THE HAMILTON ASSOCIATION. 89 



this mildew in Ontario that so few of the superb English varieties 

 are found in our gardens. 



It first appears on the young half grown leaves and young wood, 

 and later upon the young berries. Prof. Scribner, in his report on 

 Vegetable Pathology for the year 1887, gives full illustrations and 

 description of this fungus, and to it we refer any one who wishes 

 to carefully examine its growth. Sufifice to say here, that its sum- 

 mer spores are formed similarly to those of the powdery mildew of 

 the grape, the upper segments of the conidia dropping off, and being 

 carried about' easily by the wind to scatter the evil; and that its 

 winter spores are also formed within perithecia in a similar manner 

 to those of the grape. When these perithecia ripen they become a 

 chestnut color, hence the gooseberry mildew in its last stage loses 

 its white appearance and becomes a dirty brown ; and in this way 

 the condition of the mildew may be determined. 



Any remedy to be successful must be early applied. Early and 

 frequent applications of flowers of sulphur are useful, but not so 

 effective as in the case of the grape-vine mildew. Experiments at 

 the Geneva Experiment Station, conducted last summer, have re- 

 sulted in the discovery that the most successful treatment of goose- 

 berry mildew is with sulphuret of potassium. The bushes were 

 sprayed at an early date with a solution of one half ounce of this 

 substance dissolved in a gallon of hot water. It is therefore recom- 

 mended as the best known remedy for this evil. 



Cherry Rot {Oidium fructigenum) is the most serious obstacle 

 in the way of the successful cultivation of this valuable fruit. The 

 Heart and Bigarreau varieties, and especially the latter, are particu- 

 larly subject to this fungus. The Napoleon Bigarreau, for instance, 

 is frequently very heavily laden with fruit, but a protracted season of 

 wet weather so encourages the development of this fungus that the 

 rot, beginning in small spots, soon spreads from cherry to cherry, 

 until, before picking time, the whole crop is entirely unfit for ship- 

 ping. Could we succeed in overcoming this evil, we are of the 

 opinion that the cultivation of the many very excellent varieties of 

 cherries would be more remunerative to the grower than strawberries. 



The fungus itself consists of much branched threads, or mycelia, 

 which permeate the tissue of the fruit, causing it to turn brown 

 and decay. When the air is moist these throw up tufts of 

 dirty white dusty fruit stalks. These divide into minute sections 



