2 BULLETIN 727, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
production of new lesions is very rapid. Therefore, upon its hosts 
under cultivation this disease often becomes epiphytotic and may 
cause serious loss. While primarily a field-crop disease it also 
occurs as a greenhouse trouble in cucumber culture. 
Anthracnose was noted as early as 1867, and it now occurs quite 
commonly throughout Europe and the eastern United States. The 
disease has received considerable attention from mycologists and 
plant pathologists, and while diverse names were given to the causal 
organism agreement seems to have been reached that the several 
descriptions apply to the same fungus. 
Among the outstanding disputed questions are that of the correct 
generic name of the fungus and that of the relation of this fungus to 
the causal organism of bean anthracnose. The latter question is 
about settled. 
As in the case of other anthracnoses, the increased prevalence of 
this disease following wet weather has been recognized. It seems to 
be rather generally held that this anthracnose may be controlled by 
spraying. 
In the present bulletin it has been the purpose to bring together 
and summarize the work of others upon this disease and to add 
something from observation and experiment. While a little is 
added to the record in the way of a description of the disease, the 
main purpose has been to learn more details regarding the life history 
of the causal fungus with relation*to the disease and to devise a 
method of control with special reference to the disease as it occurs 
in the cucumber-pickle crop. The phases studied in particular are 
the overwintering of the parasite, manner of introduction into fields, 
mode of dissemination, method of host infection, and means of 
control. 
THE DISEASE. 
HOSTS. 
The economically important hosts of anthracnose are the cucum- 
ber (Cucumis sativus), the muskmelon (Cucumis melo), and the 
watermelon (Citrullus vulgaris). Among the noneconomic hosts are 
gourds of the genus Lagenaria, two species of Cucumis, Benincasa 
cerifera, and Trichosanthes colubrina. Saccardo (42, v. 3, p. 719-720)! 
lists Cucumis colocynthis as a host. 
While Farlow (17, p. 202) in his host index includes squash and 
pumpkin as hosts, subsequent observations indicate that anthrac- 
nose does not occur as a vine disease in the genus Cucurbita, although 
it is reported on squash fruits (45, p. 15). More details regarding 
the host range of the fungus are presented later, in the considera- 
tion of pathogenicity. 
1 The serial numbers in parentheses refer to ‘‘ Literature cited,’’ at the end of this bulletin. 
