254 REPORT OF THE BOTANICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE 
INTRODUCTION. 
A striking disease of muskmelon (Cucumis Melo) made its 
appearance in one of the Station greenhouses devoted to melon 
culture during the summer of 1907. It was first noted by Mr. 
R. Wellington, Assistant Horticulturist, who was carrying on 
experiments in variety testing of muskmelons. Both the im- 
perfect and ascosporic forms of fungous fructifications were 
found on the diseased vines, and pure cultures of them were 
used for inoculating healthy plants. The fungus proved to be 
the cause of the disease, and the associated fruits were shown 
to belong to one and the same fungus. This work was finished 
and written up before some published accounts by Mr. F. D. 
Chester? and Mr. C. O. Smith,* seemingly on the same disease, 
were found. The publication of the bulletin was stopped, for 
the time being, because it did not agree in all particulars with 
the articles cited; re-examination seemed necessary. In mid- 
summer, 1908, the disease reappeared in the same greenhouse, 
thus affording an opportunity to test the former work. 
Plan of this bulletin.—After an examination of Chester’s and 
Smith’s articles relating to this disease, with frequent quota- 
tions from the parts most essential, they are briefly compared 
with each other. The writer’s observations and experiments of 
1907-8 are then recorded, followed by the comparison of results. 
An attempt is made to correct the nomenclature of the fungus 
causing Mycospherella wilt of melons. * Finally, to clear up 
Mr. Smith’s last paragraph, an appendix is added on the rela- 
tion of the names of some cucurbit fungi. 
?Del. Exp. Sta. 5th Ann. Rpt. pp. 75-9 (1893), Newark, Del.; also Bul. 
Torr. Bot. Club 18: 373-4 (1891), N. Y. Botanic Garden. 
3 Del. Exp. Sta. Bul. 70, (1905), Newark, Del. 
