an early part of this paper the rind fungus is one causing numerous 

 tiny black eruptions from the rind or epidermis of the cane stalk. 

 From first to last there has been only one fungus found in these 

 typical eruptions. It was first Tailed Strumella sacchari and later 

 Melanconium sacchari, the name under which the fungus is known 

 at present. As to the secondary symptoms it is very difficult to 

 judge for the reason that usually insects, other fungi or unsatisfac- 

 tory growth conditions are present to complicate the matter. In cane 

 affected with the rind disease the leaves begin to mther and dry up. 

 Often a rotten top is found. Frequently there is a reddening of the 

 stem. Now as to which of these symptoms are connected with the 

 rind disease no one has as yet attempted to make an analysis. That 

 being the case we have only the eruptions of the rind for a certain 

 characteristic of this disease. From these only Melanconium has 

 been isolated, absolutely no other fungus. How then can we con- 

 ceive of some other fungus as the cause of these symptoms? It is 

 manifestly impossible. That Howard failed to obtain successful in- 

 oculations is not to the point. There has been no work done to show 

 that Melanconium sacchari was not the cause of the eruptions of the 

 rind of the cane. 



Now Howard has approached the subject from an entirely dif- 

 ferent point of view. He has selected certain symptoms of disease 

 in the plant, isolated fungi from the diseased parts, inoculated pure 

 cultures of the fungus into healthy tissues and obtained the same 

 symptoms of disease, and has then concluded that the fungus he 

 is dealing with is the cause of the rind disease, disregarding the fact 

 that neither the symptoms nor the fungus have much to do with the 

 rind and have nothing whatever to do with the eruptions on the rind. 

 The symptoms of the rind disease as he gave them are the drying 

 of the leaves, which commences at the margins of the older ones and 

 gradually spreads to the center of the bunch in from four to six 

 weeks. As soon as this drying of the leaves is well marked, the stem 

 of the cane shows a brown discoloration in one or more places, after 

 which the rind shrivels up and the discoloration rapidly extends in 

 all directions. On splitting such canes the tissues are seen to be 

 of a general reddish color, in Avhich darker red areas can be seen. 

 Very freqaently these darker regions contain definite white centers 

 elliptical in vertical section. He states that the appearance is exactly 

 like that figured by Went for the Red Smut due to Collet otrichinn 

 falcatum. Howard isolated this fungus and made successful inocu- 

 lations and thus concluded that the rind disease was due to Colleto- 

 trichum falcatum. 



38 



