American Gooseberry Mildew. 



457 



signs either of the leaves or berries falling off, or even of any 

 scorching of the foliage, although the leaves felt quite greasy 

 for several days after the spraying. The mildew was un- 

 doubtedly worse in this plantation where the bushes were 

 grown under plum or other trees, and where the plantations 

 had become very much overgrown. It was quite dark under- 

 neath, and the soil was inclined to be damp. Several of 

 these bushes which were attacked by the American gooseberry 

 mildew were also found to be suffering from a bad attack of 

 the European gooseberry mildew (Microsphaera grossulariae), 

 which attacks the leaves and, in rare cases, the berries. 



I think the fungus must have been longer on these bushes 

 than on any others in this neighbourhood, and probably 

 the first outbreak occurred here. The spraying of the other 

 plantations was continued until 8th July, when the seventh 

 spraying of the affected bushes had been completed. The 

 wash at the rate of one and a half ounces to one gallon of water 

 was still used. 



Meanwhile the mildew had quite recently made its ap- 

 pearance in another fairly large plantation at Lenchwyck, 

 which had been regularly sprayed, but in which all the affected 

 shoots had not been pruned off the previous winter. The 

 situation of this plantation was low and damp, the bushes 

 were very much overgrown by the plum trees, and rain 

 had nearly always occurred about the time when the spraying 

 was carried out. In this case, however, the mildew was 

 only visible on the tips of the shoots and on the leaves, which 

 were mostly attacked on the underside. In some instances 

 practically the whole bush was affected, especially at the 

 lower end of the plantation. It was now also learnt that the 

 mildew had again made its appearance on the fruit in the 

 affected plantation in the south of the county — this being the 

 second year in which the fruit had been diseased here. At 

 one other outbreak at Lenchwyck three berries were found 

 to be affected, although careful pruning of the affected shoots 

 in the winter, followed by regular spraying, had been carried 

 out ; but there were as yet no signs of the mildew appearing 

 on the leaves or shoots of the bushes. Up to 8th July the 

 above four cases were the only outbreaks in "Worcestershire 

 in which the mildew had been seen at all in its summer stage, 



