New YORK AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 137 
rot investigations has revived and the Cornell Experiment Station 
_has again taken up the work. 
In September, 1891, the New York city board of health seized 
and destroyed large quantities of grapes, on the ground that they 
had been sprayed with copper compounds and were poisonous. 
This drastic action aroused grape growers and the Station was 
requested to investigate the supposed dangerous character of 
sprayed grapes. Pains were taken to secure the worst sprayed 
bunches of grapes obtainable from those vineyards from which the 
condemned grapes came. These samples were analyzed by the 
Station chemist.“ It was found that in order “to get an amount 
of copper that would be regarded as serious, if taken at one dose, 
one would need to eat not less than 3,000 pounds of grapes, skins 
included, or not less than 500 pounds, including berries and stems.” 
These results are in harmony with those obtained in similar analyses 
made in Germany and France. The conclusion is “ that it is simply 
an absolute impossibility for a person to get enough copper from 
eating grapes to exercise upon the health any injurious effect what- 
ever.” 
HOLLY HOCK. 
In May, 1889, hollyhock plants in one of the Geneva nurseries 
and also some on the Station grounds were found to be suffering 
from a disease new to this locality.88 Specimens of it were sent to 
three mycologists, all of whom pronounced it the true hollyhock rust, 
Puccinia malvacearum. It appears that this fungus had not been 
found previously in New York. In fact it had made its first ap- 
pearance in the United States only three years earlier. Dr. Farlow*? 
records its occurrence in Massachusetts in 1886. At present it is 
a widespread and destructive disease throughout the United States. 
At the Station, unsuccessful attempts were made to control the 
disease by spraying the plants with potassium sulphide and with a 
solution of common salt. 
LETTUCE, 
No extended study has been made of lettuce diseases. Only 
three diseases of this plant have been discussed in the Station pub- 
lications ; viz., a Septoria leaf spot® which was very prevalent on 
7 Rpt. 10:401-403 (1891). 
* Rot. 8:335 (1889). 
® Bot. Gag. 113309 (1886). 
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