12 



BITTEN PIT INVESTIGATION. 



OCCURRENCE. 



The disease occurred under the most varied conditions. It was only distinctly observed after 

 ripening, and the riper the apples became the disease developed all the more. It was also noticed that 

 the disease is more common in the small apples than in the large ones, and this was observed both 

 on the tree and in the apples after being picked. The longer the apples are left on the tree the worse 

 affected they become. 



It is sometimes spoken of as "Cool Store Spot," as if it only occurred under these conditions, 

 but it may appear on the- tree or develop after the fruit is picked. It appears also in windfalls, and in 

 fruit kept under ordinary storage as well as in cool store. In one instance, the worst specimens were 

 found iu a case left exposed in the orchard for about a month, and the apples towards the top seemed 

 to he more affected than those lower down. 



There was a striking instance of perfectly clean fruit from one orchard in which the fruit had been 

 picked a month before the others in the district, and placed in cool store on 23rd March. It is generally 

 found that the latest fruit brought in to the cool store develops the worst, so that it is not advisable to 

 delay picking too long. 



WEATHER CONDITIONS. 



During the past season, the apples were slow in ripening in the district investigated, and some of 

 the fruit was left on the trees rather long. This is generally considered to favour the disease when the 

 fruit is afterwards placed in cold storage. 



As regards the weather, there was an exceptional amount of rain towards the beginning of the 

 year, and wind was very prevalent. 



The following table gives the monthly rainfall for the past live years and for the half of the present 

 year : 



TABLE I. 



RAINFALL AT TYABB, VICTORIA. 



1910. 



Inches. 



January 



February 

 March 

 April 

 May .. 

 June 



July .. 



August 



September 



October 



November 



December 



Totals 



10-83 



75 

 01 



29-93 



2-92 

 86 

 65 



3-94 



28-96 



7-82 



2-43 

 2-42 

 3 00 



57 

 32 



1- 

 4' 



3-46 



25-02 



14-04 



2-22 



2-86 

 1-90 

 1-75 

 3-03 

 1-63 



27-43 



7-30 



3-84 

 64 



1-49 

 50 



1 75 



3-67 



19-19 



13-40 



1 80 

 2-46 

 3-32 

 3-31 

 1-21 

 58 



26-08 



15-93 



It will be observed that in the months of January and February, 1916, there was an exceptionally 

 heavy rainfall, compared with the previous years, and' in the month of March it was comparatively 

 light. Those apples picked and placed in cold storage in March were comparatively free from spot, 

 while those picked and stored in April were badly affected. 



