360 



Strawberry Leaf-Spot. The Journal of the Board of Agriculture, 

 September 1910, No 6, p. 476. 



Both cultivated and wild strawberries are often severely injured 

 by a fungus called Sphaerella Fragariae, TuL, better known in this 

 country as Ramularia Tulasnei, Rab., a conidian form of the Sphae- 

 rella, and for a long time the only known condition of the fungus. 

 The foliage is the part attacked, and the symptoms are unmistak- 

 able. Small reddish-brown spots appear on the leaves ; these often 

 encroach on each other and form irregular patches. By degrees 

 the centre of each patch assumes an ashy-grey or whitish colour, 

 bounded by a reddish border, which becomes bright red later in 

 the season. This peculiar arrangement of a whitish spot bounded 

 by a red ring has given origin to the local name of " Birds' Eye 

 Spot " in some parts of the country. 



The central whitish portion of the patch soon becomes studded 

 with minute tufts of the conidial condition or Ramularia condition 

 of the fungus. These continue to infect healthy leaves through- 

 out the season. When the infected leaves begin to languish the 

 conidial condition is followed by the higher or Sphaerella condition 

 of the fungus, the spores of which remain on the dead leaves until 

 the following spring when they are liberated and infect the young 

 leaves. 



This pest is everywhere present in this country, and is also 

 well known on the Continent and in the United States. None of 

 the cultivated varieties escape the disease, but some are more 

 severely attacked than others. The variety called " Royal Sove- 

 reign " is especially susceptible to the disease. When the injury 

 is severe the crop of fruit is much reduced both in quantity and 

 in quality ; the plants are also weakened for the following season. 



If spraying is commenced at a sufficiently early stage (in fact, 

 where the disease has previously existed spraying should commence 

 when the leaves are quite young) an epidemic may be prevented. 

 The plants should be sprayed with a solution of potassium sulphide 

 (liver of sulphur) in the proportion of one ounce to three gallons 

 of water. This treatment will also arrest the possible appearance 

 of Strawbery Mildew Sphaerotheca Humuli, Burr. Spraying should 

 be continued at intervals until the flowers begin to open. 



The following method of combating the disease has proved 

 highly satisfactory when strawberry beds are badly rusted. The 

 beds should be mown soon after the fruit is gathered, covering 



