REPORT OF THE SOCIETY 29^ 



from, I seized the first opportunity which presented itself of testing whetlier 

 spraying would prevent the leaves from falling. This oportunity came in 1919. 

 That year at Burlington a field of black currants was divided into six plots. 

 One plot was treated with Bordeaux, another with lime-sulphur, another with 

 soluble-sulphur, another with copper-lime dust, another with sulphur-arsenate- 

 of-lead dust, and the remaining one left untreated as a check. Three applica- 

 tions were given to each of the, five plots and half of the Bordeaux plot received 

 and additional fourth spray. — The first application was when the leaves were 

 about three-quarters of an inch wide; the second soon after the blossoms began 

 to appear; and the third when nearly all the bloom was over. The fourth spray 

 on half of the Bordeaux rows was given two weeks after the third. 



The results were interesting not only to myself but to all others who saw 

 them! The check rows and all the rows except those on which Bordeaux or 

 lime-sulphur had been used had lost practically all their foliage by the end of the 

 third week in July; at which date the fruit had not yet been picked. The lime- 

 sulphur row was badly affected with leafspot but most of the leaves remained 

 on until August. The Bordeaux rows retained their foliage not only throughout 

 July and August but up to the end of the season. The half of this plot which 

 had received four applications had better foliage than that which had received 

 only three applications but the difference was scarcely great enough to justify the 

 extra spraj". 



The next spring the plots were again examined just as the buds were burst- 

 ing. The benefit from Bordeaux once more showed up in a conspicuous way 

 for the buds on this part were all green and bursting, whereas on the other plots 

 fully half were dead. This was due to the fact that the Bordeaux rows by re- 

 taining their foliage had been able to supply the necessary food throughout the 

 growing season to put the buds into proper condition for winter and for the next 

 spring, whereas the check and other rows in consequence of losing their foliage 

 early had not been able to do this and so the buds had been starved and died. 



As one would expect the benefit of the Bordeaux spraying showed up also 

 at the time of harvesting, for the only rows worth picking were those on which 

 Bordeaux had been used. 



In 1920 another spray test in a different field was made but that year the 

 season was unfavourable for the development of disease and in all cases foliage 

 held on fairly well through the season. Bordeaux rows, however, even under 

 these conditions had in my opinion sufficiently better foliage to justify the 

 sprayi^g. 



