214 



'In February and March 1901, sixty-nine of the plants were 

 planted in prepared holes on the lawn between the Director's office 

 and residence. The plants are placed 36 feet apart in rows which 

 are 27 feet asunder. Five of the original plants have died. 



' A 4-inch water main runs along the side of the drive, parallel 

 with the palms, and connexions have been made with this by 

 means of J-inch galvanized pipes with brass cocks, and laid to 

 the root of each palm, so that each tree has its own supply of 

 water. 



' Three suckers have been established, so that we have at present 

 seventy-three young trees. 



FUNGOID DISEASE OF THE DATE PALM. 



The only fungoid disease reported as attacking date pahns in 

 the West Indies is recorded from Antigua, Jamaica, and Trinidad. 



The following description of the fungus is taken from Tubeuf 

 and Smith's Diseases of Plants' (p. 325) : — 



' Graphiola phoeiiicis, Poit. This fungus is a parasite on leaves 

 of palms, e.g., Phaviix dactylifcra and Chanicrops humilis, in the open 

 in Italy and other Mediterranean countries, in hot-houses elsewhere. 

 The sporocarps make their appearance as little black protuber- 

 ances on both sides of the leaf. The mycelium forms a close 

 hyphal tissue, which encloses and kills parenchymatous cells, dis- 

 places the bundles of sclerenchyma and ruptures epidermis and 

 hypoderm. Deformation is, however, localized to these spots.' 



The following is translated from Frank's Die Pilzparasitaren 

 Kraiikheitcn dcr Pflanzen (Breslau, 1 896, p. 1 27) :— 



Graphiola phcenicis occurs on the leaves of the date palm both in 

 its natural habitat and in our houses. The fruit-bodies appear as 

 scattered, hard, dark swellings, about 1.5m. across, and which are 

 sometimes surrounded by a clearer border showing the part of the 

 leaf-tissue containing the mycelium of the fungus. E. Fischer 

 (Botaiiischc Zcitiing, 1 883) has sown spores of the fungus on date 

 palm leaves and has thus made successful infections. Other spe- 

 cies of this genus occur on other palms. 



[This fungus can be kept in check by spraying with Bordeaux 

 mixture. Ed. Bull.] 



BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



EXTRACTS FROM MINUTES. 



The usual monthly meeting of the Board of Agriculture was 

 held at Headquarter House on Wednesday, 15th August, 1906, 

 Present : — The Hon. T. L. Roxburgh, Acting Colonial Secretary, 

 Chairman, the Acting Director of Public Gardens, the Acting Isand 

 Chemist, the Superintending Inspector of Schools, His Grace the 



