CUCUMBER 339 



under glass. If the plants are not stunted or checked in 

 growth at any time, they are not likely to become 

 diseased. 



Anthracnose (Colletotrichum Lagenarium (Pass.), E. 

 & H.) is a fungous disease which attacks the cucumber and 

 other cucurbits, appearing upon the leaves, stems and 

 fruits. There are times when it becomes very trouble- 

 some in the greenhouse. Dead spots which are usually 

 more than half an inch in diameter appear on the leaves, 

 and elongated, discolored and shrunken areas occur on 

 the stems. The attacks may become so serious as to kill 

 the plants. Either copper sulphate or bordeaux mixture 

 is valuable in checking the ravages of the disease. The 

 dead vines at the close of the season should be promptly 

 removed from the houses and burned, in order to prevent 

 the further dissemination of the disease. 



The different forms of "damping-off" fungi may attack 

 greenhouse cucumbers. Bulletin 214, Ohio Experiment 

 Station, says : "It is serious often where plantings are 

 made following lettuce attacked by rosette. The fungus 

 in that case is the same as lettuce rosette (Rhizoctonia) 

 or lettuce drop (Sclerotinia). There is a strictly damp- 

 ing-off fungus (Pythium De Baryanum Hesse) that is 

 sometimes troublesome. A species of the Botrytis fungus 

 at times attacks pruned parts of cucumber plants, also 

 extending its attacks to the blossom ends of young fruits. 

 The results of Rhizoctonia on greenhouse cucumbers 

 have been curious owing to attacks on the smaller root 

 branches or rootlets. The growth of the vines is at times 

 checked, accompanied by coloring of the leaves and re- 

 duced fruitfulness. Some growers have given the name 

 'leaf-curl' to this phenomenon, but it is strictly the effect 

 of the fungus named. It has been found necessary in 

 soil treatments where cucumbers follow affected lettuce 

 to increase the strength of formalin drench to four or five 

 pounds per 50 gallons of water." 



