DISEASES OF THE APPLE. 249 



SOOTY FUNGUS. 



Cause: Sooty Blotch is caused by a fungus {Phyllachora 

 poinlgena) which creeps over the surface of the apple. 



Description: The disease is characterized by sooty, black, 

 roundish like spots. The blotches are simply on the skin of 

 the apple and may be of any size up to one-half of an inch in 

 diameter. The disease causes no damage except as to the 

 appearance of the fruit. 



Hoio spread: The disease is spread by spores which find 

 their way from apple to apple by the aid ot currents of air, 

 water, or insects. 



Treatment: The disease may be checked by spraying with 

 Bordeaux mixture when the apples are small. 



TIME FOR SPRAYING. 



It is not necessary for the man with an orchard to give 

 special attention to spraying for each disease. A spraying in 

 season to check one will often check others. It seems that 

 three or four sprayings during the season are sufficient to keep 

 down the destructive diseases. 



Mr. Youngers in a paper read before this society in 1902 says 

 he would spray three or four times. The first time he would 

 use Bordeaux and paris green and would apply this as soon as 

 the blossoms fall. He follows fifteen days later with a spray of 

 paris green, and with another of the same fifteen days later. 

 When the orchard is to receive a fourth spraying he uses Bor- 

 deaux and paris green again about fifteen days later. The cost 

 for the four sprayings should not exceed six cents per tree. 



In looking over the time for spraying for each disease it would 

 •seem that three sprayings with Bordeaux mixture as follows 

 should prove effective in checking the diseases common in the 

 state: One when the buds begin to swell, or just as soon as 

 they are opening in the spring; a second just before the flowers 

 open, and a third shortly after the blossoms fall. 



