New York AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 203 
visible upon any of the dead parts and no fungus hyphe were 
found in the bark or pith. It is not likely that this was winter 
injury or the effect of drought. We cannot account for it. 
A small amount of leaf spot (Septoria rubi Westd.) Nee in 
this plantation. 
GOOSEBERRY DISEASES. 
POWDERY MILDEW.” 
(Sphaerotheca mors-uvae (Schw.) B. & C.) 
This is the most destructive gooseberry disease. It is reported 
to have been very bad in Ulster and Columbia counties. One 
correspondent reports that his Downing gooseberries sprayed four 
times with Bordeaux mixture were almost free ‘from mildew, while 
with the variety Industry, given the same treatment, one-half of 
the crop was ruined. The disease occurred also in Dutchess 
county. 
ROOT ROT. 
During the past five years a destructive root rot disease has 
existed in a gooseberry plantation at Marlboro. It started at one 
corner of the plantation and gradually spread, killing every 
_ plant as far as the disease extended. At the present time the 
affected area measures about 40 by 50 feet. ‘The plants die grad- 
ually, living from one to four years after the appearance of the 
first symptoms of disease. Dead canes and living ones occur in 
the same hill, but the leaves on the living canes are more or less 
dwarfed. Early in May we had the privilege of examining about 
a dozen of the affected plants which had recently been dug up. 
Upon the roots of oe of them there was a conspicuous white 
mycelium. It was at once concluded that this fungus was the 
cause of the trouble, and from the nature of the rhizomorphs 
referred it provisionally to the form-genus Dematophora. 
In November the Horticulturist had occasion to remove a lot of 
seedling gooseberries which had been growing between the rows 
22 For experiments on the treatment of this disease, see Bulletin 161 of this 
Station. 
