216 EXPERIMENT STATION. [Jan. 



It will be noted that Table III. shows a much greater im- 

 provement of keeping quality, clue to the spraying, with the 

 Howe berries (A and C) than with either the Early Blacks 

 (D and E) or the McFarlins (B). This and the distinctly 

 greater increase in quantity of fruit on the Howe plots indicate 

 the presence of a special diseased condition, affecting that va- 

 riety, which was either much less in amount or absent altogether 

 on the McFarlins and Early Blacks. While there was much 

 more hypertrophy (" false blossom ") on the Howe vines dur- 

 ing the first part of the summer than on the vines of the other 

 varieties, it does not appear that this was the cause of the dif- 

 ference in the results obtained from spraying, for it has not 

 been shown that spraying affects this disease. The difference 

 seems to have been due to the presence of a hitherto unknown 

 disease (as Dr. Shear has determined) which, for convenience, 

 we will tentatively call the " blossom end rot." This disease 

 was the most evident cause of decay among the Howe berries 

 from the station bog in the fall of 1911 and also of 1012. It 

 was only occasionally found, however, on the berries of the other 

 varieties. Its characteristic effect on the fruit is to cause it to 

 rot, beginning at the blossom end and working gradually toward 

 the stem end, the berry becoming soft but remaining plump and 

 watery, as the decay progresses. In an early stage of this rot- 

 ting a characteristic, yellowish brown discoloration appears at 

 or near the blossom end of the berry and remains there without 

 much extension until the whole berry becomes soft. That the 

 presence of this disease was the cause of the difference in the re- 

 sults obtained by spraying is shown by the following averages 

 of counts of decayed berries in samples taken at random from 

 the boxes of the storage tests (6 samples examined for each aver- 

 aji'e), classified according to the apj^arent primary causes of the 

 decay : — 



