Vol. IV. No. 74. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



43 



FUNGOID DISEASES. 



Coral-spot Disease. 



The following note is extracted from Leaflet 

 No. 11.5, published by the British Board of AgriciUture 

 and Fisheries, on Coral-spot disease caused by Nectrla 

 cinnaharinu. It will be remembered that cacao 

 canker is caused by a similar and closely allied fungus, 

 so that the preventive measures given for the British 

 disease can also be made use of in the case of the 

 West Indian one : — 



One of the most common and most generally distributed 

 of British fungi is that to which the name of Coral-spot 

 disease has been given. The first stage of the disease takes 

 the form of bright, coral-red warts, which are about the size 

 of millet seed, and are thickly scattered over the surface of 

 dead or dying branches of the tree attacked. These red 

 warts are very conspicuous, and at one time this condition of 

 the fungus was considered to be an independent plant, and 

 called Tuhercuhiria vulgaris. At this stage numerous and 

 exceedingly minute spores are produced, and readily scattered 

 by the wind or by insects. At a later stage the coral-red 

 changes to a rusty-brown colour. The surface becomes rough 

 with projecting points and a second form of fruit is produced. 



PREVENTIVE MEASURES. 



1. Whenever diseased branches are observed they 

 should be removed and burned without delay, as after 

 infection recovery is impossible, and any delay in removal 

 permits the formation of spores and probable infection of 

 neighbouring plants. 



2. Fallen branches, etc., are often literally covered 

 with the bright, coral-pink warts of the Nectrla, and should 

 then at once be destroyed. 



3. When pruning, it is a wise precaution to protect 

 every cut or damaged surface with a coat of gas-tar, and also 

 to remove and trim the ends of branches broken by the wind, 

 or by other agency. 



Bacterial Disease of Tomatos. 



The following is the report of the Mycologist 

 on a bacterial disease of tomatos that made its 

 appearance last year at the St. Lucia Agricultural 

 School : — 



Microscopic examination of the diseased tissues points 

 to the disease being of bacterial origin. Such a disease, 

 caused by Bacillus solunacearum, has been reported from 

 several localities in the United Htates. 



The first prominent indication of the disease is the 

 .sudden wilting of the foliage, wliich may occur first on 

 a single shoot, but finally aft'ects the whole plant. 



Subsequently, if the plant is young and not very wooily, 

 the stem shrivels, changing to a yellowish-green and finally 

 to brown or black. The vascular bundles become brown 

 before the shrivelling takes place. The organism attacks the 

 parenchyma of the pith and bark, converting nearly the 

 whole interior of soft stems into a mass of broken-down cells 

 mixed with bacteria. The host plants are tomato, potato, 

 and egg-plant, possibly also other solanaceous plants. Insects 

 are largely responsible for the spread of the disease. 



As preventive measures, the destruction of all leaf- 

 eating and leaf-puncturing insects is the first thing to be 

 ■considered. Early and complete removal of diseased plants, 

 rotation of crops and selection of seed from plants grown 

 where the disease is not prevalent are other suggestions of 

 possible value in preventing the spread of the disease. 



DEPARTMENT NEWS. 



The Imperial Commissioner of Agriculture is due 

 to arrive at St. Lucia on February 22 where ho will 

 attend a meeting of the Agricultural Society and 

 confer with members in regard to the prospects of 

 cotton and other industries. 



The Imperial Commissioner will be present at the 

 opening of the Agricultural Show at Dominica on 

 February 23 ; at the Agricultural Show at Montserrat 

 on February 24 ; and .at the Agricultural Show at 

 Nevis on February 28. Sir Daniel Morris will return to 

 Barbados on March 3 next. 



It is probable that the Imperial Commissioner of 

 Agriculture will be present at the opening of the 

 Agricultural Show to be held at St. Vincent on March 

 9 ; and, if his engagements permit, he may be present 

 at the Agricultural Show to be held at Grenada on 

 March 16 and 17. 



Mr. L. Lewton-Brain, B.A., F.L.S., Mycologist on 

 the staff of the Imperial Department of Agriculture, 

 will proceed by next mail (February 13) to Antigua to 

 undertake an investigation of the ' Black boll' in cotton. 

 Mr. Lewton-Brain will probably also visit Montserrat 

 for the same purpose, returning to Barbados on March 

 3 next. 



Consequent on the departure for Fiji of Mr. C. H. 

 Knowles, B.Sc, Mr. W. H. Patterson, Curator of the 

 Botanic Station at Antigua, has been provisionally 

 transferred to the post of Resident Master of the 

 Agricultural School at St. Vincent. Mr. Patterson 

 arrived at St. Vincent on January 81, 



Mr. A. J. Jordan, Curator of the Botanic Station 

 at Montserrat, has been transferred to the Curatorship 

 of the Botanic Station at Antigua in succession to 

 Mr. W. H. Patterson. Mr. Jordan arrived at Aiitigua 

 on February 1. 



RUBBER TREES IN JAVA. 



The following note on the cultivation of rubber 

 trees in Java appeared in the U. S. Monthly Consular 

 Reports for June last : — 



Ilevea hraslllensis (Para rubber) is not j'et under proper 

 cultivation in the Netherlands India, and the Director of the 

 Botanical Institute at Buitenzoig informs me that it is 

 barely beyond the experimental stage at the present time. 

 It is expected that it will be successfully cultivated after 

 some time. Of this rubber plant there were 2,32.5 under 

 cultivation in the Netherlands India in 1903. 



Fkus elastlca is largely cultivated, and yields a product 

 of first-class quality. This rubber plant is cultivated and 

 thrives well from sea-level to 3,000 feet altitude and on any 

 kind of soil. Of this plant there were 164,376 under 

 cultivation in the Netherlands India in 1903. 



The Castilloa elastlca plant is also cultivated in the 

 Netherlands India, but without any satisfactory results, and 

 it is, therefore, of little importance here. In 1903 there 

 were 4,176 plants of this species under cultivation in the 

 Netherlands India. 



