. Bacteria in relation to plant diseases. Bacteria; Plant diseases. STEWART'S DISEASE OP SWEET CORN (MAIZE). 121 have no evidence of any general distribution of this organism in agricultural soils, rather the contrary, outside of districts where sweet-corn is grown, and since in many bacterial diseases, both plant and animal, we have an enormous amount of evidence tending to show that the pathogenic bacteria are not carried far by the wind; or, if so carried, do not induce disease. I reasoned as follows: If the case or cases of this disease at Takoma Park and those which appeared in the trial-
. Bacteria in relation to plant diseases. Bacteria; Plant diseases. STEWART'S DISEASE OP SWEET CORN (MAIZE). 121 have no evidence of any general distribution of this organism in agricultural soils, rather the contrary, outside of districts where sweet-corn is grown, and since in many bacterial diseases, both plant and animal, we have an enormous amount of evidence tending to show that the pathogenic bacteria are not carried far by the wind; or, if so carried, do not induce disease. I reasoned as follows: If the case or cases of this disease at Takoma Park and those which appeared in the trial-rows on the Flats were due to local causes, i. e., to organisms already present in the soil, and not to infected seed, then the plants grown from the same lot of seed-corn on Arlington Farm should be healthy. If, on the contrary, Bacterium stewarti was present in a living condition on any great number of the kernels, then the result would be the same as at Takoma Park and in the trial-rows, i. c, many cases of the disease, and the disease would appear first in those varieties carrying the organism into the field, however much it might become infec- tious to neighboring varieties later in the season. The second of these two supposi- tions is exactly what happened. My notes on this experiment are as follows: SERIES XI TO XV. 1903. About 3 acres of sweet corn were planted at the Arlington Farm on July 29 and 30. The seed came from Mr. Pieters, and was the same as that used for his trial rows, i. e., of same origin. The ground was not in very good condition, not having been harrowed enough. The land slopes gently from east to west. There is a ditch on the west side and the west end is perhaps 25 feet lower than the east end. The rows ran east and west. The plots were not check-rowed, but seed was dropped by hand, the hills being made about 3 feet apart. Five standard varieties of corn were planted— Old Colony, Potter's Excelsior, Cosmopoli- tan, Country Gentleman, and Crosby's Ea
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