56 



commonly to be found affecting the quince in this State, and among 

 them I find two to be far more prominent than all others namely, 

 the ripe rot of the quince and a fungus disease caused by a species of 

 Alternaria. 



Some information of a technical character will be found on pages 

 8-11 in the account of the ripe rots of: the various fruits. Here it need 

 only be said that this disease has much the same appearance on the 



Fig. 66. -Water-culture 

 spores from the Alter- 

 naria, of the quince. 



Fig. 67. Interesting secondary spores formed on 

 the mycelium from Alternaria(or Pleospora?) 

 spore from the fruit of the quince. Almost 

 immediately on issuing from the original spore 

 found growing naturally on the quince, the 

 mycelium began the fonnation of chains of 

 spores. 



Fig. 68- Spores of Gloeo- 

 sporium found growing 

 naturally on the quince. 



quince as on the apple, where it is a much more common sight. The rot 

 caused by the fungus is at first a surface rot which extends in a 

 circular manner, at the same time penetrating farther and farther into 



the fruit until it is completely 



destroyed. The rotten spot 



is almost invariably circular 



and of a dark brown colour, 



the colouration being, as in 



the case of the ripe rot of the 



apple, arranged in concentric 



rings of alternating lighter 



and darker shades of brown. 



By the time the rotten area 



on the surface of the fruit becomes half an inch in 

 diameter there may usually be seen on its surface 

 minute pustules of a darker colour, sometimes 

 almost or even quite black, and these, becoming 

 slightly raised after a few days, begin to emit a 

 a tortuous light-coloured fibril which, upon being 

 placed in water, completely " dissolves. " Upon 

 examination with a magnifying glass, or better 

 with a microscope, it will be found that the fibril 

 was composed of thousands of spores of the form 

 shown in the adjacent illustration. If some of 

 these spores be prodded into another quince with 

 a small pointed instrument, the inoculation will 

 result in a rotten spot at the end of a week or two, the time depending 

 on the state of ripeness of the quince. This simple experiment is the 

 key to the remedies it is possible to apply. 



Fig. 69. Alternaria of 

 the quince. Water- 

 culture growth of 

 spores in chains. 



