130 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Mr. Thomas Scott, Horticultural Instructor to the Down County 

 Committee of Agricultural and Technical Instruction, has kindly fur- 

 nished me with the following notes : " I am sorry to say from what 

 I can learn that the disease is spreading rapidly in this county, and 

 there is no doubt whatever that it is on the increase. While its area has 

 undoubtedly increased, its attacks in some cases this year (1905) were not 

 so severe as in last season ; this I attribute to the past very dry summer. 

 In answer to your question as to whether the fungus has attacked red 

 currants, I may say that no case has come under my notice, although I 

 have seen the disease in numerous gardens in some six centres in the 

 county. I may mention, however, that a few days ago a lady, who knows 

 the disease well, told me she had it upon her currants this year. I hardly 

 think she would have been misled in the matter." Writing later, Mr. 

 Scott reported : " In the district of Killeagh I found the fungus in nine 

 gardens. The disease appeared also at Rademon, about six miles distant, 

 last year, and this year it had increased. In all, I have discovered it in 

 six districts of this county during the past year. In 1903 I discovered it 

 in two gardens in Co. Wexford ; these were at least twenty-five miles 

 apart. I could not trace any cause for its appearance there ; fresh bushes 

 had not been planted. ... I have personally observed the disease in six 

 districts and in sixteen gardens." 



Co. Meath. — Examples of diseased berries and young wood have been 

 sent to me from Tara. The varieties affected were ' Whinham's Industry,' 

 ' Crown Bob,' and ' Greengage.' 



Co. Cavan. — A correspondent writes from Virginia : " The outbreak 

 of the gooseberry-mildew was on a small farm in this county. In the 

 absence of State control, we are not authorised to compel destruction of 

 diseased plants. In the case of foul brood in bees, compensation is given. 

 I endeavoured to see if the Department of Agriculture could provide this 

 in the case of the present gooseberry disease, but there is no fund avail- 

 able." 



It seems clear from the above reports that the disease is steadily on 

 the increase in Ireland. In the few cases where the fungicide recommended 

 (potassium sulphide) has been employed, the fungus has been kept from 

 spreading. In the absence of any organised attempt to eradicate the 

 disease, however, there is every reason to fear that it is gaining a 

 permanent foothold in Ireland, and that the fungus will continue to 

 spread from county to county — as it has done since its first appearance in 

 1900 — until the gooseberry crop over the whole of Ireland will be exposed 

 to this dangerous disease. I give on p. 131 an outline map showing the 

 areas at present known to be affected by the American gooseberry-mildew. 

 If this is compared with the map I gave on p. 103 of vol. xxix. of the 

 H.H.S. Journal, it will be seen that three new counties, Cavan, Meath, 

 and Wexford (the last extending the southern limit of the fungus), have 

 now been added to the list of affected counties. The disease has now 

 been observed in so many places in Co. Down — it occurs in at least 

 twenty gardens in seven districts — that it seems probable that it is 

 generally prevalent throughout this county ; to indicate this, I have 

 shaded the whole county in the map given above. 



If the present conditions are allowed to continue, it is practically 



