550 Journal op the Department op Agriculture. 



to be found on most of the liralthy-looking' leaves and on all of the 

 deformed and blighted ones. The a])])eaiance of these galls is the 

 first outward symptoms by -which the disease may be detected, but the 

 cane may be infected for months before any gall appears. In other 

 words, the galls mark a well-advanced stage of tlie disease. Accord- 

 ing to Lyon's photographs affected })hni(s are very mucli stunted and 

 dwarfed and die earlj'. 



Cavhf.. 



The Fiji disease is ai)parent]y caused by a myxomycete, somewhat 

 similar to PJasmodiophora hrassicdc, the cause of the club-root of 

 cabbage. A study of the etiology of the disease was made by H. L. 

 Lyon and a preliminary report given out l)y him (Ha. PJ. I'ec, 3, 

 200-205, 1910). Lyon found what appeared to be the plasmodium of 

 an organism in the cells of the leaf galls, but api)arently has not 

 ])roved the pathogenicity of such organism. 



He thinks tiiat the swarm spores may gain entrance to the cane 

 tissue by penetrating the roots and then following up the vascular 

 bundles to tlie leaves. He also thinks thaf the organism can live 

 over in the soil for a considerable length of time, as does the oiganism 

 of the club-root of cabbage. Plants grown from cuttings taken from 

 diseased cane are sure to be infected. The organism is also jeadily 

 carried from field to field by the transfer of bits of trash. 



Varietal Susceptibility. 



According to Lyon and Muir, the disease shows marked 

 differences in varietal susceptibility in Fiji and New Guinea. On 

 account of this fact and because of the danger of the appearance of 

 the disease in Hawaii, the Hawaiian Sugar Planters' Exi)eriment 

 Station sent a large number of cuttings of various Hawaiian varieties 

 to Fiji to be propagated there and to ascertain their relative resistance 

 to the Fiji disease. (R. J. Haskell, Plant Disease Survev, Washington, 

 1).(\, 1st Manh, 1921). 



Bon Chretien Pears: Breakdown in Export. 



Tlie later shii)ments of lion Chretien ]»ears during the ])ast season 

 have arrived ir. London in a very wasty condition, and the (Miief, 

 Division of Horticulture, is of opinion that there are piobably three 

 main factors operating in causing the consistent breakdown of these 

 ])ears, viz., (a) too high a temi)erature, ( //) moisture-content through 

 abnormal rains, and (e) over-ripeness. 



It is intended to carry out some definite temperature experiments 

 next season both at the Capetown docks and on board ship, with a 

 view to verifying the precise cause of tlie trouble, and if possible 

 ])reventing its recurience. 



