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ANTHRACNOSE OF BLACKBERRY AND RASPBERRY 



BY W. H. LAWRENCE, WESTERN WASHINGTON EXPERIMENT STATION, PUYALLUP, WASHINGTON 



FOR several years the Snyder black- 

 berry, which is grown extensively 

 throughout the Puget Sound coun- 

 try, has not been producing good returns 

 on account of a greater or lessei- per cent 

 of the fruit failing to develop properly 

 for shipping or canning purposes. At 

 the request of Mr. W. H. Paulhamus, 

 president of the Puyallup and Sumner 

 Fruit Growers' Association, the writer 

 made a study of the trouble. The cause 

 of the trouble and the method of pre- 

 venting it have been determined. An 

 account of the investigations, with rec- 

 ommendations, are herein given. 



The disease, which is commonly known 

 by the popular name of anthracnose, is 

 caused by a very small form of fungus 

 (Gloesporium venetum), consisting of 

 two parts — the mycelium and the spores. 

 The way in which the fungus passes the 

 winter is not known. It probably lives 

 in the canes and fragments of leaves that 

 remain in the field after pruning is done. 

 From field observation on the black- 

 berry, the disease attacks the stems, 

 leaves and fruit during the spring. The 

 spread of the disease is caused by the 

 distribution of the spores. Some of the 

 spores lodge on the host plants. When 

 the climatic conditions are favorable the 

 spores germinate and form the mycelium, 

 which penetrates the tissue of the stems, 

 leaves and fruit, causing spots on them. 

 The mycelium soon gives rise to a large 

 number of short branches just beneath 

 the thin outer coat (epidermis). Spores 

 are borne on these branches. When they 

 form they cause the epidermis to break 



open. These spores are held together by 

 a mucilagenous substance, which is sol- 

 uble in water. In the presence of moist- 

 ure the spores are set free and are 

 carried about by. the wind and other 

 agents. Some of them are sure to lodge 

 on the various parts of the host plant. 



Among the varieties of blackberries the 

 Snyder, Kittatinny and Himalaya Giant 

 are attacked. The Lucretia dewberry is 

 also suscpetible. while the Loganberry is 

 by no means free from the disease. Of 

 the red raspberries the Antwerp is injured 

 to a considerable degree, while the Cuth- 

 bert is but slightly affected. The Cum- 

 berland black raspberry and .the Antwerp 

 are equally affected. 



Anthracnose attacks the leaves and 

 stems of the Antwerp. The spots on the 

 leaves are few and small, but not unlike 

 those of the blackberry in general appear- 

 ance. Those on the canes vary in size 

 from minute dots to more than one- 

 sixteenth of an inch in diameter. A 

 majority are well developed. They are 

 much more conspicuous than the spots 

 on the canes of other plants mentioned. 

 The central portions are light grey to 

 white in color, the margin a reddish 

 brown to almost black in color, while 

 the infested area is shrunken, extending 

 the greater part of the way through the 

 bark. When they are abundant and 

 close enough together so that they merge 

 large irregular cankers are formed. The 

 disease is more abundant in old fields, 

 where it usually does much damage. 



The Cuthbert is only slightly sus- 

 ceptible to the disease. Only a few canes 



were observed with spots on them. A 

 very few diseased leaves were collected. 

 The spots are not unlike those on the 

 leaves and canes of the Antwerp. 



The Cumberland black raspberry, in 

 some fields, is also badly infested with 

 the disease. It is not unlike the same 

 disease on the Antwerp in its general 

 apperance and effect on the plants. 



An examination of the whole plant 

 (a hill), late in the summer, shows that 

 not all parts of the Snyder are attacked. 

 No new spots appear on the canes which 

 bear the crop of fruit or the branches 

 produced during the first season. New 

 ones are more or less abundant on the 

 fruiting laterals which are produced the 

 second season. All the leaves may be 

 infested — those on the lower fruiting 

 laterals and on the main cane, and its 

 branches particularly so. The shoots 

 (new canes or current year's growth) are 

 usually well covered with spots from a 

 few inches from the base to a height of 

 three to four feet. The smaller and 

 youiiger spots are at the upper end. All 

 of the leaves are usually also badly 

 infested. Laterals on the new canes are 

 free from the disease, except at the very 

 base. The leaves on these laterals do 

 not become infested. 



1. Disease in the Stem — The spots in 

 the stems are found to be elliptical 



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Epley, Wash. Okanogan County 



We Raise the Big 



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Mosier, Oregon 



FARM WANTED 



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Iry.I 



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F. H. LA BAUME, AGRICULTURAL AGENT NORFOLK & WESTERN 

 RAILWAY, ROANOKE, VIRGINIA 



WHEN WRITING -ADVERTISERS MENTION BETTER FRUIT 



