New York AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 149 
THE FUNGUS. 
The fungus which is the cause of this rot is known as 
Cephalothecium roseum Cda., and was first described over sixty 
years ago. It is commonly found throughout Europe and Amer- 
ica growing on various decaying substances, particularly on dead 
wood and rotting fruit. During all this time it has been well 
known to mycologists for its scientific interest, but until the past 
season! has been generally considered harmless and unable to 
cause the rotting of fruit or other healthy tissue. However, as 
long ago as 1866 Devaine,? a Frenchman, who investigated the 
decay of fruit, stated that a fungus which he determined as 
Tricothecium domesticum Fries grows readily when inoculated 
into green, solid fruits and the living leaves of certain plants. 
Zschokke,’? in 1897, evidently believed that the fungus with which 
Devaine worked was identical with Cephalothecium roseum, 
and although he makes no mention of having conducted any 
inoculation experiments, he expresses the opinion that C. roseum 
does not belong to the true rot fungi. This author states that 
C. roseum is common on fruit which has first begun to rot from 
other causes. In only one instance did he find it unaccompanied 
by other fungi. Nothing is said about its association with 
Fusicladiwm, however. He placed some pears affected with 
Cephalothecium in a moist chamber and observed that the fungus 
did not penetrate any deeper into the tissue; also that it spread 
sidewise only slightly. His conclusions are that Cephalothecium 
had simply taken possession of sunburn spots. 
Behrens, in 1898, agrees with Zschokke that Tricothecium 
(Cephalothecium) is not a cause of rot in fruit, and suggests that 
Devaine worked with impure cultures. But Behrens, like 
Zschokke, made no inoculation experiments. 

1An account of the destructive apple rot discussed in this bulletin has already been pub- 
lished by John Craig and J. M. Van Hook in Cornell Experiment Station Bulletin No. 207 
entitled, ‘‘Pink Rot: An Attendant of Apple Scab.”’ The present writer had no knowledge that 
the disease was under investigation at the Cornell Experiment Station until the above men- 
tioned bulletin was distributed, December 16, 1902. 
2Devaine, M. C. Recherches sur la pourriture des fruits et des autres partes des vegetaux 
vivants. Comptes Rendus, 63: 344. 1866. 
37schokke, A. Ueber den Bau der Haut und die Ursachen der verschiedenen Haltbarkeit 
unserer Kernobstfruchte. Landw. Jahrb. der Schweiz, 11: 174. 1897. 
4Behrens, J. Beitrage zur Kenntnis der Obstfaulnis. Centralbl. 7. Bakt., Parasitenk. u. 
Infektionskr. Zweite Abt., 4: 581. 1898. 
