ORIGIN OF THE INVESTIGATION. 



7 



details of these observations and experiments will now be given, and their bearing shown on the cause 

 of Bitter Pit and the direction in which a remedy is likely to be found ; for it must never be forgotten 

 that the final test of the results obtained must be their actual value to the practical man. 



II. — ORIGIN OF THE INVESTIGATION. 



In the early nineties fruit-growers were beginning to get alarmed at the prevalence and spread 

 of an obscure and mysterious disease in apples, which rendered the fruit unsaleable, often appearing 

 while the fruit was still on the tree in the form of brown pits or depressions, but sometimes becoming 

 visible only in store. Since this was such a serious menace, particularly to the export trade, the 

 fruit-growers in some of the States took action, and the New South Wales Pomological Committee 

 requested Dr. Cobb (16)* to undertake an investigation into the nature and cause of the disease, 

 which he named " Bitter Pit " in 1895. The disease was said to be spreading rapidly and destroying 

 an enormous quantity of fruit, and in the report submitted by Dr. Cobb the following statements 

 were made among others : — 



. 1. I am now of the opinion that the insect Dyndimus versicolor (Harlequin bug) is not 

 the cause of this disease. 



2. I have seen no evidence that would prove the disease to be caused by a fungus. 



3. No remedy can be proposed beyond avoidance of the sorts liable to the disease. 



In the State of Victoria, I also took the matter in hand, as far as other official duties would 

 permit, but it soon became evident that the problem was one requiring undivided attention for at 

 least some time. 



Since this disease was common to all the States, the investigation of it was a national 

 concern, and at the National Fruit-growers' Conference of Australasia, held in Melbourne in 

 October, 1908, a motion was carried and laid before the Acting-Minister for Customs — " That 

 this Conference, in view of the heavy losses resulting from Bitter Pit and other obscure diseases of 

 fruit, earnestly recommends the Commonwealth authorities to take steps to bring about an 

 exhaustive enquiry into the cause and the means of prevention of such diseases." 



The matter did not escape the attention of the various Ministers of Agriculture, as at their 

 Second Inter-State Conference, held in Melbourne in August, 1909, it was resolved, " That all the 

 States co-operate in a series of investigations, with a view to ascertaining the origin, nature, and 

 preventive (or curative) means of dealing with Bitter Pit. 



Also that similar co-operative work be undertaken in regard to other diseases of plants and 

 animals." 



The fruit-growers, in conference assembled, also felt that something should be done, and at 

 the National Fruit-growers' Conference of Australasia, held in Perth in October, 1909, when repre- 

 sentatives were present from all the States of Australia, as well as New Zealand, a motion was 

 unanimously carried : — " That the prevalence of Bitter Pit be brought under the notice of the 

 Ministers of Agriculture, with a view to the appointment of a Board by each of the States interested, 

 to consist of two practical growers and one scientist to report observations." 



Investigations were still being conducted in a haphazard way in some of the States, but the 

 Ministers of Agriculture were in communication on the subject, and the final outcome was that the 

 Minister of Agriculture for South Australia, in order to proceed with the matter, obtained the views 

 of the Ministers of Agriculture on this point, among others — Should the Federal Government be 

 asked to contribute a portion of the cost ? 



* The iigures in brackets refer to the Literature at the end. 



