Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1874-11-04
WHY FRUIT DRcA VS..


rhVch0us beasts IN the world, mac
dogs included, probably destroy fewei
human lives than are destroyed in New
York city alone by the ravnges o
those minute but virulent organisms
OF the genus micrococcus, to which W,
owe smallpox, diptheria, and som,
other malignant diseases Similarly
the thousand sturdy weeds which on
noy the farmer, the caterpillars anC
grasshoppcrs which occasionally de
your his crops, are relatively innocent
and harmless compared with the nu
merous microscopic pests which rust
his grain, rot his potatoes and frnit
and otherwise levy their burdcnsomc
taxes without making themselves visi
bic. Just az this serson, not ths
least interesting Of these individually
yidually insignificant, collectively enor
nous, nuisances are the two forms Of
fungus growth which have most to dc
with the untimely destruction Of fruit
-mueor macedo and Pcaciiii'im 9ldneun
Our apples decay, not because it Is
their nature TO, as Watts might say
but because II is the naure ofsomething
else to seize on them for subsistence,
as we do, at the same time making OF
them o habitat, as we do not. Kept to
themselves, apples and other fruit
never rot they simply lose their juices
by evaporation, shriyel, and become
dry and hard, or, if kept from drying,
remain substantially unchanged, as
when securely canned. II is only
when invaded by the organisms VIC
have named that they lose color and
quality, take on offensive tastes and
odors, become covered with white or
green mold-in short develop rotten
ness and decay.
Ii was not until the microscope was
brought to bear that the real nature
Of the process became clear. Now we
know that, so far from being the com
plement of growth, the antithesis OF
life, decay Is in reality the taking on
Of q more rapid though specifically diff,
ferent growth. II is synonymous not
with death, but withEintensely active life.
In general structure, the numerous
microscopic fungi are very much alike,
consisting mainly of a network of col.
orless cells and filaments, called the
myceliNm. This is the vegetative part.
There is, besides, productive part, in
which is produced the seed or dspore.
the structure of which is different in
the different genera. In the mucor
each reproductive filament bears a
globular swelling at its superior ex.
tremity, in the interior of which the
spores are developed. In the pencilliuH,
glaucum the reproductive flament bears
"a tuft of from four to eight branches,
which, in turn, produce upon their ex.
tremties chaplet of small oval spores
1t is called pencilium on account of this
pencil-like tuit of its spore-bealing fila.
ments, and glducum from their blush
green tint. The mold so frequently
seen in oranges is produced by this
fungus. Its comparatively of slow
growth, and the alteration il produces
in the properties Of the fruit it lives
in and upon is not so marked as that
caused by the mucor
When a iruit is invaded by either
of these fungi, the vegetative filaments
send their branches among and around
the iruit cells, and rapidly envelop
them IN network OF mycelium, abb
sorbing the substance and juice of the
fruit, and producing the chemical trans
formation characteristic of decay. All
this goes on in the interior of the fruit,
the fructification of the fungus taking
place only on the surface, in contact
with the atmosphere. For this reason
fruit covered with firm, fine skin,
like the apple, may be q mass of what
we call corruption within-in other
words, thoroughly decomposed by
fungus growth-while no visible mold
the fructifying part---appear on the
surface. On the other hand, thin
skinned fruits like the strawberry.
which are easily pierced by the repro.
ductive ilaments, are often covered
with an abundant fructifcation in q
very short time, for the feoundity of
these microscopic fungi is sometimes
as marvellous as the rapidity of their
growth. For example: A single ZOO
spore of the peronospora infestans.
which causes the potato rot. will en-.
velop the cellular tissue of a potato
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