62 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS 



February 17, 1912. 



FUNGUS NOTES. 



SPOTS ON PARA RUBBER 



)Spots of various kinds on Para rubber, both sheet and 

 crepe, have been reported from Ceylon, the Malay States and 

 Borneo. They appear a day or two after the latex has been 

 coagulated, or somewhat later, while the rubber is drying. At 

 first they were thought to be of little economic importance, 

 as they were of rare occurrence, and were not found on 

 smoked rubber, which formerly commanded the best price. 

 Recently, however^ the demand for smoked plantation rubber 

 has decrea.sed, and in the Malay States, at any rate, the 

 number of cases of spotting has somewhat increased. In 

 consequence of this, Bancroft has made investigations as to_ 

 the cause of the spotting, and his results are published in the" 

 Af/ricult7iral Bulletin of the Strait* and Federated Malay . 

 States, Vol. X, p 318. Previous observations by Brooks on 

 the spotting of rubber in Borneo are given in the same publi-" 

 cation, Vol. X, p. 16: while Petch's notes on the spotting of 

 Para rubber in Ceylon may be found on pages 248 and 249 

 of The Physiology and Diseases of Hevea Brasiliensis. 



A red or pink spot has been recorded on crepe and sheet 

 rubber from all three of the localities mentioned above. The 

 spots appear while the rubber is drying, and vary in size 

 from small isolated spots to areas 1 inch in diameter, while 

 in some cases the discoloration is mere diifuse. Fetch states 

 that the clear red spots found in Ceylon rubber usually fade 

 if the rubber is kept for some time, but Bancroft found that 

 the pink spots recorded in the Malay States did not fade 

 after five months. 



In addition to the pink spots, Bancroft describes blue 

 and black spots which are limited to definite small areas, 

 though the black spots may have a radial growth. Fetch 

 described black spots on white, wet biscuits in Cej'lon, which 

 he attributed to bacteria. 



Brooks considered that the red spots found on 

 rubber in Borneo were due to Bacillus prodigiosvs, an 

 organism found in pond and tap water in these coun- 

 tries, and it seemed possible that this was introduced 

 when the latex was diluted. Previous to this, the spots on 

 rubber in Ceylon "had been attributed to a fungus, by 

 Carruthers, and those in the Malay States to an alga, by 

 Ridley. Fetch was unable to find an}' micro organism in th« 

 red spots, and Bancroft could not find Bm-illus prodi(nosvs 

 in the red, nor any similar colour-forming bacterium in the 

 blue spots. He did discover, however, that all three .spots- 

 red, blue and black — are due to fungi. To show this he 

 cut thin sections of the spots, dissolved out the rubber with 

 xylol, and found that there was a fungus left, in each case 



In the pink spots, this fungus has pink cell walls and 

 produces structures that appear to be spores, at the tips of 

 the hyphae. A fungus with hyphae of a dark colour occurs 

 in the blue spots, and this also gives rise to structures that 

 seem to be spores. The black spots show the presence of 

 a fungus with a dark-brown mycelium, which up to the 

 present appears ti. be sterile. It would seem that these 

 black spots are in origin and nature different from those 

 described liy Fetch in Ceylon. 



The pink colour may be removed, according to Brooks, 

 by prolonged soaking in methylated spirit, but such solvents 

 render the rubber tacky. The blue colour does not disap- 

 pear when the ruliber is treated in this way. 



The true origin of the spots in all these cases is a matter 

 of some importance. If bacteria are responsible for them, 

 infection probably takes place through the water used for 



diluting the latex; but if fungi are the cause, the spots are 

 more likely to originate from airborne spores. A more com- 

 plete understanding of the whole matter is necessary before 

 very definite remedial measures can be recommended. At 

 present, Bancroft advises that spotted sheets should be remov- 

 ed from the drying house and kept apart from those that are 

 not spotted, while drying should be conducted as rapidly as 

 is convenient. Fetch suggests that collecting cups, pails and 

 other utensils should be sterilized with boiling water when- 

 ever damage of this nature appears on rubber, and states 

 further, that periodical .sterilization of utensils might well 

 form part of the routine of estates. Where smoking is regu- 

 larly practised, this form of damage does not occur, and pre- 

 ventive measures,are not necessary. 



THE GOGO VINE. 



In the Board of 7';a(ic Jo?n»a/, September 14 last, refer- 

 ence is made to samples of ' soap bark', the prepared bark of 

 the gogo vine recently received from H. M. Consul at Manila, 

 with the information that the material is suitable for the 

 manufacture of soap and hair-washes. 



From small specimens of the stem and prepared bark 

 olitained from the Board of Trade, it has lieen possible to de- 

 termine the material as the produce of Entada scandens. This 

 is an immense cjimber cosmopolitan in the tropics, and may 

 be readily recognized by its spirally twisted stems and huge 

 pods, which are from 2 to 4 feet long, containing hard, pol- 

 ished, flat, circular seeds of a chestnut colour. So long ago 

 as May 1855, the late Mr. T. C. Archer presented to the 

 Museum a similarly prepared sample of the bark under the 

 same vernacular name, with a note to the effect that it contains 

 saponaceous properties, forms a lather with water, and is 

 much used by Manila ladies for cleaning the hair. The fol- 

 lowing particulars as to the mode of preparing the bark and 

 its loc.xl applications are gathered from The Medicinal Plants 

 of the Philippines, by T. H. Fardo de Tavera, p. 106: ' The use 

 made of the mashed bark of this tree is well known throughout 

 the Philippines. Cut in strips and beaten thoroughly between 

 stones, it is sold under the name of " gogo''; it is macerated in 

 water, to which it imparts a reddish colour, and forms a sub- 

 stitute for soap. The Filipinos use this preparation for bathing, 

 especially the hair, for which purpose there is no more useful 

 or simple preparation. It cures pityriasis, and renders the 

 hair very soft without drying it too much, as is usually the 

 case with soap. The natives use it in treating the itch, 

 washing the affected parts with the maceration, and at the 

 same time briskly rubbing them with the bark; in this way 

 the}- remoTe the crusts that shield the acari. The treatment 

 is successful in direct proportion to the energy of rubbing. . . . 

 The maceration of gogo is emetic and purgative; it is used in 

 the treatment of asthma; it is exceedingly irritating, the 

 slightest quantity that enters the eye causing severe smarting, 

 and a slight conjunctivitis for one or two days.' 



The seeds, which contain saponin, are stated to be used 

 by the Xepaleso in the preparation of a hair-wash. According 

 to Watt (Dictionary of Economic Products, India), the most 

 general use to \V"hich the seeds are applied in India is for 

 crimping linen. The dhobis cut one side of the seed and 

 scoop out the kernel; then they introduce two fingers into the 

 cavity, and quickly stroke the damp linen forwards with its 

 polished surface. This crimps it beautifully crossways. The 

 seeds are made blicasionally into snuff-boxes and other articles, 

 and are often carried long distances by ocean currents. (From 

 the A'etr Bulletin, 1911, p. 474.) 



