24 



CIRCULAR NO. 124, BUREAU OF PLANT INDUSTRY, 



Orlando Field Laboiatoiy. After drying, (ive l)riglil, five melanosed, 

 and five ammoniated fruits were wrapped and i)ut into separate cov- 

 ered glass vessels. The vessels were stored on shelves in the labora- 

 tory. Tw^elve days later the following results were found: In the 

 dish containing the melanosed oranges one was about half decayed 

 and two others were slightly softened at the stem end, but no blue 

 mold was evident. In tlie dish containing the ammoniated fruits 

 two were entirely decayed and the blue mold had covered the outer 

 surface of the paper wrappers with its spore masses ; another orange 



Fig. 3.— Stellate melanose as occasionally seen on t he under side of leaves. Magnified about 7 \ diam- 

 eters. Photoj;raphed by Dr. .\lbert Mann. 



was about one-fifth decayed at the stem end, but had no blue mold 

 in evidence. The bright fruits were apparently as good as when 

 picked two weeks before. Although these numbers are small, the 

 results are suggestive, because they are so pronounced on fruits which 

 had been carefully picked and handled. The difference between 

 the 60 per cent of decay of the rough-rinded oranges and the entire 

 absence of decay in the bright fruit was so great that it was decided 

 to make further tests. It appeared rather extraordinary that half 

 of the oranges were decaying by an organism distinct from the one 

 used in the water sprayed on the fruit. 



[i-n: 1-J4] 



