The daily morning journal and courier., 1906-03-15

tions taken that it is practically in- possible for anything objectionable to get through the quarantine station. The person responsible Tor an acci- dent of the kind, when reported by the recipient of the plants, would promptly lose his ohcial head.
 The fungus diseases of plants are mostly known as 'mildews," "blights, ' and 'rusts." e They do an immens amount of damage, and the government experts are kept busy figtting them. Apart entirely from the quarantine out fit hospital for plants is regularly maintained, in which are studied. This establishment is divided up into wards, one of which may be devoted to sick Easter lilies another to invalid holly hooks, and so on. A while ago po- tato rot was under investigation a malady caused by a fungus that gets into the tuber and extends innum- erable thread Hike branches in verey direction through the substance of the unlucky vegetable. For this trouble solution of copper salts, applied by srinkling was found to be the remedy.
 When a new disease turns up for investigation, the first step, naturally, is to find out what causes it. A bit of a sick leaf is plueked off and put to soak in saucer of distilled water. The water is soon filled with the germs, and drop of it put on ster- ilized geletine in a glass tube pro duces what is called culture From this culture a healthy plant of the same kind is fnoculated, and, if the complaint is reproduced, it proves that the guilty micrope has been identified, Then 1t only remains to ascertain by experiment. what will kill the microbe lin othre words, the proper medicine, A. prescription for which is published for the benefit of the farmer or hor- ticulturist
 When 1t is explainedl that the grape has at least fifty fungus enemies, and that more than 25o species live on the apple. it will be realized that the work of the government plant physicians is exceedingly laborious Not long ago disease of the violet threatened to cause the entire abandonment of the cultivation of The sweet little blos- soms so dear to all mankind, and the experts were obliged to exert their ut most efforts to save the flower
 In another recent instance, the fa- nous Sea Island cotton, which is so highly prized on account of it's long and beautiful staple, was attacked by a mysterious malady that seemed likely to wipe it out altogether-a fate which would doubtless have overtaken it but for timely interve ltio1 by the scientific 1 exeprts
 Who ever heard of a disease that would kill a plant in two hours? Yet it was a complaint no less malignant that assailed the cotton. In the morning the plants would appear to be perfectly healthy, and by noon they were lying on the ground dead The mischief was found to be caused by a kind of fungus which cut off the water supply of the unfortunate vegetable You see, the stem of lant is pipe through which water is conveyed to It's branches and leaves; but this stem, in the cotton, was stoppered by the fun gus. corking It's lower end, so that death promptly ensued. The trouble was finally traced to eow-peas, sown by the cotton-growers as a supplementary crop. and which harbored the danger ous enemy. By doing away WitE1 the cow-peas ridanee of the disease was secured, In the plant hospital is surgical ward in which not long ago a number