THE ANTHRACNOSE DISEASE OF THE RASPBERRY AND 



RELATED PLANTSi 



Walter H. Burkholder 



The raspberry is one of the oldest of the small fruits. It belongs to 

 the genus Rubus, of the family Rosaceae,- and comprises a number of 

 varieties which with a few exceptions originated from three main sources — 

 the European red raspberry (Rubus idaeus L.), and the two American 

 species, the red raspberry (Rubus idaeus var. aculeatissimus [Mey.] Regel 

 & Tiling) and the black raspberry (Rubus occidentalis L.). The first 

 of these three species was under cultivation as early as the fourth century, 

 but the domestication of the other two is of very recent date. 



Most of the commercial varieties of the raspberry in North America 

 originated from the two indigenous species, the European red rasp- 

 berry not being sufficiently hardy and vigorous to withstand the climatic 

 conditions of this country. Two hybrids also are grown extensively 

 here. They are the purple-cane raspberry, formerly known as Rubus 

 neglectus Peck but now claimed by Anthony ^ to be a cross between the 

 red and the black raspberry ; and the loganberry, considered to be a hybrid 

 between the European red raspberry and the western dewberry (Rubus 

 viHJolius Cham. & Schlecht.). 



In the United States these berries are grown throughout the northern 

 part of the country and in the cooler hilly regions. According to the 

 Thirteenth Census Report, New York State in 1910 ranked first in the 

 production of this fruit, with 11,057 acres, and Michigan second, with 

 8786 acres; no other State had as much as 4000 acres. In New York 

 the raspberry industry is limited to small districts throughout the western 

 part of the State, with the exception of an area in the Hudson River 

 Valley. In these localities during the past ten years or more there has 

 been a marked decrease both in acreage and in yield, which is attributed 

 to the general prevalence of diseases to which the host is susceptible. 



The anthracnose disease, yellows, cane bHght, and crown gall are the 

 commonest diseases affecting the raspberry. Anthracnose occurs in 

 practically every locality and is considered the most serious disease of 



1 Also presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of Cornell University, June, 1917, as a thesis in 

 partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of doctor of philosophy. 



Author's .-acknowledgments. The writer wishes to e.\press his indebtedness to Professor Donald 

 Reddick, under whose direction the work was performed, and to Professor V. B. Stewart for help and 

 criticism in preparation of the manuscript. 

 . - Card, Fred W. The brambles. In Bush-fruits, p. 43-336. 1914. 



3 Anthony, R. D. Some notes on the breeding of raspberries. New York (Geneva) Agr. Exp. Sta. 

 Bui. 417: 75-88. 1916. 



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