307° 
weakened by tapping for wine; he did not consider there was any 
likelihood of the fungus becoming epidemic. 
‘his fungus, G. lucidum, also attacks the Coconut palm, the 
Areca palm, and probably others, and is a common saprophyte ali 
over the world. 1t seems to be only an occasional wound-parasite, 
but even so it-may possibly cause considerable loss in districts 
where itis abundant. 
Recently notes and photographs have been received from Mr. 
R. Swainson Hall, of Cabinda, Portuguese Congo, of a disease on 
oil-palms there caused by a species of Ganoderma which he also 
regards as G. lucidum. This fungus causes a rot of the internal 
tissues near the base of the trunk, and is said by Mr. Swainson 
Hall to be very destructive. The photographs reproduced as 
plates show a healthy (left) and diseased (right) palm side by side, 
Plate II. fig. 1, and sporophores of the fungus at:base of trunk, 
Plate II. fig. 2. 
dum (?), G. lucidum, and G. applanatum have been applied, but 
a priori it would seem more probable that only one species is really 
parasitic. It is very desirable therefore that the fruit-bodies of 
any fungi suspected of causing disease, when in good condition, 
should be collected and sent to some recognised systematist for 
identification. 
Whatever may be the species of Ganoderma, however, the 
remedial measures to be taken would be similar, namely, the 
grubbing out and burning of attacked trees, and the isolation of 
diseased areas by deep trenches. As far as is practicable the pro- 
duction of wounds in the process of ‘‘ cleaning” should. be 
reduced to a minimum. Although it is unlikely that infection 
by these trunk-rotting.fungi ever takes place through the crown, 
such wounds may offer entrance to other organisms. Obviously, 
also, felled trunks should not be left lying-for any length of time, 
or a crop of sporophores would be produced from which new 
spore-infections might take place. 
Hitherto the disease known as ‘‘ Bud-Rot’’ has only been known 
to. attack the Coconut Palm. In a report dated Nov. 22, 1917, on 
the occurrence of disease in Coconut and Oil Palms in the 
Southern Provinces of Nigeria, Mr. C. 0. Farquharson pointed 
out that should a specially virulent strain of the organism of bud- 
rot ever become evolved, capable of attacking the Oil-palm, the 
practice of cabbage-tapping provides an easy mode of entrance. 
Mr. Farquharson recommended that cabbage-tapping should be 
B2 
