132 Report OF THE DEPARTMENT OF BOTANY OF THE 
This inoculated fruit was in cold storage for two months or a 
little longer. It is possible, though not probable, that some of the 
species of fungi used would have developed and produced decay 
if the time had been extended. 
All of the apples used in these experiments were kept in cold 
storage until shortly before being inoculated and hence did not go 
into the storage house in a warm condition. Had they been warm 
when they were placed in storage the kind of package used (bushel 
boxes) would have been quite important, for the fruit in a small 
package will cool down comparatively soon after going into a cool 
room. When large packages (barrels) are used, and the apples are 
warm, those in the center do not cool down to the temperature of 
the air of the room for some days. 
Occasionally, barrels of apples are removed from cold storage 
and upon examination some of the fruit is found to be in a partly 
decayed condition, produced by the growth of some of the species of 
fungi that the preceding experiments have shown to be incapable of 
growing in the low temperature of a cold storage house. Assuming 
that the storage house was properly operated, such a condition of 
the fruit upon removal can be accounted for in two ways: (1) The 
apples may have been barreled and allowed to remain in the orchard 
or a shed or were on a railroad for some time. (2) It is possible 
also that decay would be found in barrels of apples that had been 
stored immediately after harvesting, if the weather at the time was 
warm. Under such conditions the fruits would go into the barrel 
warm and would be surrounded by warm air, and if the tempera- 
ture of the fruit or air was 75° or 80° F. it would require about a 
week before the temperature of the fruit in the center of the barrel 
would be reduced to or near the temperature of the store room. 
But during the time the fruit was cooling decay could start and 
develop to some extent. Especially would this be true with a decay 
which develops quickly like bitter rot. 
It is unfortunate that the only fungus that grows and produces 
decay in commercial cold storage is the most destructive and also 
most common species. But this rot is what might properly be 
termed a mechanical one, as the losses from it most often follow 
mechanical injuries to the fruit. Proper and careful handling will 
greatly reduce these injuries and therefore lessen the amount of 
decay from this rot. 
