293 
us first noticed upon the ripe berries, it will usually be too 
late to administer any remedies. If it is seen earlier some 
fungicide might be applied to check its spread. What this 
should be must be determined by future experiments. 
‘Thoroughly dusting sulphur upon the dandelion has failed 
to remove the mildew, and is not likely to be more effica- 
‘cious on the strawberry; some liquid application will prob- 
ably serve better. An English gardener? is successful in 
clearing his strawberries (presumably grown under glass) 
from mildew (probably the same as mentioned above) by 
‘spraying with a solution of one-fourth ounce of sulphide of 
potassium to a gallon of water. Twice the strength did no 
harm to the plants. If a remedy is needed this one is well 
worth trial. 
In any case the strawberry plants are weakened by the 
growth of the fungus, the fruit is rendered uninviting and 
‘unpalatable, while there is a possibility of a partial loss of 
the crop, giving good reasons for calling attention to the 
subject at this time. 
PLUM-LEAF FUNGUS. 
SEPTORIA CERASINA PK. 
Very little can be found in horticultural literature un- 
questionably relating to the malady of the plum which this 
‘parasitic fungus causes. This probably does not arise from 
‘the restricted distribution or rare occurrence of the injury, 
‘but from its being confounded with normal autumnal ripen- 
ing of the leaves. Its most prominent feature is the pre- 
mature shedding of the leaves; and early defoliation is 
‘supposed in severe cases to be abnormal only in being has- 
‘tened by the malinfluence of the weather, such as drouth 
or heat, or by the sterility of the soil. The real cause may 
more often be traced, however, to the action of an endo- — 
phytic fungus, the one named above, which saps the life of 
the leaf and produces an unnatural ripeness. 
The fungus first becomes conspicuous to a careful ob- 
server about the middle of July. It starts at isolated points 
on the leaf blades, apparently from spores derived from the 
air, and spreads in a circumscribed area, usually not ex- 
ceeding an eighth of an inch in diameter, and more com- 
monly but half that size. These spots are usually more or 
less rounded, but may be angular when bounded by the 
veins. They are dull, or even bright, red on the upper sur- 
face of the leaf, with or without a whitish dot in the center, 
18. Cornhill, in\Garden, Vol. XXVIII, 1885, p. 39. 
