36 
Journal of Agricultural Research 
Vol. XI, No. 2 
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE DISEASE 
In most cases in which the endrot organism has been isolated from 
berries, the fruit first showed signs of rot at the blossom end. Plate A, 
figure i, shows the characteristic appearance of Late Howe berries in 
which the rot started at the blossom end. This was so generally the case 
in the early collections that the name “ blossom end rot” was suggested 
by Dr. Franklin. Later a quantity of rotten fruit was received from 
Mr. O. G. Malde, of the Wisconsin Cranberry Station at Grand Rapids, Wis. 
These berries were affected with what he called “stem end rot,” because 
it usually first appeared at the stem end of the berry. Isolations from 
this lot of fruit gave almost entirely the endrot fungus. Typical cases 
of the endrot beginning at the stem end are shown in Plate A, figures 
2, 3, 4, and 5. Further studies have shown that rot caused by this 
organism usually begins at one end or the other of the fruit and rarely, if 
ever, at the side. The common name “endrot” has therefore been 
adopted to distinguish this disease in a general way from scald, anthrac- 
nose, and other rots which usually begin on some other part of the berry. 
Unfortunately most of the rots of the cranberry are difficult or impossible 
to distinguish by the superficial appearance of the diseased fruit. 
Endrot first appears as a softening of the tissues accompanied by a 
slightly yellowish or brownish yellow watery discoloration of the skin. 
The diseased part is lighter colored than the* sound portion of the berry, 
the various colors and shades usually occurring as shown in Plate A. 
This discoloration spreads as the rot develops, until the whole fruit is 
involved and becomes soft and elastic to the touch, but remains turgid. 
CAUSAL ORGANISM 
The tissues of the fruit affected with endrot are found to contain 
numerous hyalin, branched fungus filaments which when transferred to 
favorable culture media produce the characteristic growth and fructifica¬ 
tions of one of the Sphaeropsidaceae which appears to be undescribed. 
In the present state of knowledge of this group of fungi it is difficult to 
assign the organism satisfactorily to a particular genus. For the present, 
or until its full life history is positively determined, it may be referred to 
the genus Fusicoccum as F. putrefaciens , n. sp., and characterized as 
follows: 
Fusicoccum putrefaciens, n. sp. 
Pycnidia subglobose to pyriform, rather thick-walled, more or less roughened, 
tawny to tawny brownish, embedded at first, becoming erumpent or subsuperficial 
when mature, sessile, or subsessile, simple or irregularly chambered forms 300 to 400 fi 
in diameter, larger chambered forms 400 to 450 m; pycnospores elliptic to fusiform, 
hyalin or very faintly yellowish in mass, continuous or pseudoseptate, 8 to 18 by 2 to 3 ju, 
mostly 10 to 12 by 2.5 m; sporophores simple or branched, cylindrical or somewhat 
tapering above, 20 to 36 by 2 ju- 
Type specimen.—No. 2918 on rotten prolific cranberries grown near Walton Junc¬ 
tion, Michigan, 19x6. 1 
Distribution.—Maine to New Jersey and west to Oregon and Washington. 
