The "Fiji Disease" of 8uaAR-CANE. 555 



planters, it was present ou tlie island as early as 191G. Prof. II. A. 

 Lee, of the Ihireau of Agriculture at Manila, reports that Mr. 

 Medalla, his assistant, also visited the island and returned with 

 specimens of tlie I'iji disease. Letteis from both Reinking and Lee, 

 ielling- of the discovery, reached Washington at the same time. These 

 are the first anthentic reports by pathologists of the presence of the 

 Fiji disease in the Philippines. Just how widely the disease occurs 

 in the Philippines will have to he deterinined, hut it probably does 

 not occur in Neofros. the most important cane-producing' island. 



iMPOlfTANCE OV Tin: ])lSKASF.. 



lleg'arding the seriousness of this trouble, F. Muir (Ha. PI. Kec, 

 3, 197, 1910) writes as follows: "The worst disease in the Fijian 

 cane fields ih one known as Fiji disease. . . . This disease has spread 

 over the Avhole island, but is worst on the northerji side, especially 

 on rich soils. This disease is strongly hereditary ; when the stool 

 looks perfectly healthy and the galls are seen only on one stalk and 

 in very small numbers, every, stalk from the root wili produce diseased 

 cane if used as ' seed '." Again H. L. Lyon (A New Cane Disease 

 now Epidemic in Fiji, Ha. PL Rec, 3, 205, 1910) writes: "It is 

 certain that the Fiji disease is one of the most serious diseases yet 

 recorded on sugar-cane." 



The report of the Experiment Station Committee of the Hawaiian 

 Sugar Planters' Association. 14th October, 1911 (Ha. PI. Rec, 5, 

 323, 1911), says: "Dr. Lyon's researches say that the so-called Fiji 

 disease is the most to be dreaded of all known maladies of the sugar- 

 cane." In Mr. Eeinking's letter he says: "The disease is one of 

 the most destructive plant diseases that I have ever observed in the 

 Philippine Islands." In view of the above quotations and also from 

 other reports on the importance of this disease, it seems that this is 

 one of the most serious of sugar-cane diseases and one to be feared in 

 sugar areas where the disease does not noM" occur. 



Symptoms. 



Mr. F. Muir (I.e.) states that the most constant symptom of the 

 disease as pointed out to him by Mr. North, of tlte Sugar Pcfinery 

 Co., is the presence of small galls on the undersides of the leaves and 

 in the softer tissues of the cane tops, sometimes extending a long 

 way down the stalk. A more noticeable character is the dying of the 

 tops and the growth of lateral branches, the tops of which also some- 

 times die, and in turn give off lateral growths. 



H. L. Lyon {Ha. PL Rec, 4, 300, 1911) describes the disease as 

 follows : " The most conspicuous symptom of Fiji disease to be noted 

 in the fields is the shortening and crumpling of the last leaves to 

 unfold from the spindle. This peculiarity will attract the attention 

 when one is still a considerable distance from the affected cane. The 

 shoot may have attained considerable length and be clothed with 

 many healthy-looking leaves of the usual lengtli and colour, Init all 

 of a sudden it loses the power to produce normal leaves, throws out a 

 few bent and twisted stems and then ceases to grow altogether. Some 

 of the eyes may start, but the resulting ' lalas ' soon repeat the antics 

 of the main stem. The stalk may also remain alive for months or it 

 mav die soon." He also mentioned the characterislic galls usually 



