to tlip West Indian Mclanconium, so that the results cannot be taken 

 as for or against Massee's claims. 



In 1900 Howard (20) published a rather elaborate paper on his 

 researches on this subject. He had already stated in another paper 

 (21) that he had infected unsterilized pieces of cane with iMelan- 

 conium spores and five days afterwards macro- and microconidia had 

 developed. He found later, however, that a repetition of the ex- 

 periment gave the macro- and the microspore forms as frequently 

 on control canes as on inoculated canes. He thus concluded that the 

 genetic connection between the various forms was not demonstrated. 

 Howard further made many inoculation experiments both with the 

 i\Ielanconium form and with the macro-spores; he cultivated the 

 macroconidial stages for over two years; and he had flask cultures 

 under observation for 18 months, but in no case did he find ^Telan- 

 eonium spores give rise to macroconidia or vice versa. He states 

 that several thousand rotten canes were examined, but in no ease did 

 he find perithecia corresponding to IMassee's TricJiosphneria saccJiari. 



From these various discussions it will be seen that no form other 

 than the one originally described under the name of Strumella by 

 Cooke has been proven for the Melanconiiim. There is the minor 

 possible exception of chlamydospores found by Went with his ques- 

 tionable Melanconium sacchari but corroborated by Howard in flask 

 cultures. So far as has been shown they have little bearing on the 

 reproduction of the fung-us as it actually occurs in the fields. Thus, 

 so far as is known to-day, the life history of Melanconium sacclmri 

 is very simple, consisting only of the vegetative part producing stylo- 

 spores, which in turn reproduce the plant. 



ASSOCIATED FUNGI. 



As has already been seen several fungi have been found asso- 

 ciated with Mclanconium sacchari, some of them so closely that they 

 have been assumed to be stages of the same fungus. 



Thielaviopsis cthaceticus. — The micro- and macrospores of Melan- 

 conium as described by JMassee were believed to be identical with the 

 spores of Thielaviopsis ethaceticus by Went. Howard was also of 

 the same opinion. Thielaviopsis is not commonly found in standing 

 cane, but is common in cut cane that has been left standing about 

 or particularly in seed in the soil. Melanconium is characteristically 

 found in standing cane. However, when affected seed is used the 

 fruiting bodies of Melanconium may be found on seed in the soil. 



Colletotrichum falcatiim. — This was or-iginally descri))ed l)y Went 

 in Java as the cause of the red-rot or red smut. It is "supposed to 



30 



