are usually the first to be affected in this way. The leaf 

 commences to wither at the tip and the withering extends 

 down the margins ; later on, the whole crown of leaves 

 withers and droops. As far as these primary symptoms 

 are concerned the cane may be suffering from excessive 

 drought ; if, however, the cane be split open, it can be seen 

 to be reddened at one or two of the lower internodes. 

 The discolouration appears as red dots or streaks in the 

 vascular bundles ; these streaks extend so as to form 

 blotches, and finally the interior of the cane becomes much 

 reddened. Each blotch has usually a white centre com- 

 posed of dead cells. The reddening extends down into the 

 stool and also towards the top of the cane. The cane 

 becomes light and loses much of its juice ; finally, it turns 

 dark in colour and the inside becomes deep-brown and 

 crumbly. When one cane of a stool is affected, infection 

 of the whole stool usually follows. Infection appears to 

 take place from below, i.e., either from the soil or from 

 the parent " cutting." 



In some cases the nodes in the middle of the cane may be 

 the first to become infected. In other cases the fungus 

 may attack the roots of the cane or may occur on the 

 leaves. 



The spores are produced on the surface of the cane at 

 the nodes or in sunken areas of the internodes. The 

 fungus does not appear to fruit abundantly. 



Diagnosis: — Setae sometimes seriate, sometimes in a 

 pseudo-conceptacle, dagger-shaped, 109-209 by 4 microns ; 

 conidia sickle-shaped, 25 by 4 microns ; conidiophores 

 ovoid, 20 by 8 microns, hyaline or fuscous. 



WENT: Mededeelingen van het Praf station, West Java, 



1893. 



Butler : Mem. Agric. Dept. in India. Vol. I, No. 3. 



Massee : " Root Diseases of Sugar Cane," Kew Bulletin, 



No. 48, 1893. 



COLLETOTRICHUM AGAVES. Cav. 

 (Disease of Agave). 



A disease of species of Agave is caused by this fungus, 

 and has been reported from Antigua. Spots are formed 

 on the leaves, which are darker in colour than the adjacent 

 parts and which eventually turn brown or grey. The plants 

 attacked finally die, unless steps are taken to check the 

 disease. 



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