Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-05-30
BATTLE OF THE PLANTS.
lone Curious Vegetable Diseases Prof.
Galloway 10 Investigating.

BATTLE OF THE PLANTS.
Some Curious Vegetable Diseases Prof
Galloway 10 Investigating.
TEE coYYxE Plant PEST FROM IxprA-DrAaNo-
Sis OF DnHAsR WHICH ATTACKS oArs--rHl
WARDS AT THE PLANT HosPrrAL-rRIATxKSI
OF TIE PArIxNrs-RAPrD PROGRESS.
DROF. GALLOWAY, CHIEF OF THE DI.
L vision Of vegetable pathology in the De-
partment Of Agriculture. so . STAR reporter
was informed yesterday, expects shortly to re-
ceive from India an assortment of coffee plants
affected by what is known in that country az
the coffee disease" This trouble causes
loss Of s1o, 900 yearly, and no means
have yet been discovered for contendins
successfully against it. It is hoped by the
authorities who send the plants to Prof.
Galloway that he will be able to find
out some way in which the trouble may be
overcome. The specimens will be shipped in
boxes with glass covers, such as are expressly
made for the purpose, with provision for main
tanning . condition Of moisture inside. Upon
receiving them Prof. Galloway will set aside q
ward for them in the hospital for plants which
he conducts.
TO FIND OUT WHAT CAUSES THE DISEASE.
The first thing necessary will be to find ont
precisely what enemy is attacking the coffee
plants and causing their disease. To do this
Prof. Galloway will take q scrap Of one of the
rotted leaves and chop it up in q saucer
Of distilled water. Then he will take a
orop OF the water, which has thus be-
come hlled with the germs of the complaint,
ana Will let it fall into a tube contain
ing small quantity Of gelatine that has been
s s.esihzed by boiling. The germs will feed
upon the gelatine and rapidly multiply, so that
ne will have quite a good-sized patch Of them
WITHIN twenty-four hours. Meanwhile he will
nave grown in q section by themselves o num-
Der OF healthy coffee plants and these he will
inocuiate by rubbing upon their leaves some of
the germs thus propagated. If thereupon the
coffee disease is reproduced he will have dis
covered the foe sought and it will only remain
70 fnd out the life history of the DESTROYER
T1th view to learning what means had best
De taken for combating it. There is no doubt
that the enemy is some sort of fungus, allied
to wheat rust. but there exists about fifty
thousand different kinds of parasitic fungi that
prey upon plants, SO that there is considerable
room for selection.
DISEASE OF OATS
new disease has recently attacked the oats
IN TINS country, SO that last year the crop was
largely failure everywhere east of the Mis-
sisslppi river. In Pennsylvania and New York
1t was almost total loss, and the production
OF this grain was less than for many years,
although the acreage planted was greater
than ever before. When the plants were
from four to six inches high their
leaves turned red and died; no head was formed
ana no seed developed usually. Thus it hap
pens that the market price Of oats at present
Is about twice what it is ordinarily, which
- very nard upon the horses as well as
upon their owners. Farmers in VARIOUS states
nave appealed to the Department of Agri-
culture for help, and an investigation has been
made which has brought about the discovery
that the complaint in this case is caused not by
= fungus put by bacteria. Until quite lately
IL was not known that bacteria ever attacked
plants but Prof Galloway has made some
very interesting cultures on gelatine of
the variety responsible in this instance.
In fact the tissues of the oat leaves were
round to be actually swarming with these
minute organisms, which bored into them and
ATE them up. Theory in the matter was re-
duced to certainty by experiment in the green
house hospital.
TO DESTROY FUNGI.
ordinarily, where fungi are concerned, il is
practicable to destroy them by spraying with
solutions of sulphate Of copper and other mix
lures, but in this instance such a method of
treatment was not applicable, because it is not
possible to 60 about with spraying apparatus
In Held of OATS and the expense of the
treatmen. would be too great any way.
II was found that the seed produced in
the infected district was covered with the bac.
terra. and it is feared that the planting of il
this season will result in bringing up diseased
crop for the present year. Therefore, it has
been recommended that farmers shall procure
all their seed oats from Michigan or other
portions OF the country in which the trouble
has not yet appeared. With this precaution
it is hoped that the misfortune may
be avoided, but it is not yet known how the
remedy will work. Meantime trial is being
made OF the bacteria-covered seed in the plant
hospital according to various methods of treat
ment. Some growers thought that the dis
excessive rainfall, others elsewhere were of the
opinion that 1t was aggravated by drought So
some OF the experimental oats are being over
watered and others starved for water to see il
either has anything to do with the matter.
THE HOSPITAL WARDS.
VI course 1t is necessary that the wards in
Prof. Galloway's hospital for plants shall be
carefully separated from each other, in order
that infection shall not be conveyed from one
division to another. The object being to
study one complaint at time, the pur-
by the communication OF indiscriminate
diseases. So the greenhouse is partitioned
on, Keeping each set Of vegetable patients by
themselves. One group in various progressive
stages OF q Fungus malady Is quarantined under
glass box. Others have private quarters for
their accommodations beneath bell glasses
and so on. Usually a hospital is Utilized
for curing its sick inmates, but in this one
the resident physician makes it his bust
ness to render his victims sick artif-
cially. and when they die he burns their corpses.
II he threw out the defunct they would be very
apt to propagate the troubles which caused
their demise in the neighborhood A number
OF agents In various sections of the country de-
vote their attention entirely to travelling about
and collecting specimens of plants suffering
from all sorts Of physical arrangements for
sending to Prof Galloway.
IN FORMER TINES
1t was imagined that plant blights and mildews
we're caused by supernatural agencies where
they affected the food supply. They were mys-
teres, in fact, into which it was hopeless if no,
actually impious to inquire. 1t is only
within TWENTY-FIVE years tina. anything has
been really understood respecting the
fungus complaints which attack vegetables.
and it is really wonderful how mach
has been accomplished in this line of research.
considering the shortness of the period it has
covered. Curiously enough, very many of the
most valued products Of the soil Tor table
purposes are purposely raised by farm
ers in, a condition of ill health in
order that they may be more agreeable
TO the paiate Examples of these may