Charlevoix county herald., 1917-06-15
DAMAGE FROM BEAN
DISEASES MAY BE-
REDUCED BY SPRAY

East Lansing, Mich, June l2-
Anthracnose and blight, the plant
diseases which because of the damage
they do are among the principal reasons
why the public is paying 81 bushel
or more for beans, may be controlled,
declare some plant pathologists, if the
infant bean plants are thoroughly
sprayed with bordeaux mixture. BY
reason of this, bean specialists of the
Michigan Agricultural college, while
they never have put whole lot of faith
themselves in applying the bordeaux
treatment TO beans, are nevertheless
recommending spraying this spring as
at least being worthy of trial
1.-THE nature of the two parasites
causing anthracnose and blight is such
as would lead one to expect that they
could be controlled by means of a spray
according to j. II. Muncie of the ex-
pertinent station of the Michigan Agri-
cultural college. both organisms at
tack the plant from the outside, pene-
trating the tissue of the parts affected.
Moisture is necessary for their develop
ment upon plant parts. From the
similarity between these bean disease
organisms and those causing similar
diseases, it would seem that spraying,
if done thoroughly and at the proper
time, would control to a large extent
both the bean anthracnose and blight.
'These diseases both originate on
the seed and come above ground on the
diseased seed leaves. The spores, or
bacteria, are washed down upon the
stems, producing cankers. A thorough
application of bordeaux upon the seed
lings as soon as they are from two to
four inches high would afford great
protection from these diseases. 1t must
be borne in mind that this spraying, to
be effective, must begin early, before
the true leaves come out, and be con-
tinued at short intervals until the
plants are large enough to be injured
if sprayer is driven through the field.
'In spraying beans, after the true
leaves have appeared, il will be neces-
sary to apply the spray from the under
side as well as from above. This
double spraying is given to cover both
surfaces of the leaves and to protect
them from infection by any stem canker
which may have developed in spite of
the first application.
"The effectiveness of spraying for
bean diseases lies in the earliness of
the first application OF spray. II the
first spraying can be given before the
infection has spread from the infected
seed leaves to the stems, and plants
subsequently protected by thorough
covering OF the spray material, it would
seem that spraying should be effective
against both the anthracnose and blight.
II the early spraying is done thorough
ly, il will not be necessary to spray
after the blossoms have appeared and
the vines grown between the rows.
"If beans are planted in hills twenty
eight inches in the row and the rows
twenty-eight inches apart, spraying
can be done much more easily after the
vines have become large. Planting in
check rows in this manner will also give
better aerAtion to the beans and tend
10 reduce moist conditions favorable to
disease. This is especially true Of the
anthracnose, the spores OF which are
spread only when the disease cankers
a's I'm MAR any |ssen@brayiug as suggested
here is w9S'n q trial.