2 



SCLEROTINIA DISEASE OF THE GOOSEBERRY. [APRIL, 



matter of fact, as is shown by the illustrations, there is no 

 resemblance between these two diseases. 



Description of the Disease, — The gooseberry bush may be 

 attacked in four distinct places, viz., the main stem and base 

 of the branches, the young wood of the current year, the leaf, 

 or the berry. First, as regards a bush attacked in the main 

 stem. The spawn (mycelium) of the fungus penetrates into 

 the tissue of the stem (permeating the cortex and bast), and 

 at the end of a season's growth causes the bark to crack and 

 peel off, often in large pieces. The part of the stem first 

 attacked is usually that portion situated at the ground level or 

 a little above it; eventually the spawn of the fungus "rings " 

 the stem at this place and the whole bush is killed. Before this 

 occurs, however — and death does not occur as a rule in the 

 case of a well-grown bush until after several seasons from the 

 time it was first attacked — the spawn of the fungus spreads 

 upward in the stem to the base of the branches. Here it 

 frequently attacks some of the branches so severely that they 

 die. The presence of dead branches in a few bushes, or the 

 death of half the bush, is a characteristic sign of the first 

 appearance of the Sclerotinia disease in a plantation. And, 

 as is noted below, it is at this time that steps should be taken 

 to stop the disease. 



Now, renewed growth in the spawn of the fungus in the 

 stem takes place every spring, and it is at this time that the 

 manner in which the fungus exists and spreads can be most 

 easily seen. If a diseased stem be examined during a warm 

 and damp spell of weather in the spring, the appearance 

 shown in Fig. i will be observed. The bark will be found to 

 be peeling or cracking off, while, as may be seen, greyish, 

 fluffy patches of a "mould " have appeared at the edges of the 

 peeling bark or in the fissures where the bark is cracked. If 

 there is a dead branch on the bush, then, as a rule, small 

 greyish tufts or little cushions — which soon develop in suitable 

 weather into fluffy patches such as are shown in Fig. i — will 

 be found scattered here and there over its surface, as shown 

 at x in Fig. 2. These tufts of the fungus occur both on the 

 main branches nearly down to their base (see Fig. 2), and 

 frequently also on the younger wood (see Fig. 3). If with the 

 point of a knife a little of the fluffy growth shown in Fig. i r 



