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BLIGHTS ON TEA AND COTTON. 

 By M. C. Cooke. 



The tea-planters of Cachar have been complaining of late that 

 the leaves of the tea plants have become blighted, so as to interfere 

 seriously with the production of tea. Two or three of the diseased 

 leaves have been sent us for examination. They were not in good 

 condition for the purpose, but on one we detected some punctures 

 of an insect, and on two of the others a parasitic fungus. The 

 leaves are blistered, deformed, and stunted ; the fungus appear- 

 ing on both surfaces like minute black points. The following is a 

 description drawn up from the dry specimens : — 



Hendexsonia theaecola. sp. nov. — Perithecia globose, black, pro- 

 minent, pierced at the apex, scattered over both surfaces, or sub- 

 gregarious ; spores cylindrical, rounded at the ends, triseptate, pale 

 brown, on long hyaline pedicels ('0004- # 0005 in.), 01-'0125 m.m. 

 long, without the pedicels. 



On leaves of Thea. Cachar, India. 



The ultimate cells have sometimes a more hyaline appearance, 

 but we could detect no terminal cilia, otherwise it reminds us of 

 such species of Pestalozzia as P. Guepini, which occurs on Camellia 

 leaves. The only remedy we can suggest is to pick off the diseased 

 leaves and burn them. What portion of the destruction is also 

 due to the insect we have no material for determination, but both 

 are probably culpable. 



From Dharwar we have also received samples of " Black blight" 

 on naturalised American Cotton. The cotton presents but little ex- 

 ternal indication of disease so long as the seeds remain entire, but, on 

 crushing the seed the cotton becomes covered with a sooty powder, 

 which at first we were disposed to regard as the spores of a species 

 of Ustilago, which entirely fills the seed. After a closer examina- 

 tion, however, we became satisfied that the spores are concatenate, 

 being produced in chains, or jointed threads, in the interior of the 

 seed, and afterwards break up into subglobose spores. This is 

 rather an anomalous habitat for a Torula, but such, nevertheless, 

 we are disposed to regard it, and append its description. 



Torula incarcerata. sp. nov. — Produced within the seeds of 

 Gossypium. Threads simple, or slightly branched, breaking up into 

 minute, subglobose, fuliginous spores. 



Within cotton seed. Dharwar, India. 



It is rather to be presumed that the Torula makes its appearance 

 after the commencement of decay in the seed, stimulated by mois- 

 ture, than that it should be the cause of disease in the plant. The 

 species of Torula with which we are acquainted are produced upon 

 decaying substances, and we have no experience of any one causing 

 disease in living plants. Had this proved to have been a species of 

 Ustilago, the case would have been different, but we believe that, not- 

 withstanding its habitat, we are justified in placing it with Torula. 



