New York AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 149 
trouble is sometimes quite common with timothy, and several other 
grasses show it occasionally. 
While studying this trouble of June grass in Igo02 the writer 
discovered that in specimens collected on the Station grounds the 
shriveled portion of the affected culms was almost always covered 
with a copious growth of a delicate white fungus belonging to the 
genus Sporotrichum. Frequently, there was associated with the 
Sporotrichum a species of mite. The mite was not identified until 
five years later (see page 160), but specimens of the Sporotrichum 
were sent to Prof. Peck who pronounced it an undescribed species 
and gave it the name Sporotrichum pow. 
For a time it was suspected that the Sporotrichum might be one 
of the causes of silver top, but this idea was subsequently abandoned 
when it was found that in the majority of cases the affected culms 
were quite free from Sporotrichum or other fungus. However, 
Loth the Sporotrichum and the mite reappeared to a limited extent 
about Geneva in 1903, 1905, 1907 and 1908; also at Interlaken, 
N. Y., in 1907. In one instance the Sporotrichum and associated 
mite were found on timothy, Phleum pratense L., affected with 
silver top. 
In reviewing the literature of silver top the writer has found but 
two references to fungi in connection with the trouble.48 One of 
these is in an article by Osborn’ whose studies were made in lowa. 
He says: “In a very few cases I have seen evidence of fungi pres- 
ent in the shriveled base of the withered node, but so very few and 
in such cases so evidently a consequence of the injury that I do not 
think it can ‘be credited with any of the damage.” Prof. Osborn 
writes us that the fungi were not identified. The other reference is 
by Reuter?? whose studies were made in Finland. He says: “ Nicht 
selten treten in regnerischen Zeiten an der morschen Partie Schim- 
melpilze auf, welche mitunter als Ursachen der Erkrankung der 
betreffende Pflanze angesehen worden sind. Die fraglichen Pilze 
finden sich indessen stets nur sekundar, an dem schon vorher durch 
trerische Angriffe beschadigten und dadurch morsch gewordenen 
™ Peck, C. H. Report of the State Botanist. 1902. N. Y. State Mus. Bul. 
6798291791003; 
“This excludes the oat disease described by Kirchner (Ztschr. Pflanzen- 
krank,, 14: 18. 1904.) in which the diseased culms were infested with a 
species of Sporotrichtum in association with the mite Tarsonemus sptirife.x 
Marchal, the latter supposed to be the cause of the trouble. 
srsborn, loc.) citi p. 94: 
” Reuter, loc. cit., p. 52. 
