54 



BITTER PIT INVESTIGATION. 



In South Australia the prevailing opinion is that wet seasons favour the disease. " It was 

 also bad in 1910-11 owing to the summer being cool and moist following a wet winter. Pit is rare 

 in hot dry summers." This is the remark of Mr, Bobin, of Nuriootpa, who gives the spring and 

 summer rainfall for 1910-11, the average for the district being 21 inches ; — 



Spring — 



September .. .. .. 2*80 inches 



October .. .. ..2-50 „ 



November . . . . 1 * 81 „ 



7*11 inches 



Summer — 



December . . . . . . 1 *94 inches 



January . . . . . . '27 „ 



February . . 1*73 „ 



3.94 inches 



In Western Australia the growers consider that wet seasons encourage the disease. One 

 remarks, however, " all seasons practically the same, the rainfall being fairly even." 



In Tasmania a few consider that a wet or dry season makes no difference, but the majority 

 hold that wet favours it. " Wet seasons, certainly, together with light crops." " Wet winter and 

 dry summer are the worst." 



IS THE DISEASE INCREASING? 



In Victoria the great majority of growers report that it is not increasing. Five consider 

 that it is decreasing, 27 that it is increasing, and the remainder emphatically reply in the negative. 



I think that it is increasing, assuming the same conditions of pruning, &c, are carried on, but 

 people are beginning to prune longer, which tends to arrest the disease in some measure, so if these 

 conditions are going to prevail, the answer would be noP " We notice it more now because we are 

 growing more, but I think it was just as bad twenty years ago." 



In New South Wales it is reported as not increasing, with the exception of the one district 

 of Adelong. A good deal depends on the varieties grown, for, as one remarks, "it is largely a 

 matter of the number of Cleopatras planted whether it is on the increase or not." 



In South Australia eight consider it to be on the increase and thirteen that it is not so. " It 

 does seem on the increase, but of late years there has been a lot of new varieties introduced." " It 

 is not on the increase. We are getting it under by not pruning severely ; but many orchards are 

 bad where people insist on pruning hard." 



In Western Australia there are only three growers who consider it slightly increasing, but 

 many of the others report it on the decrease. 



In Tasmania there are nine growers who consider it on the increase and fourteen that it is 

 not. "Decreasing as trees get older and bear more heavily." "Increasing, but production and 

 planting correspond." 



CAUSES ASSIGNED. 



^ In a subject like Bitter Pit, where neither insects nor fungi, bacteria nor mechanical 

 agencies are concerned, there is plenty of scope for the exercise of the imagination, and quite a 



