gain entrance through borer holes or wounds in the cane, but does not 

 usually fruit until the cane has dried out considerably. The fruiting 

 bodies appear in velvety black patches on the dry part of the cane. 

 Under a lens small black bristles are found to be abundant, and from 

 among these arise the single-celled, colorless, more or less falcate 

 spores. There is no evidence of pustule formation nor of any for- 

 mation to mistake the Collet otrichum for the Melanconium. 



Diplodia cacaoicola. — This fungus has been found on cane in India 

 by Butler (3), in Barbados by Howard (22), and in Porto Rico by 

 the author. A fungus was sent to Kew in 1878 from Porto Rico 

 and was described in manuscript as Darluca melaspora. This was 

 referred to by Cooke in Nuovo Gionale Bot., Yol. X. p. 26, 1878, 

 who according to Massee (1. c.) incorrectly gave the locality as Aus- 

 tralia. Saccardo changed the name to Coniothyrium melasporum, 

 quoting Cooke's diagnosis incorrectly in Syll. Fung.. Vol. Ill, No. 

 1799. Prilleux and Delacroix (31) in their paper on sugar-cane 

 diseases have, according to Massee, wrongly considered Melanconium 

 sacchari as synonymous wnth Coniothyriiim. Examination of Berke- 

 ley's type specimen by INIassee revealed the fact that it was a Diplo- 

 dia. As already shown, however, on previous pages, Prilleux and 

 Delacroix's description answers to that of Melanconium and not to 

 Diplodia. When ^lassee examined the material he must either have 

 seen another fungus or examined the wrong specimen. A fungus 

 answering to the description of Diplodia cacaoicola occurs at present 

 in Porto Rico on cane. This fungus forms pycnidia, which break 

 through the rind in conical projections, thus resembling to some extent 

 the eruptions of IMelanconium. This fungus, however, has not been 

 reported as common in any country, so that there is little danger 

 of confusing it with Melanconium. 



Cytospora sacchari. — This fungus has been reported by Butler 

 (3), who states that it might be confused with Melanconium. It 

 forms similar black eruptions on the surface of the rind. It has so 

 far been reported only from India and from Porto Rico. 



Melanconium saccharinum. — This fungus was originally reported 

 from Java, but is common in Porto Rico, Santo Domingo and the 

 Southern United States. Under certain conditions it might ])e mis- 

 taken for M. sacchari. This latter, besides occurring on the stalk, 

 is abundant on the leaf sheaths and on that part of the leaf blades 

 immediately ad.ioining the sheath proper. In these locations it sel- 

 dom sends out the long threads, but usually appears as conical erup- 

 tions. Much the same appearance is presented by M. saccharinum 

 ajid in the same part of the leaf. The two fungi may be present 



31 



