Sweet Chekkies. 



497 



-colored. The fungus passes the winter in the mummified fruits and 

 begins to propagate in the spring, with the advent of warm weather. 

 It attacks the fruit mainly just at the ripening period, principally 



during hot, muggy weather fol- 

 lowing a shower or in a humid 

 atmosphere, and the spread 

 of the disease is so rapid 

 that it may ruin an en- 

 tire crop in twenty- 

 four hours. 



It is said by 



some that hand 



picking of the 



diseased 



fruit and 



parts 



90.— Maj- Duke. 



prevent the spread of the disease, as it destroys the means by 

 which the fungus passes the winter. This method is not practi- 

 "cable, because not more than a part of the fruit will be gathered, 

 and because of the labor attached to it. 



It has been shown that spraying with Bordeaux mixture will con- 

 trol the difficulty and also prolong the ripening season. 



The directions given by Craig * are that the trees should be care- 

 fully sprayed with Bordeaux mixture after the blossoms fall and 

 that two or three applications should be made, the last being with 

 ammoniacal copper carbonate a few days before picking. The appli- 

 cation should probably be made every two weeks. I should substitute 

 the ammoniacal carbonate of copper for the Bordeaux after May 1st, 

 as traces of Bordeaux will remain on the trees for a month or more. 



I am not convinced, however, that spraying is necessary to pre- 

 vent the brown rot in New York State. The losses from this dis- 



»Bull. 23 Central Exp. Farm, Ontario. 

 32 



