CHRYSANTHEMUM DISEASE

Greymouth Evening Star, 22 April 1938, Page 3

CHRYSANTHEMUM DISEASE

AUCKLAND SHOW CANCELLED [PEB PRESS ASSOCIATION.] AUCKLAND, April 21. Through the effects of a fungoid disease, which has been especially prevalent during the last few weeks, practically every grower of chrysanthemums in Auckland has his blooms either spoiled or destroyed. The seriousness of the disease has been the main reason for the cancellation of the Auckland Horticultural Society’s chrysanthemum show, which was to have been held to-day. Although they are unable to give it a name, members of the horticultural society and leading chrysanthemum growers state that the disease has been occasionally apparent in previous years: but it has never been so destructive as in the present season. I They attribute this to the recent wet and humid weather, which has been ideal for the spread of fungoid diseases. The first indication of the disease is that the leaves become discoloured, usually a yellowy black, and they then die back to the stem, sometimes falling off. In previous years this has been the extent of the damage: but this season the stems also have been affected. The growth of blooms has been stunted, and many have rotted at the centres. No remedy fox- the disease has yet been discovered. As an indication of the extent of the ] disease in Auckland, the horticultural .society, which usually receives beI tween 400 and 500 entries of the large show-class blooms, received only 137 •entries of this type fox’ the exhibition just cancelled. z