1122 
of the berry is affected it may continue 
to grow, causing the diseased area to 
rupture and the seeds to become ex- 
posed. The bursting of the berries and 
the exposure of the seeds may, however, 
be produced by other causes, such as the 
powdery mildew and certain physuiologi- 
cal disturbances. 
On the diseased areas the minute 
spores or germs of the fungus are fre- 
quently produced in immense numbers. 
The fine, thread-like filaments which 
constitute the vegetative part of the 
parasite live during the winter in the 
tissues of the vines and are ready for 
active growth in the spring. 
The anthracnose is quite widely dis- 
tributed in this country, but fortunately 
has not caused any great general loss. 
Its eradication is difficult, however, once 
it is well established. 
Treatment 
Diseased shoots should be cut and 
burned. The spraying program for black 
rot will usually control this disease, in 
connection with the cutting out of af- 
fected shoots, except where unusually 
severe, in which case the sulphate of iron 
solution is used in the following formula: 
Sulphate of iron, 110 pounds; sul- 
phuric acid, 1 quart; hot water, 26 gal- 
lons. 
First pour the acid upon the sulphate 
of iron, then add the water. Care should 
be used in handling, as the preparation 
will injure skin and clothing. Apply 
thoroughly just before the buds begin to 
swell in the spring. 
Reference 
United States Department of Agricul- 
ture Farmers’ Bulletin 284. 
Bitter Rot 
Melancomum fulugineum 
Resembles ripe rot. Is restricted to the 
Southern states. 
The black rot treatment will control it. 
Black Knot 
Bacterium tumefaciens 
*This is one of the commonest and most 
Widely distributed diseases of the vine. 
It consists of peculiar growths, or swell- 
* California Experiment Station Bulletin 197. 
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PRACTICAL HORTICULTURE 
ings, usually near the surface of the 
ground on the upper parts of the roots 
or the lower part of the trunk. It often 
occurs, also, on all parts of the trunk 
and branches, but only rarely on the 
canes. 
As a rule it does little damage unless 
it occurs on young vines, or attacks old 
vines very severely. 
In some cases where the knots occur 
on a branch or arm they could be re- 
moved and the vine might recover per- 
fectly. 
It igs not uncommon to find vines with 
large masses of knots on all sides of the 
trunk and on all the arms, which yet 
make a vigorous growth and produce 
good crops. When the knots extend all 
around the trunk of an old vine, how- 
ever, if may be girdled, and, while it 
seldom dies, it may become weak and 
worthless. 
The knots appear only on vines grow- 
ing in moist places, and especially in 
sandy soil in the hotter regions. 
It is now known to be due to an in- 
fection by the crown-gall organism, Bac- 
terium tumefaciens. 
Anything which causes a vine to grow 
vigorously late in the season and pre 
vents the proper ripening of the wood, 
renders It susceptible to the disease. 
In accordance with these ideas, the 
remedies advocated aim at causing the 
vine to ripen its wood early and com- 
pletely. These remedies are drainage 
of the soil, fertilization with phosphatic 
manures, longer pruning, raising the 
trunk of the vine, and removal of the 
knots. Swabbing with lime, sulfate of 
iron, and other antiseptics has proven 
useless. 
See Crown Gall under Apple Diseases. 
Black Rot 
Guignardia bidwelliit (B1l.) V. & R. 
Black rot is the most generally dis- 
tributed and destructive fungous disease 
of the grape in the region east of the 
Rocky mountains. It gains entrance to 
the plant by means of minute germs 
called spores. These are borne in small 
black spore cases, and can not be seen 
with the naked eye. They are distributed 
