NOTES AND ABSTRACTS. 



7 6 3 



have been effective in controlling the disease, though they have not 

 cured it. The destruction of all red cedar trees within half a mile of 

 the orchards would give satisfactory results, but a mile would be better, 

 as the wind may carry the spores a long distance. 



See also an article on " Cedar Rust " in 1913 Trans. Peninsula 

 Hort. Soc, pp. 37-40. — A. P. 



Apples, Bitter Pit in. By Dr. Alfred J. Ewart {Agr. Jour. Cape 

 G H., vol. iv. No. 4, October 1912, pp. 631-633). — Results obtained, 

 according to Dr. Ewart, M conclusively show that the ' disease ' of 

 apples known as bitter pit is, strictly speaking, not a 1 disease ' at 

 all, but is a symptom of local poisoning." Bitter Pit is hard to combat 

 because it has been proved to occur in 90 per cent, of sprayed and in 

 only 10 per cent, or less of unsprayed orchards. The difficulty is 

 to find a substance which will diminish the toxicity of spray poisons 

 to plants, while leaving them equally effective against the insect 

 pests which eat and digest the poisonous spray with the plant tissues. 

 Lime and citric acid are such substances, but much more effective 

 ones may be found. Two other points emerge as established facts, 

 viz. " that more than one poison may produce Bitter Pit; that such 

 poisons may be derived from more than one source." — A. A. K. 



Apples, Bitter Pit in. By D. McAlpine (Jour. Agr. Vict. May 

 I 9 T 3» P- 3°5)- Neither insects nor fungi, bacteria nor external 

 agencies, such as spraying, are concerned in the production of Bitter 

 Pit. The cause rather is internal, and must be sought for in a study 

 of the structure and physiological processes of the Apple itself. A 

 record of the work done in this sphere forms a large part of the report. 

 The principal contributing factors to the disease are — (1) changeable 

 weather conditions at a critical period of growth, (2) amount and 

 rapidity of transpiration by the Apple, (3) sudden checking of tran- 

 spiration at night, (4) failure of water supplies under the skin of the 

 fruit followed by irregular recovery, (5) inequality of growth, (6) 

 fluctuations of temperature during storage, (7) nature of the variety. 

 These factors are more or less susceptible of control by approved 

 methods of cultivation, selection, and storage, and further work 

 of a practical character is outlined for next season in determining 

 the effect of soil, cultivation methods, manuring, irrigation, selection 

 of stocks, and systems of pruning. The results of the next report 

 will be awaited with interest. Incidentally it is noted that when 

 Apples are kept at a temperature of 30 0 to 32 0 Fahr. the develop- 

 ment of Bitter Pit is retarded.— C. H. H. 



Apples, Old and New. By U. P. Hedrick and G. H. Howe 

 (U.S.A. Exp. Sin., New York, Bull. 361, 135 pp.). — A discussion on 

 various Apple questions, such as Strains, Degeneration, Disease 

 resistance, followed by a catalogue of varieties tried in the experimental 

 garden at Geneva, New York. — E. A. Bd. 



