302 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



September 9, 1916. 



FUNGUS NOTES. 



A NEW FUNGUS ON THE GREEN SCALE. 

 A fungus hitherto unrecorded and as yet undescribed 

 has heen found on examples of the green scale, Coccus 

 viridis {L^canium viride) infesting lime twigs forwarded 

 from Montserrat to this Office for examination. Two lots 

 of maiterial have been received from the Curator: the first 

 collected by Mr. Morland at Olveston, the second by 

 Mr. Robson himself. 



The fungus is not externally visible, but the insects 

 are seen dead and discoloured at all stages of growth. Under 

 the micrcscope the fungus is seen to be developed almost 

 entirely within the body wall of the insect, the most character- 

 istic feature being the presence of large numbers of pear-shaped 

 conidia. These renew themselves by putting out a long 

 and very slender tube, at the end of which an expansion is 

 formed which receives the . contents of the original conidium. 

 The tube is typically straight for the first part of its course, 

 with a double bend, approaching tn an S near the extremity. 

 The secondary conidium is of the same form as the first. 

 8ome of the conidia have been seen to have doubled their 

 lenwth by the development of a blunt-ended cylindrical 

 protrusion of quite definite form. At one stage abundant 

 closely-set simple or bifurcated conidiophores bearing terminal 

 spherical conidia have been seen arising within the body of the 

 insect from a mat of hyphae. 



Specimens and sketches of the fungus have been sub- 

 mitted to Professor R, Thaxter, of Harvard University, who 

 has kindly replied to the effect that the fungus is of great 

 interest, and undoubtedly a primary parasite, more nearly 

 related to Empusa Freseiiii, Nowak. (Entoraophthorae) than 

 to any described form. The same form was received by him 

 from Cuba a number of years ago but was not described, and 

 it does not seem to have been mentioned by any writer. 

 Professor Thaxter suggests an attempt U> cultivate the 

 fungus on artificial media with a view to its use in scale 

 insect control. 



Empusa Fresenii, the fungns above referred to, is 

 reported by Thaxter to occur on Hemiptera and aphides in 

 the United States and in Europe, and by .Johnston on certain 

 mealy-bugs in Porto Rico. (J. R. Johnston, Bull. 10, Bd. of 

 Comin. of Apr., P.R.) The last mentioned hosts are found 

 dead, blackened, covered with a whitish coating, and easily 

 crumbHng to pieces. A closely relatcfl species Kntomoph- 

 thora pseudorord, Speare, is described as having considerable 

 economic importance as a parasite of the pink mealy-bug 

 of sugar-cane {Pseudococciis calceolariac) in Hawaii. 

 (A. T. Speare, Bull. T.i, Jlanniian Sw/ar Plan'irs' Anocia- 

 lion.) Infested insects are recognizable by their chalky white 

 appearance and the brittleness of the body wall. This fun- 

 gus has been successfully grown in artificial cultures. 



With regard to green scale it.self, it is of interest to note 

 that Dr. Coleman, Director of Agriculture, Mysore, address- 

 ing the United Planters' Association of Southern India {Proc. 

 U.r.A., 1915) discussed the usefulness ofa fungus of the same 



nature aS the one under consideration, which occurs on that 

 insect in the Indian coffee plantations. He reported that in 

 comparison with the familiar white fringe fungus (Cephi- 

 losporiuni, lecanii) on the same host, the fungus referred to 

 appeared to be more capable of development and spread 

 in comparatively dry seasons. 



It will be interesting to learn what part the fungus 

 found in Monsterrat plays in the control of green scale.' 

 Seeing that it is also reported from Cuba it seems probable- 

 that like other scale-destroying fungi it will be found to be 

 general in its distribution in these islands, Its inconspicuous 

 method of growth would sufficiently account for its having 

 jireviously escaped attention. AMiere numbers of the immature 

 insect are found brown and dead, its presence may be suspected 

 and a microscope used for its detection. 



W.X. 



PLANT PROPAGATION INSTRUCTION. 



A copy has been received of a valuable hand-book, by 

 Mr. P. J. Wester, Horticulturist in charge of the Lamao- 

 Experiment Station in the Philippines, issued by the 

 Director of Agriculture as Bulletin No. 32 of the Bureau of 

 Agriculture. This publication will be found of much 

 interest and use by agricultural officers and planters 

 in the West Indies, especially as the latter are now turning 

 their attention more and more to raising their own planting 

 material. The Bulletin deals with plant propagation in all 

 its practical aspects. The contents consist almost entirel}- of 

 practical instructions so that a summary of the information 

 is almost impossible; a brief survey of the chief subjects dealt 

 with, however, may serve a useful purpose. 



The.se include an account of plant and propagation sheds, 

 nursery accessories, the propagation from seed and the 

 rearing of stock plant.s, propagation by budding, propagation 

 by layering and marcottage, propagation by graftage, brief 

 directions for the vegetative propagation of tropical and 

 semi-tropical fruits, brief directions for tree planting and 

 orchard management, an account of shade trees and orna- 

 mental plants diseases and insect pests, spraying and 

 formulas for fungicides and insecticides, lists of tropical 

 fruits in the Philippines, tables showing distances for 

 planting, tables showing the number of plants, set at given 

 distances, required for one hectare, and lastly, tables of 

 weights and measures. 



In dealing with the principles of plant propagation it 

 is stated that 'Plants perpetuate and reproduce themselves 

 by means of two methods: (a) sexually, or from seeds or 

 spores, which is the method most commonly employed by 

 plants in their wild state, and (b) asexually or vegeta- 

 tively, when reproduction is eflected without the aid of 

 generative organs of the plants, or by the propagation of 

 a growing or vegetative part, such as (1) by means of 

 runners above the ground, as for instance the strawberry; 

 (2) by un<lergroun(l runners, commonly called ratoons, as in 

 several species of grasses, the pine-apple, etc : (3) by tubers, 

 bulbs, or rootstocks, as for instance the yaiitia or gabe, 

 and the banana; (4) by stolons, such as certain grasses, 

 Cldorophi/tum ela'um, etc.: (5) by aerial bulblets, produced 

 in the axils of the leaves, as in the several species of 

 l^ioscorea, or as in the sisal hemp plant in the Hower stalks 

 in the pine-apple the bulblets grow out among the leaf 

 scales immediately under the fruit, when they are commonly 

 called slips; (6) by roots like the sweet potato: (7) by the 



