220 REPORT OF THE DEPARTMENT OF BOTANY OF THE 
wilted but not quite dead were found on June 6 when the alfalfa 
was Io to 12 inches high. Upon seeking the cause, it was found that 
the wilted shoots were attacked near the surface of the soil by a 
fungus producing a luxuriant cottony white mycelium. Underneath 
the cottony growth of fungus the bark was soft rotten, but the in- 
terior of the stem was not yet discolored. Probably this was an 
early stage of the disease observed in 1899 and 1902. The only im- 
portant difference is in the point of attack being near the root. The 
greater luxuriance of the mycelium and the absence of black scler- 
otia are to be accounted for by the wet weather and the immature 
condition of the fungus. The hyphze resembled those of Scle- 
rotinia, and there were a few light-colored immature sclerotia. On 
June 18, four other stalks similarly affected were found in this 
field and one of them showed a typical black sclerotium. 
At Hicksville, Long Island, June 11, 1907, there were observed 
two dead alfalfa stalks apparently killed by some fungus which had 
attacked the stems just above the surface of the soil, but the only 
fungus in evidence was a species of Botrytis which was fruiting 
profusely. This is the only instance in which we have observed 
Botrytis in association with a wilt disease of alfalfa. 
During 1907 occasional specimens of the wilt disease were ob- 
served in several alfalfa fields in different parts of the State. 
Although apparently capable of causing considerable damage 
when the conditions are favorable, it is unlikely that this disease 
will become a troublesome one. 
ANTHRACNOSE. 
(Colletotrichum trifolit Bain.) 
Colletotrichum trifolu is a recently-described fungus which, ac- 
cording to Bain and Essary, is one of the chief causes of failure 
with clover in Tennessee. All at present known of its relation to 
alfalfa is contained in the writings of the above-mentioned investi- 
gators who state that it occurred rather abundantly on alfalfa in 
Tennessee in 1906 and that J. M. Westgate has observed it doing 
considerable damage to alfalfa in Virginia.” 
We have found this fungus in several alfalfa fields in New York, 
but our study of it has been confined to a four-year-old alfalfa 
field on the Station farm where it first came to our attention August 
22, 1907. The alfalfa was then 8 to 10 inches high after the sec- 
“Bain and zEssary (3)2 (4): 
