"A disease of es which caused big losses to the growers occurred last June in Texas, and in August and September in Nebraska. The disease is first noticed in green full-grown tomatoes, but it is hard to detect at this stage unless close attention is given to the stems. When the fruits are green they show a little brown spot or a dark ring around and under the stem. As the fruit is shipped green, the packers may overlook this condition very easily. When the tomatoes reach their destination they have become a pink color, the disease has advanced and shows more plainly, for the stem end has then become a dark brown. The inspector notices this and, although there is not much external evidence of disease, he breaks the fruit open and finds a hard brown center. The rot is usually down the center and may extend from stem end to blossom end but sometimes it takes an oblique course and includes a portion of the seeds, darkening them also. There is no slime or ooze. Bacteria occur in great numbers in the tissues. The same organism was isolated from both the Texas and Nebraska material and the disease was reproduced in green and ripening fruits in the greenhouse, using pure cultures."
January 1, 1970