119 



Expressing a hope that, at least, one of the plans suggested may 

 be found to answer the end in view, of saving the vast amount of 

 fruit annually destroyed by the Fungi, I take my leave of a subject 

 which, if it be attended with no other result, has, at least, afforded me 

 very much pleasure in the investigation ; some portion of which I 

 have endeavoured to communicate to the members of the Microscopic 

 Society. 



Observations on the production of Decay in Fruit, by means of 



Fungi — continued. By Arthur Hill Hassall, Esq. 



Read December, 1842. 



But few persons, I imagine, who have given the statements already 

 adduced an attentive consideration, will be disposed to question the 

 power possessed by several species of Fungi of originating decay in 

 fruit. Should there however be such persons, the fact that decomposi- 

 tion may be produced by the introduction of Fungi into apples while 

 growing upon the tree, and still the recipients of its nutritive sap, 

 must be sufficient to convince even those of the extraordinary and 

 independent influence exerted by various Fungi in occasioning decay 

 in sound and living fruits. 



The experiment of inoculating fruit, while it maintains its vital 

 connexion with the tree, which may be regarded as the experimen- 

 tum crucis — the test and crowning proof of the power of these atoms 

 of creation in destroying fruit, — has proved as successful, and its in- 

 fluence as marked, as in my former paper I stated inoculation to have 

 been in fruit removed from the tree ; the only effect which the great- 

 er firmness and vitality possessed by the fruit upon the tree seems to 

 produce, is that, perhaps, of slightly retarding the progress of the 

 decomposition. 



In a paper read at the last meeting of the Society, it was stated 

 that decay might be produced in sound fruit, at will, in two ways ; 

 either by the introduction of the filaments of the Fungi contained in 

 most decayed fruit, or by means of the sporules themselves ; but that 

 when the latter were introduced, a much longer time was requisite for 

 the development of the effect of the inoculation, than was required 

 by the filaments, and this for an obvious reason : in the one case the 

 smaller filaments of the Fungi have advanced several stages in their 

 growth, while in the other, the sporules have yet to pass through 

 the several stages of development. Now, decay likewise takes place 

 naturally in these two ways, but the filaments, however, require to 



K 



