Bean Anthracnose 193 



In regions where anthracnose usually occurs annually, spraying can 

 probably be used to advantage if the practice is supplemented by the 

 use of clean seed. In New York spraying is not practicable for growers 

 of dry beans, and probably not for growers of canning beans. If the total 

 cost of making five applications is S7.50 an acre, it would be necessary 

 for growers of dry beans to get from spraying an increase of 1.5 bushels 

 an acre each year with beans selling at $5 a bushel in order to balance 

 accounts. A decided increase in yield could be expected in a year when 

 anthracnose was prevalent, but none if the season were dry. If an epiphy- 

 totic of the disease occurs in two out of seven years, as was the case from 

 1908 to 1915, then it would be necessary for the grower to get an increase 

 from spraying of about 5.25 bushels in each of such two years in order 

 to come out even. In order to make spraying pay, he must get a greater 

 increase in yield or the selling price must be greater, and the time spent 

 in spraying must not be at the expense of other farm operations. 



Applying a fungicide to picked pods before shipping 



Rolfs (1897) recommends the application of a sulfur spray just before 

 packing pods for shipping, in order to kill the spores adhering to the pods. 

 Fawcett (1907) also recommends the application of either potassium 

 sulfide or a soda-sulfur spray. He says the pods should be spread out 

 on the floor and the spraying solution thoroughly applied, the pods 

 being turned over during the operation so that all the surfaces will be 

 covered. The pods should be allowed to dry before being crated. In 

 order to guard further against infection, Kirk (1905) suggests the exclusion 

 of affected pods in packing, and Fulton (1908:12) says that affected 

 pods should not be picked, washed, nor packed with sound ones. Con- 

 tainers should be so devised as to allow good ventilation, and the pods 

 should be stored in as dry and cool places as is possible. Since there will 

 be no anthracnose infection on pods during shipment if the disease is 

 controlled in the field, stress should be placed on such control. 



Application of a fungicide to the soil 



Halsted (1900 a: 380) is the only investigator who has ever recorded the 

 application of any fungicide to the soil in an effort to control bean anthrac- 

 nose, and in his experiment there was no anthracnose on any of his bean 



