16 



with a mixture of bran and Paris green, in the proportion of one-half pound of Paris 

 green to fifty pounds of bran. The bran is slightly moistened before the Paris green 

 is added so that the latter will mix better with it. This poisoned bran, of which the 

 cut-worms are very fond, is scattered on the surface of the ground about the plants. 



Leaf Blight: Rust. — This disease does much injury to some varieties of straw- 

 berries by reducing the healthy leaf-surface and so lessening the vigour of the plants. 

 When thus weakened, the plants are unable to develop fruit properly, the crop is much 

 lessened and the quality of the fruit is poorer. Fewer and fewer runners are also 

 made. Some varieties are much more affected than others and, where this disease is 

 troublesome, those should be chosen which are least affected by it. This information 

 is given in the description of varieties published in this paper. It has been noticed 

 that strawberries are more affected by the leaf blight when grown on sand loam than 

 on clay. 



The first indication of this disease is the appearance of round, purplish or reddish- 

 brown spots on the leaves during the summer. By the close of the picking season, 

 and often in the middle of it, these have become very numerous. The spots, which 

 are at first small, also increase rapidly in size and often coalesce, thus involving a 

 large proportion of the leaf, which finally withers. As the spots increase in size, the 

 centres become white, and from this white portion are given off myriads of spores 

 which are carried to other leaves and plants, thus propagating the disease. Later in 

 the season, winter spores are developed from the same spots, but these are carried over 

 winter in small sacs which are attached to the leaf. These sacs do not permit the 

 spores to escape until spring, when they cause the first infection. 



Bordeaux mixture will check this trouble if thoroughly applied. In order to 

 control the disease it is necessary to begin spraying just when the leaves unfold in 

 the spring, to destroy the winter spores. A second spraying should be made as soon 

 as the bloom has fallen, a third immediately after the fruit has been picked, and, if 

 possible, a fourth later on. New plantations should be sprayed during the grov.'ing 

 season at as frequent intervals as are necessary to keep the foliage covered with the 

 mixture. 



Some growers burn the foliage as soon as the picking season is over. The foliage 

 is mowed off and then fired. An experiment was tried at the Central Experimental 

 Farm to test the value of this method, twenty-nine varieties being burned, while a 

 similar area of the same varieties was not burned. It was found that when there was 

 an extra amount of litter lying on the rows, the crowns of the plants were somewhat 

 injured by burning. The aftergrowth of the plants burned over was luxuriant and 

 healthy, but rust soon developed. At the close of the season, however, the sprayed 

 plants were much healthier than those unsprayed. In small plantations, a good plan 

 would be to mow the foliage, and after raking it off burn it in piles where there would 

 be no chance of injury to the plants. 



Powdery Mildew of the Strawherry. — The disease known as powdery mildew is 

 not common in this country, but in one locality in Ontario, at least, it has done con- 

 siderable harm and, as it may soon spread, it should be referred to here. When this 

 disease is bad it covers the fruit with mildew, making it unfit for sale or consumption. 

 The grower does not usually notice the disease until it affects the fruit, but as a rule 

 it starts on the underside of the leaves, which eventually curl up, and in order to 



