Fawcett-Burger : A Gum-Inducing Diplodia 153 



any of the species of Diplodia have been shown to produce gum- 

 ming in trees. 



The same fungus was also isolated a number of times from - 

 rotting fruits of orange and of grapefruit. It was shown by 

 further inoculation experiments that the fungus was able to 

 cause softening and decay of various fruits. Oranges, lemons 

 and apples after being inoculated with a bit of the mycelium, 

 softened in from one to two weeks. It was only necessary to 

 place the fungus on the stalk end of picked lemons and oranges 

 to produce decay, after which the fungus could be isolated from 

 the interior of the fruits. 



In looking up literature on Diplodia, our attention was called 

 to recent inoculation experiments by I. B. Pole Evans in the 

 Transvaal, in which he had shown that a Diplodia was the cause 

 of decay in lemons and other citrus fruits. An examination of 

 the description of this fungus by I. B. P. Evans, in Science Bull. 

 No. 4 of the Transvaal Department of Agriculture, appears to 

 show that the Florida Diplodia on peach and citrus may be the 

 same as Diplodia natalcnsis Evans. Specimens were examined 

 by Mrs. Flora W. Patterson, mycologist at the U. S. Department 

 of Agriculture, who reported that the microscopic morphology of 

 the citrus fungus agreed quite well with the descriptions of Evans' 

 species. Further study and a comparison of cultures of the two 

 fungi will, however, be necessary to determine this point. A 

 more detailed description of these inoculation experiments, and 

 of the cultural characters of this gum-inducing and fruit-rotting 

 fungus will be published later. 



University of Florida, 

 Gainesville, Fla. 



