6 BULLETIN 714, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
FUNGI. 
IMPORTANCE. 
The writers' observations (10) indicate that rot-producing fungi 
cause at least one-half of all the loss in cranberries after picking. 
These fungi are, however, by no means of uniform importance in 
different regions or in different seasons. A study of a number of 
neighboring bogs during a single year or of a single bog through a 
series of years can not fail to impress the investigator with the ex- 
treme variation in the loss due to decay. 
An illustration of the variation in the amount of rot over a con- 
siderable area in different seasons is found in the annual reports of 
the board of inspectors of the New England Cranberry Sales Co. for 
the last five years, as given by the chairman, Mr. H. S. Griffith (6). 
The crop of 1913 was described as kk remarkably free from fungous 
disease"; in 1914 and in 1915 there was a large percentage of un- 
sound fruit; the crop for 1916 was unusually sound up to November 
1, after which a noticeable, though not very serious, amount of end- 
rot developed; the crop for 1917 was in general of good keeping 
quality, with a small amount of fungous disease. As these inspectors 
determine the brand of the crops from representative bogs over much 
of the Massachusetts cranberry area, their reports, no doubt, repre- 
sent fairly well the condition for the entire region. 
The prevalence of rot in some seasons seems to be associated with 
weather conditions which would favor the growth and spread of 
fungi. Our knowledge of these relations is too slight, however, to 
permit of very definite conclusions. Differences in the amount of 
rot on different bogs or on various portions of one bog are often 
related either to lack of vigor or to excessive growth of the vines, 
due to various causes. These relations will be considered later. 
PRINCIPAL CRANBERRY FUNGI WHICH CAUSE FRUIT ROTS. 
The fungi which cause the decay of cranberries after they are 
picked are in a large part those which attack the fruit on the vines. 
The molds which cause decay of such perishable fruits as strawberries 
and raspberries are rarely found on cranberries and are, therefore, 
of slight importance. 
Among the diseases which are the principal causes of losses of 
cranberries in storage are early-rot (8), caused by Guignardia cac- 
cinii Shear, which is also the cause of scald and blast, and which is 
especially destructive to fruit on the vines and early in the season 
in New Jersey; encl-rot (9), caused by Fusicoccu-m putrefaciens Shear, 
common on fruit in storage, especially late in the season and in the 
northern cranberry regions; bitter-rot, caused by GlomereJJa cingu- 
lata vaccinii Shear; ripe-rot, caused by Sporonema oxy cocci Shear: 
and blotch-rot, caused by Acanthorhynchus vaccinii Shear. Soft-rot> 
