94 MANUAL OF FRUIT DISEASES 



Control of soft-rot. 



It is to be remembered that the spores of the soft-rot fungus 

 are everywhere in the air, and on objects of all sorts. Rotten 

 apples cannot be cured. But obviously there are many things 

 which the grower and dealer can do or can refrain from doing 

 which will reduce the disease to a profitable minimum. These 

 facts should be borne in mind : (1) the fungus is omnipresent ; 

 (2) it gains entrance to apples only through wounds; (3) a 

 rotten apple is a menace to its neighbors in the barrel or bin. 

 Therefore, precautionary measures should be used in handling 

 the fruit. Certainly the modern commercial grower expects 

 to raise apples free from scab ; at least there are two reasons 

 why he should : to avoid scab itself, and to indirectly prevent 

 storage rots. A scabby apple is not a number one when it goes 

 into the barrel, and no miraculous handling of the fruit can bring 

 it out in better condition than it was in when barreled. The 

 chances are it will be rendered worthless through the agency 

 of the soft-rot organism which finds easy entrance at the scab 

 spot. For most manual labor a careful manicuring is not 

 essential ; but for picking apples it is highly important that the 

 finger-nails be short or that smooth gloves be worn. No care- 

 ful grower will approve of having the fruit bruised in any way 

 during the picking and packing operations. Every precaution 

 should be taken to avoid bruising the tissue or breaking the 

 skin of the apple. Cold storage cannot mend these wounds, 

 nor does it seem to wholly prevent soft-rot. Doubtless cold 

 storage does a great deal toward lessening the amount of soft- 

 rot from year to year. Some refer to the process as refrigera- 

 tion ; but in any case the principle involved is briefly this : the 

 temperature is reduced to a point where the fungus can develop 

 no further, but at which point the apple is not injured . In proper 

 storage the fruit is not only not injured, but benefits, other than 

 by the prevention of decay, are derived. The period for dis- 

 tribution and for consumption is increased. When apples are 



