Bitter Fit in Airples. 371 



State Committee from unsprayed orchards did not dispose of 

 the poisoning theory of bitter pit, as was naturally supposed to 

 be the case by those unaware of the facts known by the plant 

 physiologist in regard to oligodynamic poisoning. 



The influence of the cuticle and bloom of apples on 

 the absorption of poison. 



Sound, unhandled Five Crown apples with a perfect bloom were 

 (a) wiped with a rough cloth on one side to remove the bloom, 

 and (b) had an equatorial band of bloom scraped of! with a 

 razor without injuring the skin, and were floated for 1 week 

 in a solution of 2.5 grams of copper sulpliate (CUSO4 . 5HoO) in 

 1000 c.c. of water. Examined a week later (a) showed scattered 

 spots and small pits, 1 mm. diameter and depth on the wiped 

 side, and a few minute spots on the unwiped side, whereas (b) 

 showed a faint brown line joining an equatorial row of pits, 

 varying from 1 to 5 mm. diameter, and from superficial to 4 

 mm. depth. Close examination showed, however, that the largest 

 pits were under breathing pores, whose orifices had been en- 

 larged by the scraping. 



A similar test was performed with a solution of 1 gram of 

 mercuric chloride in 1000 c.c. of water. The wiped side was 

 browned and irregularly pitted, while the unwiped side was very 

 faintly browned, but the surface remained smooth and round 

 with several minute spots, but no pits. 



To obtain additional evidence of the influence of the bloom, 

 15 Jonathan apples with a perfect bloom were selected, and 

 without handling them the calyx and stalk Avere closed with 

 melted paraffin. They were completely immersed in a 1 per 

 cent, solution of mercuric chloride for one day, and then well 

 washed. In one week they were covered with large and small 

 bitter pits mainly confined to the breathing pores, but the 

 general pulp remained sound, and the surface was barely or not 

 at all discoloured, apart from the pits. They were then for- 

 warded for analysis. The Federal Analyst reported, " The 

 diseased pulp and skins were separately analysed. I did not 

 succeed in detecting the presence of mercury. The procedure 



