AND COLLEGE, PUSA, FOR 1915-16 



preparation of illustrations is now in hand. While 

 engaged at Kew on this work an opportunity was taken of 

 checking the nomenclature and determining the identity of 

 many of the fuugi that are responsible for crop diseases in 

 India, by comparison with type material from the Her- 

 barium of the Royal Botanic Gardens. I have to acknow- 

 ledge the generous facilities given me by the Authorities at 

 Kew and invaluable assistance from the Herbarium staff, 

 especially Miss Wakefield and Messrs. Massee and Cotton. 



As a result of the International Phytopathological Con- 

 ference held at Rome early in 1914, the possibilities of legis- 

 lation for the control of the spread of plant diseases have 

 been recently much discussed. With the permission of the 

 Secretary of State, I prepared a note for the Royal Horti- 

 cultural Society on the dissemination of parasitic fungi as 

 a basis for international legislation. This has since been 

 written up with special reference to Indian problems and 

 submitted for publication as a memoir of the Agricultural 

 Department. At the Rome Conference a draft Inter- 

 national Convention was signed by the delegates of some 30 

 States, and India w T ill probably have to decide whether to 

 adhere to this Convention or not, in the near future. Much 

 consideration has been given to this question during the 

 past year so that we may be in a position to advise when 

 called on to do so. 



V. Systematic Work. 



The fifth part of " Fungi Indiae Orientalis," based on 

 material sent to Germany before the war, was published 

 during the year. It includes a first instalment of deter- 

 minations of the Pusa Herbarium collections of D enter omy- 

 cetes, comprising the Sphaerioidece (173 species), Nectrioi- 

 dece (7 species), Excipulacece (4 species), Leptostromatacea 

 (3 species) and Melanconiacece (8 species). Seven new 

 genera and 97 new species are described, the large propor- 

 tion (nearly 50 per cent.) of new forms being due, no doubt, 

 to the relatively little attention previously devoted to this 

 group in the East. Many of them are crop parasites but 



