AN UNSOLVED PROBLEM.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1168, 1 July 1911, Page 8

AN UNSOLVED PROBLEM.

BITTER-PIT. Inquiries have been made of this paper as to what, bitter pit'in apples is,.and what'it is like. .'. ' The first question—what is.bitter pit?— has never yet been satisfactorily answered by any scientist. . Regarding the appearance.of the trouble, when the defect is well developed tho apple presents a number of sunken', more or loss circular pits, .which are dull or blackish in colour. The flesh of the apple having these pits is frequently found to be brown and corky. Up to the present no one in. the world has been able to decide what the cause of this is, and much money is now being; spent in investigation. .."": ■ •'■

All investigations hitherto have failed to show the presence of. insect, fungus, or bacterial trouble; and, therefore, some authorities on fruit' matters hold that it is not correct to describe bitter pit as a disease.. They say it is apparently a physiological defect.'" TliaF is about as far as investigators, have got so far. -Tho theory of Professor Smart and Dr. White- (of Victoria), is the latest of interest on the subject. Tho theory, and tho comments on it, were fully {riven in recent issues of The Dominion. The two Australian authorities declared that bitter pit was due to the use of sprays containing something which injured the fruit. The theory was not accented because it was known that apnles which had never been snrayed had developed the trouble, and others which had been sprayed had not developed it. This experience was common to New Zealand and Australia. It' is considered that a good ileal more investigation is necessary before the problem will bo solved. , '