In summing up it is seen that — 



Strumella sacchari is generally admitted to be identical witli 

 Melanconium sacchari. 



Darluca mdaspora is said to be a Diplodia, but really appears to 

 be Melanconium sacchari. 



Triilhda sacchari is said to be identical with the macroeonidial 

 stage of Trichosphaeria but appears to be the same as Melanconium 

 sacchari. 



Melanconium sacchari is the generally accepted and proper name 

 for the rind fungus of sugar cane. 



Coniothyrinm melusporum, same as Darluca rnelaspora, is prob- 

 ably Melanconium sacchari. 



LIFE HISTORY OF THE FUNGUS. 



In the foregoing paragraphs there has been given brief mention 

 of various references to the so-called rind fungus as it has been 

 understood by A'arious investigators. In the main Melanconium sac- 

 chari and its various possible forms are considered the cause of the 

 disease and Mill be treated as such. 



Melanconivm sacchari, the ordinary form of the rind disease, 

 consists of dark septate hyphae running within the stalk of the cane. 

 Immediately below the epidermis the hyphae often forms a layer of 

 pseudo tissue from which arise the short conidiophores bearing the 

 terminal eouidia. These are produced in large numbers and if their 

 formation is close to the surface of the epidermis, the mass breaks 

 through and oozes out either forming a black conical heap or a long 

 slender thread entirely made up of the spores. The variation in 

 this formation apparently depends upon the rapidity of the forma- 

 tion of the spore mass, which in turn depends upon the moisture 

 conditions in the atmosphere. These spores germinate and are sup- 

 posed to grow into the cane and after increasing vegetatively to 

 repeat the spore formation. The method of entrance through the 

 rind of the cane is not positively known. It may be through the 

 stomata, or through such wounds as those caused by the stalk-weevil, 

 the moth borer or the ambrosia beetle, or there is the bare possibility 

 that the hyphae can penetrate the cells of the epidermis itself. 



There has been much discussion as to whether this fungus does 

 not produce more than one kind of spore — that is to say, have more 

 than one stage of growth. It is common for some fungi to have 

 various stages of gro\\^h, and it is of the utmost importance to know 

 them all in order to work out control measures for the disease. As- 



2;; 



