BUTLER AND HAFJZ 187 



half, apparently due to white-aiits. The Cephalospormm was 

 recovered from 3 of the withered shoots examined. 



As this fungus has been several times found associated with 

 Colletotrichum falcatum, experiments were made similar to the 

 last, but with mixed suspensions of the two fungi, in 1907. The 

 results were striking. Germination was good in both halves of the 

 trench, but 45 shoots withered in the inoculated half in the first 

 three months, while there were very few failures in the rest of 

 the trench. Golletotinchum was recovered from 2 of the withered 

 shoots and Cephalosporium from 8, out of 14 examined. The 

 experiment was repeated in 1908 with much the same result. 



These experiments show that the fungus can enter the cane 

 through wounds, through the uninjured root eyes at the nodes, 

 and through the planted setts. In true red rot the writers have 

 shown* that the latter is the most frequent method of infection 

 in Northern India. In the present case the evidence is not so 

 complete, but it has been found that wound infection is far more 

 common than with Colletotrichum. The wounds examined have 

 been all borer holes, which are much the most frequent wounds 

 in standing cane. Altogether 27 have been examined by incu- 

 bating an aseptically removed slab from just beyond the margin 

 of the hole and, of these, 15 have given the fungus. Out of 9 

 examined in the 1908 crop when nearly fully grown, 8 were 

 infected. This was the year when the most widespread attack 

 of Cephalosporinm Sacchari was observed at Pusa. 



The disease is found over a large part of India. It has been 

 observed at Surat, Poona, Samalkota and throughout North 

 Eastern India. As a rule it seems to accompany red rot, quite 

 a considerable percentage of the cases examined being due to 

 mixed infection. In the 1908 attack at Pusa, however, there 

 was practically no true red rot and a good deal of damage was 

 done by an unmixed attack of Cephalosporiwn. Similarly, in 

 1912, several cases of pure infection were encountered, and pure 

 cultures were obtained direct from the mycelial growth in the 



* Butler, E. .J., cV: A. Hafiz Khan, Red Hot of Sugarcane. Mem. Dept. of Agric. in India, 

 Bot, Scr., VI, No. 5, 11)13. 



