46 



A Clover Fungus. 



considerable harm in parts of Germany. Dr. Ritzema Bos 

 says that it did harm in Holland in 1892 and 1893 in some 

 districts of Groningen and Zeeland, and always on red clover. 

 In 1893 it appeared suddenly in the Agricultural School 

 grounds at Wageninen, both upon sandy and clay soils. In 

 that year there was much disease in Holland from other 

 species of Sclerotinia^ upon rape, potatoes, hemp, and other 

 plants. Dr. Ritzema Bos adds that it could not be dis- 

 covered from whence this clover fungus came, unless " it 

 arrived in the Botrytis^ or conidial, form in which it exists 

 saprophytically, upon manure." * 



It seems that this disease has not spread in any very 

 alarming degree in Holland, and is rather of a sporadic 

 character, appearing and disappearing somewhat suddenly 

 In France, according to Prillieux, in districts where sainfoin 

 forms the chief forage crop, this fungus is a veritable scourge 

 to cultivators, and large bare patches are often seen in sain- 

 foin fields.! Fenugreek is also similarly affected in the 

 department of Gers. It is learnt from information courteously 

 sent by M. Prillieux about the middle of April, 1898, that 

 there had been no complaints as to injuries caused this year 

 by the Sclerohnia trifoliorum, M. Petermann, the Director 

 of the Station Agronomique de I'Etat at Gembloux, was 

 good enough to report that Sclerotinia trifoliorinn is not so 

 general in Belgium as to be a real scourge to agriculture, 

 yet it is often found in clover leys two or three years old. 

 M. de Caluwe, Agronome de I'Etat, in answer to inquiries, 

 kindly stated that clovers are very frequently attacked by 

 this fungus in Belgium, but that they are not seriously 

 injured in ordinary seasons, as the uninjured plants grow out 

 and fill up vacant spaces. ]\I. de Caluw6 added that the 

 malady extends throughout Belgium, upon sandy and dry 

 soil, as well as in the polder districts. Professor Eriksson 

 noticed this clover disorder in Sweden in 1878 9 and wrote 



* Kiirze Mitteilungen uber Pflanzenkj'ankheiten tmd Beschadigiuigen in den 

 Niederldndern in den fahren i8g2 und i8gj, Dr. J. Ritzema Bos, 



t Maladies des plantes agricoles. Ed. Prillieux, Professeur a I'lnstitut national 

 agronomique de France. 



