1907.] American Gooseberry Mildew. 



459 



centre of the bushes, close to the old wood. At the plantation 

 at Lenchwyck it was scarcely possible to recognize a large 

 number of the berries, so thickly were they covered with the 

 brown scurfy covering of the fungus ; and the owner, who had 

 at first treated the disease as one not likely to cause any great 

 damage, on seeing the mildew developed in full force in its 

 summer stage, picked all the healthy berries that could be 

 gathered and on his own initiative grubbed up the bushes without 

 more ado. 



Towards the end of July, some three weeks after the spraying 

 had been stopped, the mildew began to make its appearance 

 on the leaves and shoots at another of the plantations which 

 had been sprayed regularly. This was the plantation already 

 referred to at Pinvin (Pershore), where potassium sulphide 

 had been first of all employed, and sodium sulphide later. 

 This plantation was damp and dark owing to the dense foliage 

 of the plum trees above the bushes. Shortly after this the 

 leaves and shoots of the bushes in the plantation at Lenchwyck 

 mentioned above as the place which had been sprayed the 

 whole time with potassium sulphide alone were seen to be 

 badly affected with the disease. In this* case the bushes were 

 planted in the open, with no trees above them ; the soil, 

 however, was rather stiff. At both of these plantations the 

 pruning and burning of the affected shoots had been most 

 carefully carried out in the winter, the prunings as cut being 

 placed in a basket and very shortly afterwards burnt. At 

 three of the affected plantations where no spraying had been 

 carried out the mildew was visible on the leaves and shoots 

 at the beginning of August. It may be mentioned, however, 

 that at ten of the thirteen plantations sprayed by the Worcester- 

 shire County Council, and at the outbreak to the north of 

 Worcester where the spraying was carried out with potassium 

 sulphide by the owner himself, there were no signs of mildew 

 this summer. 



Results of Spraying. — The weather during the period 

 when the bushes were sprayed — namely, 26th March to 5th July 

 — was undoubtedly most conducive to the spread of disease. 

 It was extremely showery, and the soil and bushes were con- 

 stantly wet, especially in the plantations where there were 

 plum trees growing above the bushes. In these cases the 



