148 EXPERIMENT STATION EECORD. [Vol.36 



North Carolina. Pure cultures of the fungus have been made, but the fruiting 

 bodies have not been discovered. The disease is readily produced by introduc- 

 ing the mycelium into bark wounds in the roots, and it is said to develop quite 

 rapidly. The fungus differs in many respects from those ordinarily recognized 

 as root-destroying forms. Its identity has not been determined. 



Some effects of the black rot fungus, Sphseropsis m.alorum, upon the 

 chemical composition of the apple, C. W. Culpepper, A. C. Foster, and J. S. 

 Caldwell {U. S. Bept. Agr., Jour. Agr. Research, 7 {1916), No. 1, pp. 17-40). — 

 A report is given of an investigation, conducted mainly at the Alabama Experi- 

 ment Station, to determine the changes in the chemical composition of apples 

 attacked by the black rot organism. Comparisons were made of sound, mature 

 Red Astrachan apples with fruit of the same variety in two stages of decay. 



A slight loss of water and a considerable reduction in the amount of total 

 solids were found in the completely decayed fruit. There was also a marked 

 reduction, concurrent with the progress of the disease, in the amount of the 

 constituents removed by successive extractions of the pulp with alcohol, ether, 

 and water. A decrease, followed by an increase, was noticed in the absolute, 

 as well as in the relative, amounts of the lipoid constituents extracted by 

 alcohol or ether and precipitated from water emulsion by chloroform. 



The nitrogen extracted by alcohol, water, and ether steadily decreased with 

 the progress of the disease, as did also the ammonia. The protein nitrogen 

 increased steadily with the progress of the disease, but there was a small 

 decrease in the total nitrogen due to the complete decomposition of some of 

 the nitrogenous constituents with the escape of ammonia. 



Phosphorus in both lipoid and insoluble fractions was materially decreased in 

 the half-decayed fruit. In the completely decayed fruit there was a further 

 reduction in the lipoid phosphorus, an increase in soluble phosphorus, and a very 

 large increase in insoluble or protein phosphorus. 



A steady transfer of mineral elements from the insoluble to the soluble frac- 

 tion was observed. A rapid decrease took place in the content of reducing 

 sugars, disaccharids, and lipoid sugars as the disease proceeded. Of these 

 carbohydrates, the disaccharids were least completely utilized. Starch was 

 not attacked by the fungus, its amount remaining unchanged throughout the 

 progress of the decay. There was a progressive decrease in the acid content 

 of the fruits, and with the advance of the disease a large increase in the alcohol 

 content occurred. 



Blister spot of apples, D. H. Rose {Abs. in Phytopathology, 6 {1916), No. 1, 

 p. 110). — The author reports upon a disease of apples observed in the summer 

 of 1915, which, it is believed, has not yet been described. 



The disease is characterized by the appearance of nearly circular, sometimes 

 irregularly lobed, shallow blisters varying in color from light brown to black 

 and in diameter from 1 to 5 mm. The organism has been isolated, and inocula- 

 tions made by needle punctures have resulted in typical blister spots in about 

 two weeks on Early Melon, Ishewold, Yellow Newton, and Jonathan. 



On the flower wilt and young fruit rot of the apple tree caused by Sclero- 

 tinia mail n. sp., Y. Takahashi {Bot. Mag. [Tokyo], 29 {1915), No. 343, pp. 

 217-223). — In this paper the author has described the conidial and ascosporous 

 stages of the fungus causing flower wilt and fruit rot of the apple, the mor- 

 phological characters of which are said to resemble closely those of S. Tcusanoi, 

 but which gave negative results on inoculation into cherry trees. The fungus 

 is considered a new species and has received the name S. mali. 



Apple scald, C. Brooks and J. S. Cooley {Ahs. in Phytopathology, 6 {1916), 

 No. 1, pp. 110, 111). — Experiments are reported upon which are said to indicate 



