HISTORICAL ACCOUNT. 11 



HISTORICAL ACCOUNT OF THE BITTER ROT. 



The early accounts of the bitter rot deal mainly with the fungus 

 causing the disease, which for the present we will call by the name 

 which it has held for so many years — Gloeosporuim fructigenum, Berk. 

 Rev. M. J. Berkeley described a fungus causing a ripe rot of grapes 

 in 1854, which was probably the same as the bitter- rot fungus (see fig. 

 4). Two years later he described a fungus causing ripe rot of the 

 apple, calling it Gloeosjporimn fructigenum n. sp. He describes (1856) 

 the disease (see fig. 5) as follows: 



It (the apple) presented a spotted appearance externally as well as internally. 



* * * The spots were perfectly circular and well denned, and exhibited traces of 

 vegetation. On cutting through the apple the flesh was found to be discolored in 

 various places from the effects of incipient decomposition which was not confined 

 to the surface but penetrated into the center of the fruit. * * * In a few days 

 some of them (the spots) were studded with pearl-like specks bursting through the 

 cuticle and swelling above it in the form of little flat cushions. Sometimes there 

 was but a single speck in the very center, but more frequently there was a more or less 

 perfect ring of satellites, * * * the cuticle was raised into little shining pustules, 

 and a tendril of minute spores * * * was protruded through it. 



In 1859 Berkeley described a fungus causing a disease of peaches 

 and nectarines, which he called Glmosporium laeticolor n. sp. : 



Nearly a month since we observed on the peaches little dark specks with a bleached 

 center. * * * Two days ago he (the gardener) called our attention to its present 

 condition. The specks were prevalent on the nectarines as well as the peaches. 



* * * It is of the disease, then, as developed on the nectarines more especially 

 that we are speaking. * * * The white spot and the dark ring around it were 

 most beautifully defined, seated in the center of a regular circular depression, the 

 borders of which were pale, but not completely bleached like the center. The whole 

 surface of the depression was studded with little salmon-colored warts, disposed more 

 or less in circles, from the center of some of which, but especially of those in the 

 bleached cuticle, a little curled tendril of salmon-colored spores was protruded. After 

 a time, however, the several spots run together, and form a depression an inch or 

 more across, still teeming with the red spores. 



This fungus is apparently the same as Gleeosporium fructigenum 

 Berk. Berkeley in his description gives most of his attention to the 

 fungus rather than to the disease caused by it, but we can very easily 

 recognize the fungus of the bitter rot as being the same that he 

 described. 



In 1867 Rev. M. A. Curtis in a catalogue of the plants of North 

 Carolina mentions a fungus, Glceosporium versicolor n. sp., as occur- 

 ring upon rotten apples. This was the first use of the name, and also 

 was the first record of the occurrence of a fungus causing bitter rot in 

 this country, as far as can be determined. The bitter rot was very 

 probably known at that time, and possibly quite extensively known, as 

 the article by Murray in the Illinois Horticultural Society publication 

 only three years later (1870) would seem to indicate. In 1874 Berkeley 

 and Curtis published the first description of Glmosjporium versicolor 

 n. sp., so that the name really dates from 1874. 



