762 Agricultural Journal of Victoria. 



Red Spot Associated with the Black. 



Associated witli the black spot, in luauy orchards, there were 

 red spots on the apples, and this, coupled with the late appearance of 

 the spot, caused many to imagine that a new disease had appeared. 

 But a little close observation would have shown them that the same 

 appearance may be met with on otherwise healthy apples, and these 

 spots are specially noticeable on the Stone Pippin and yellow-skinned 

 varieties. If a small portion of the skin so affected is examined 

 under the micsoscope, it is seen that the cells in the centre of these 

 red spots are ruptured and disorganised. This minute cracking of the 

 skin has very probably been caused by the excessive moisture, and 

 the decay thus set up in the cells gives them a ruddy hue. It is 

 chiefly on the side exposed to the sun that these red spots occur, and 

 the joint action of the sun and moisture will tend to produce the 

 discoloration. 



Hundreds of apples were examined with these red spots surround- 

 ing the black, and in every instance it was found that either the 

 black spot fungus had produced a rupture or its presence had pro- 

 duced decay in the surrounding cells, hence the colour. 



It was even suggested that this was the "pink rot," an attendant on 

 apple scab in many American orchards, but a microscopic examination 

 would at once have dispelled such an idea. Pink rot is associated with 

 a definite fungus which is very common on decaying vegetable matter 

 of all sorts, but no trace of this was found on the apples examined. 



The Doncaster Experiments. 



Mr. A. F. Thiele again kindly allowed his orchard to be used for 

 experimental purposes. The same plot of Yates apples was sprayed 

 as in previous years, and the spraying took place on 2nd October, 

 just one day later than in 1902. When the spraying was done the 

 trees were generally in bloom, and about three to five days prior to full 

 bloom. A rapid inspection of the trees, while the work was in 

 progress, showed that on every tree a large number of tufts of the 

 fungus had already appeared on the young leaves enveloping the 

 blossoms, as well as on the flower stalks and calyx. As many as 50 

 diseased leaves were counted on one tree, where they could be easily 

 seen at the level of the eye, without reference to attacks on the 

 fruit-stalks and calyx. Under the circumstances really good results 

 were not expected, as it was considered the spraying was at least a 

 week too late. Spraying in bloom is sometimes recommended, but 

 there is a danger that, as in this case, by that time the first infections 

 may have occurred, and the fungus tufts may be producing almost 

 unlimited quantities of fresh spores capable of attacking the leaves 

 and fruit, if weather conditions prove favorable. The best plan 

 appears to be to spray just as the first few blossoms are opening. 



The mixtures used had all been tried before, with the exception 

 of Soda Bordeaux and the addition of a phosphate (sodium phos- 

 phate) to the Bordeaux mixture. Slight variations were also iutro- 



