1909.] Notes on Insect, Fungus and other Pests. 125 



may begin to drop off by the end of August. The only 

 chance the grower has of curing a bad attack of mildew is 

 to destroy the winter fruits, and if he wishes to do so he 

 must begin pruning in good time. It is true that a number 

 of winter fruits remain attached to the wood, so that by 

 pruning even as late as February he is reducing the risk of 

 a severe attack in the following summer; but if he does not 

 begin his work early so as to prevent the winter fruits 

 dropping into the soil, it is very unlikely that he will effect 

 a cure ; the chances are that he will have the whole of the 

 work to do over again the following summer. 



Fruit-growers are busy during the early autumn months 

 and labour is difficult to obtain, but in view of the dangers 

 entailed by delay, strenuous efforts should be made to remove 

 diseased tips in August and September. In any case, the 

 suckers which grow in an affected plantation must be pulled 

 up and destroyed, as suckers are very liable to contract 

 disease. 



Diseased tips should not be allowed to fall on the ground, 

 but should be thrown into iron buckets, or baskets lined with 

 sacking, as soon as they have been pruned off the bushes. 

 As a further precaution against re-infection, the soil of goose- 

 berry plantations should be dug over in winter and the surface 

 buried as deeply as possible. 



Dry Scab of Potatoes. — A recently-issued number of the 

 Kew Bulletin reported the discovery in Great Britain of 

 three cases of the potato disease known 



Notes on Insect, as Dl T Scab «* During the month of 

 Fungus and other April two further cases have come 

 Pests. to the Board's notice, both from Perth- 



shire. This disease, which has till 

 recently been known under the scientific name of Phellomyces 

 sclerotiophorus, Frank, and is now called Spondy locladium 

 atrovirens, Harz, has been known on the Continent since 

 187 1, and in Ireland since 1903. The presence of this 

 disease has not previously been confirmed in Great Britain, 

 but the correspondent who sent up the potatoes from the Isle 

 of Ely states that he had the disease rather badly five years 



* See Journal, April, 1909, p. 31. 



