Vegetable and Field Crops 217 



the fruit moldy and black, particularly at the blossom end. 

 It is one of the most destructive of pepper diseases. 



Minor diseases 



Anthracnose (Glomerella piperata (E. & E.) S. & S., Gloeo- 

 sporium). — Soft, circular, pale, sunken spots upon the fruit 

 accompanied by small, ruptured spots in the skin, through 

 which the pink spore masses protrude, indicate this disease. 

 Anthracnose due to Colletotrichum nigrum E. & H. is of 

 similar appearance except that the centers of the soft spots 

 change to a decided black as they age. Mosaic similar to 

 that of tobacco is often present. Black-spot, caused by 

 Alternaria entering through wounds due to sun-scald or 

 frost, sometimes injures 45 per cent of the fruits. A Fruit- 

 rot is caused by Sderotium hataticola Taub. Leaf- spot 

 (Phyllosticta sp.) shows small, circular spots of ashen color, 

 bearing pycnidia. Other diseases are: Leaf-spot (Cercos- 

 pora capsici H. & W.), Soft-rot (bacteria), Root-knot 

 (nematodes) . 



POTATO 



- Late-blight -*'«--^^' ^'^- (Phijtophthora infestans (Mont.) De 

 Bary). — In the year 1889 Lamson-Scribner, writing of 

 this, the most serious potato disease, said, " It prevails in all 

 potato countries of the world, and causes more damage to the 

 potato than all other injuries coml^ined." It is possible that 

 all that he regarded as blight would not to-day be included 

 under late-blight; still the disease holds its place as one of 

 the most destructive plant diseases of the world. 



It is estimated that in New York state alone the blight 

 caused a loss of $10,000,000 in 1912, and the total loss in the 

 United States in 1917 is placed at 24,000,000 bushels. The 

 loss reported in one year from Ohio was $2,000,000; from 

 Wisconsin $5,000,000. The l)light is supposed to have 

 originated in South America antl to have been brought to 

 this country about 1840. 



The disease may appear on any part of the leaf, but the 



