MAINE AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. IQIO. 409 



Species of Fusarium, caused complete decay of ripe apples upon 

 inoculation from pure cultures. A study is being made of the 

 apple decays caused by species of Fiisarkim and a detailed ac- 

 count will be published soon in a bulletin of this Station. A 

 Fusarium decay has been described from Europe by Osterwal- 

 der,* but so far as the writers are aware no such decay has been 

 reported in America. In this investigation 3 forms of Fusarium 

 have been isolated from decaying apples, and have been found 

 to cause decay of both green and ripe apples. These have been 

 grown in pure culture from one to two years and show such dif- 

 ferences in cultural characteristics- as to make it seem probable 

 that they are different species. One of these bears considerable 

 resemblance to F. putrefaciens Osterwalder, but does not seem 

 to be identical. One of the others has been found to cause not 

 only a decay of apples but to cause decay of parts of a number of 

 other plants, its occurrence on one of which at least practically 

 insures the presence of spores of this fungus at the time when 

 the infection of the apple would take place. 



No special recommendations can be made for the control of 

 these apple rots at this time. In a general way it may be said 

 that the same methods which apply in the case of the well known 

 apple decays will probably go far toward the prevention of loss 

 from these fungi. 



Verticilliwn decay. In 1908, a fungus was isolated from ap- 

 ples and tested by means of inoculations which, while it does not 

 seem to be of very common occurrence, causes a distinct decay 

 of both green and ripe apples on inoculation. This fungus 

 spreads through the tissues of ripe apples at as rapid a rate as 

 Pcnicillium but it produces a very different effect. The diseased 

 portion is not soft but is rather hard and the affected apple keeps 

 its normal shape for some time. The decayed tissue has an 

 odor and taste which is characteristic and rather pleasant, not 

 unlike that of dried cocoanut. Cultures of the fungus on prune 

 agar give the same odor. 



The causal fungus grows readily and spreads rapidly in plates 

 of prune agar. It produces large quantities of spores. The 

 masses of spores are white when young but become green with 

 age. On the basis of the spores and of the manner in which they 



* Osterwalder, A. Ueber cine bisher unbekannle Art der Kernobst- 

 faule, verursacht durch Fusarinni futrcfaciens Nov. spec. Centralhl. 

 Bakt. Zweite Abt. 13. 207-213 ; 330-338. 1904. 



