SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY. 
became infected, there was‘no way of eradicating it. An infected area, 
even when no potatoes were planted in it for a number of years, would 
show the disease still virulent when again planted to potatoes. The 
potato wart disease was discovered last year in gardens in some small 
mining towns in Pennsylvania. The United States Department ot 
Agriculture quarantined the infected areas, and the specialists of the 
Department began experiments in control. They have now announced 
that a field or garden infected with potato wart can be thoroughly 
disinfected by the use of steam and formaldehyde. The cost of the 
work, however, is high, and it will be used only when absolutely neces- 
sary in cleaning up the infected areas. The investigators of the Depart- 
ment, who have worked in co-operation with the State authorities of 
Pennsylvania and West Virginia, have also discovered varieties of 
potato that are immune to the wart disease, and steps are being takep 
to assist gardeners in the infected regions to purchase varieties of seed 
known to be immune. The Department specialists now believe that 
further losses from the disease can be practically eliminated. 
CATTLE TICKS GIVEN NO REST. . 
Preparations are under way ia the tick-infested southern States 
of United States of America for active resumption in the spring of 
the campaign against the destructive cattle parasite. Last -year’s plan 
of beginning dipping operations as early as possible in March will be 
followed this year. In fact, it is expected that the early dipping this 
year will largely surpass anything done in previous years. Thus the 
cattle tick will be killed before he has a chance to acquire a large and 
active family. In some sections, where weather conditions made it 
possible, dipping has been kept up through the winter, and the costly 
little insect has been given no rest in the season when it has been 
customary to suspend active field work. An area of 219,581 square 
miles remain to be freed from the domination of the tick. Officials of 
the Bureau of Animal Industry, United States Department of Agri- 
culture, are confident that a large slice of this area will be taken out 
of quarantine as a result of the 1920 campaign. 
THE OUNCE OF PREVENTION APPLIED. 
Cotton-planters, states an official publication, already fighting the 
boll weevil all the way from New Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean, and 
threatened by the pink boll worm, which occasionally gets across the 
Rio Grande, are not to have any more alien enemies on their hands 
if the United States Department of Agriculture can ~prevent it. [in- 
porters recently have insisted upon bringing in a considerable quantity 
of cotton seed from Porto Rico. The seed may be free from disease, 
or it may not be. Nobody has very accurate or thorough knowledge 
of infecting insects and pests of cotton in Porto Rico. So, before 
admitting the Porto Rican cotton seed, the Department of Agriculture 
is going to make a thorough investigation of the subject. A specialist 
has been commissioned to go to Porto Rico and make a study of cotton 
insects on the island. His report will enable the Department to be 
certain whether or not cotton seed from Porto Rico is in any way a 
menace to the cotton interests of the United States. 
cs 33? 
