the help of very high microscopic powers, I do not 
enter on here, but by permission of Dr. Ritzema Bos, who is good 
enough to allow me to extract at pleasure from his paper, of which the 
title is given at page 127, I offer just a few notes from his measure¬ 
ments, &c., and likewise his valuable botanical description of the effect 
of the infestation on the plant growth, as giving this with a technical 
precision beyond my own powers. I have also added from the plate of A. 
fragarice and the malformed growths caused by it, given in his pamphlet, 
a portion of the figure of the different forms of injury the infestation 
causes to different portions of the plant, drawn by him from life. 
