240 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



rioration in the soil or in the plant, or both, which causes this 

 fungus to act upon the plant. It occurs to me there must be 

 some good reason for the rust attacking plants, and I think 

 one reason is that the soil has been impoverished. Now I rec- 

 ommend that the soil be made good again, and I think the 

 plants will do their duty when we get the soil in proper condi- 

 tion. I think we have something that is a remedy for this 

 rust. It attacked my Wilson last summer very badly, and I 

 made a vigorous application of sulphur to the bed. I bought 

 fifteen pounds of sulphur and put it on the bed and I saved my 

 berries. 



President Elliott : How much ground ? 



M. M. Frisselle : About four rods by six. 



Geo. J. Kellogg : I wish to say one word in regard to dete- 

 rioration of soil. I have planted on ground that has not had 

 strawberries on for the last four thousand jsears to my knowl- 

 edge and the rust is just as bad as on that which has had 

 strawberries for the last thirty years. 



E. H. S. Dartt : Although the Wilson may be just as good 

 as it ever was, we have made improvements in the last twenty 

 years, and we have varieties that are just as good as the Wil- 

 son ever was. 



President Elliott : Professor Lugger, will you please come 

 around here ? We want to get some information from you in 

 regard to this fungus. 



Prof. Otto Lugger: The fungus is a disease that attacks every 

 known variety of strawberries, even wild ones. It is a condi- 

 tion of the leaves that attracts the fungus. German varieties 

 are hardly ever attacked by it. Strawberries in the state of 

 nature always grow more or less shady, in which I think we 

 have the solution of the question. If plants were properly 

 protected it would remedy it to some extent, but not entirely 

 so. It is also well known that any plant that is bearing for any 

 number of generations becomes weaker, when it is more apt to 

 be attacked. 



In regard to the experiment made with rust, an application 

 of Bordeaux mixture will generally be found effective if well 

 applied. The disease is kept over winter in the form of spore 

 cases. Towards spring, if the conditions are favorable, the 

 spores open and the fungus again attacks the plants. So it is 

 important to remove in the fall as many dead leaves as we can, 

 take them away from the strawberry beds, and then applications 



