DISEASES OF PLANTS. 753 



Report on the banana disease of Chinsurah, S. K. Basu {Dept. Agr. Bengal, 

 Quart. Jour., 4 (1911), No. Ji, pp. 196-198). — Attention is called to a disease 

 wliich is said to be increasing to an alarming extent iu certain parts of India. 

 It is more common iu old or neglected than in new or well-kept gardens. 



The varieties Kanthali and Martaman suffer most, while Champa and Kaucha 

 seem to be immune. The malu symptoms of the diseavse are (1) the yellowing 

 of the older leaves. (2) the formation of one or more much reduced leaves at 

 the crown, (3) the gradual withering of the youuger leaves, and (4) the final 

 breaking down and death of the plant, wMch often occurs 10 or 15 days from 

 the first appearance of the disease. Transverse sections near the base of the 

 leaf sheath show black, brown or yellow spots from the size of a pin's head to 

 circular spots 3 or 4 iu. in diameter, while longitudinal sections show these spots 

 extending as streaks from the roots upward into the rootstocks and leaf sheaths. 



Microscopic examinations of the sections of the rootstock and leaf sheaths 

 reA^eal the presence of hyaliu or slightly colored septate hyphae in or near the 

 fibrovascular bundles. In some instances colorless, oval spores of Cephalo- 

 sporium, in balls or clusters on short stalks, were seen within the vessels, but in 

 (he course of a daj^the mycelium produced a new form of crescent-shaped spores 

 corresponding to the Fusarlum type. No higher forms of fructification than 

 these were found although the original specimens were kept under observation 

 for over 2 months. 



The destruction of dlseasetl i)lauts, the use of healthy suckers for new planta- 

 tions, and trenching around the new plantations are suggested as means of 

 conti'olling this disease. 



Three fungus enemies of orange trees, H. S. Fawcett (Proc. Amer. Pomol. 

 Soc, 1911, pp. 190-196, pis. 2, map 1 ) . — The author gives the characteristics of 

 stem end rot (E. S. R., 25, p. 450), gummosis (E. S. R., 25, p. 456), and scaly 

 bark (E. S. R.. 25, p. 551), the damage done by each, and the methods for their 

 control. 



The brown spot of the navel orange, J. E. Coit {Cal. Cult., 37 (1911), No. 3, 

 pp. 51, 52). — The symptoms of this storage disease of oranges and investigations 

 as to its cause are given. 



The disease is characterized by the formation of one to many irregular 

 slightly sunken brown spots of about i in. in diameter over the surface of the 

 orange. These spots extend below the surface to about one-fourth the thickness 

 of the rind. The spotting seems not to occur on fruit left late on the trees and 

 is found so far only on the Washington navel orange. It is uniformly worse on 

 fancy, smooth, thin-skinned fruit. No evidences of fungus or bacterial parasites 

 have been found and the disease appears to be a physiological one somewhat 

 similar to the bitter pit of the apple in South Africa. The results are also 

 given of various experiments with the orange fruit concerning the probable 

 causes of this disease, but nothing definite is reported. 



The die-back fungus of Para rubber and of cacao, Thyridaria tarda n. sp., 

 K. Bancroft (Dept. Agr. Fed. Malay States Bui. 9, 1911, pp. 28, pis. 3, map 1). — 

 The author gives the history, distribution, and symptoms of this disease and 

 discusses the life history of the fungus, the relation of the parasite to the host, 

 the nomenclature of the Diplodia condition of the fungus, sources of infection, 

 the work of previous authors, and methods of treatment. 



In a preliminary note (E. S. R., 24, p. 651) the author gave the results of 

 certain cultural work in which the aseigerous stage of Diplodia cacaoicola was 

 claimed to have been obtained. In this paper a more elaborate and detailed 

 account is given of these experiments. It is claimed that successful inocula- 

 tions and cross inoculations have been obtained with the ascospores of T. tarda 

 on both cacao and Para rubber when the infecting material was applied to 



