ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 797 



spores are borne directly on a plectenchyina lining the walls, and not on 

 sporopbores. It belongs to the genus Sclerophoma v. Holm. 



Ed. Essed* gives a long account of the Panama Disease which 

 broke out in banana plantations about five years ago. The trees were 

 •attacked when about five or six years old ; at ten years they were quite 

 worthless. He traces the disease to a fungus, which he has described 

 as it occurs on the trees and in cultures. He finds that it is a new 

 plant, Ustilaginoidella musseperda g. etsp. n. He found, produced on 

 the hyphae, structures which he calls pegmatia, which break up into 

 chlamydos pores. 



He also describes f the " Surinam Disease," a condition of 

 elephantiasis of the banana caused by a species of the same genus, 

 U. mdipigera. It manifests itself by an enormous distension of the base 

 of the stem. Both forms produced hypha? and conidiophores with 

 Fusarium-Yike spores. 



A. v. Jaczewski J has written an account of the plant-diseases in 

 Russia during 1909. In that year disease was rife in North and Central 

 Russia, while the south was practically free. Much damage was done to 

 cereals by Puccinia triticina, by Erysiphe graminis (recorded for the 

 first time in Russia in 1904), by ergot, and other minute fungi. Phy- 

 tophthora infestans and Gercospora concors did most damage to potatoes ; 

 Uromyces Pisi was found on peas, and Gercospora beticola, Phoma Betse, 

 and Uromyces Betse on beet. Hops were attacked not only by the 

 mildew, but by a new disease due to Septoria humulina, which damages 

 the leaves. Fruit trees suffered from Fusicladium (apples and pears). 

 It was found that Monilia fructigena had been almost entirely cleared 

 out by spraying, but Sphmrotheca M ali on apples was abundant. Exoascus 

 bullatus appeared on leaves of the pear, and stone fruits suffered badly 

 from Glasterosporium Amygdalinum and Monilia cinerea. Exoascus defor- 

 mans was unfortunately very prevalent in some districts. The American 

 mildew of gooseberries was recorded from many districts in previous 

 years, but during 1909 the epidemic had somewhat abated ; advice is 

 given how to deal with it. On strawberry leaves Sphxrella Fragarise 

 made its usual appearance, and in addition a new spot disease, Marssonia 

 Potentillse. Vines suffered from Sclerotinia Fuckeliana and Septoria 

 ampelina, the latter known as Melanose in America. Other fungi are 

 recorded on forest trees and on garden shrubs and other plants, two 

 fungi being recorded on tea plants, Colletotrichum Gamelise and Discosia 

 These. Palms were often attacked by Graphiola Phamicis. 



D. Hegyi§ finds that the black stalk of beetroot is due to the 

 presence in the tissues of Phoma tabifica, Pythium de Baryanum, and 

 different bacteria, which may have been present in the seed before sow- 

 ing, or which may have attacked the plant from the soil. He found that 

 the best method of combating the evil was to drv the seed thoroughly. 

 The seeds then germinated more quickly, and produced stronger and more 

 resistant seedlings. 



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* Ann. of Bot., xxv. (1911) pp. 313-61 (2 pis.). 

 t Ann. of Bot., xxv. (1911) pp. 363-5 (1 pi.). 



% Jahrb. Bur. Myk. Phyt., 1909. See also Zeitschr. Pflanzenkr , xxi. (1911) 

 pp. 231-7. § Bull. Soc. Mycol. France, xxvii. (1911) pp. 153-9. 



Bee. 20th, 1911 3 I? 



