140 
N. C. AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 
was on March 16, 1909. A total of 545 plants had died of sclero- 
tiniose or over 45 per cent, of those in the beds. 
To make records of disease the beds were inspected carefully each 
day and the cause of disease was determined by culture or microscopic 
examination or both, so that no doubt could exist on this point. 
The work so far demonstrates thorough infection of the beds. 
The second step of the test consisted in removing the plants before 
new sclerotia could form in order to determine whether by so doing 
the bed could in the course of a few years be freed from infection. 
TABLE XVIII.—DAILY RECORDS OF DEATHS FROM SCLEROTINIOSE, 1903-1903. 
Number 
Date of Plants 
Diseased 
Dec. 3_ 1 
5........•_ 2 
14.. ..._ 1 
20.. ... 2 
24 . 2 
11...21 
18_ 2 
20..... ....11 
21.____ 2 
22..... 8 
23_ 2 
25 . 5 
26.... 8 
2 .. 4 
28... 3 
29. 4 
. Number 
Date of Plants 
Diesased 
Jan. 2___ 3 
4 __... 9 
8.--:_10 
11 — ._ 41 
13.. ..._•__29 
15 _ 12 
17.. _ 10 . 
20-24 
24.. _ 73 
26.. ____94 
Feb. 1. 10 
5 _ 33 
8___•_ 6 
10.- 57 
12...____41 
16 .... 25 
Total-555 
The daily inspection was most rigid. All suspected case of sclero- 
tiniose were closely watched and as soon as the symptoms became rea¬ 
sonably indicative of this disease the plants, entire, were removed to 
the laboratory. Thus no sclerotia were allowed to mature in the beds. 
As an additional precaution the locus of the diseased plants were 
sprayed with a strong Bordeaux mixture. 
The lettuce was followed by cucumbers and in the autumn, October 
15, 1909, the next crop of lettuce was set. 
It now remained to see wdiether the disease had increased, as it 
would have done under the usual modes of handling, or whether a de¬ 
crease had been brought about by the hygienic treatment that had 
been followed. 
The record of disease was kept precisely as in the preceding year 
and the same methods were taken to prevent maturity of sclerotia. 
