904 
Journal of Agricultural Research voi. xxiv, No. n 
to 40 pricked fruits, 8 unpricked fruits, and a number of controls equal 
to the number of treated fruits were used in each treatment. The results 
are summarized in Table IV. 
TabliS IV .—Effect of washing green to ripe tomato fruits for jo minutes in an antiseptic 
to control watery-rot 
rungidde. 
Strength of 
solution; 
parts 
antiseptic 
to water. 
Pricked 
fruit 
infected 
6 days 
after 
treatment. 
Unpricked 
fruit 
infected 
12 days 
after 
treatment. 
Potash alum. 
1:50 
1:40 
1:50 
1:40 
1:300 
1:240 
Per cent. 
31 
30 
20 
14 
30 
22 
57 
Per cent. 
2$ 
Do. 
Chlorid of lime. 
Do. 
12}4 
0 
0 
37K 
Formaldehyde (37 per cent). 
Do. 
Control. 
The percentage of infected fruits is higher in the pricked than in the 
unpricked series. Moreover, it is higher than in shipped fruits. As 
shipped fruits usually become infected through the stem scar instead of 
through the epidermis, they are probably comparatively free from 
punctures and therefore compare more nearly with the unpricked series. 
Formaldehyde and chlorid of lime (calcium hypochlorite) caused con¬ 
siderable reduction in the percentage of infected fruits. It is quite 
likely that sodium hypochlorite, which is a cheap convenient solution, 
would give more effective results than chlorid of lime. As the latter 
is partly insoluble it should, if used on a commercial scale, be dissolved 
in a separate tank so the clear liquid can be drawn off for use, or dissolved 
in a washing tank having a removable perforated sheet a few inches above 
the bottom to prevent the solid particles from adhering to the fruits. 
The lower effectiveness of these antiseptics in the presence of fruits as 
compared with their effect on free spores (Table III) is probably due to 
chemical reaction of the germicides with substances on the surface of the 
fruits, which reduces their strength. 
The economical use of a fungicide for washing tomato fruits should not 
be measured by its effect on a single rot, for if it controls one, it will give 
at least partial control of several others that cause heavy loss during 
shipment. The selection of a solution for this purpose should therefore 
be based on its control of this whole group of rots as well as on its cheap¬ 
ness and ease of handling. 
SUMMARY 
(1) A new rot of tomato fruits, closely resembling the rot caused by 
Bacillus caroiovoruSy has been common since the spring of 1921 in tomatoes 
shipped from the Gulf States. It is also prevalent in the vicinity of 
Arlington, Va., and Washington, D. C. 
(2) The rot is characterized by dark-colored water-soaked areas which 
start in the stem scar and spread slowly toward the blossom end of the 
fruit without the production of a pronounced odor. 
(3) The causal organism is a physiological form of Oospora lactisy 
which, though incapable of penetrating the epidermis, usually efiters the 
fruits through the stem scar, but may enter through any place not cov- 
