F. J. I". SHA\V. 



121 



On agar medium D tht? scleiotia have a biownisli colour and 

 are not formed quite so abundantly while on agar medium A : they 

 are much more scattered and the growth is altogether restricted. 

 Cultures on carrot, potato, bread, meal and filter papers all gave 

 sclerotia and hyphse similar to those on agar ; a fruiting stage was 

 never obtained. 



The fungus was found to attack seedUng jute very vigorously, 

 about 70% of the plants infected being killed. The symptoms and 

 manner of death were as described above. Examination of the 

 diseased seedlings showed hyphte ramif>ang in all directions in the 

 tissues of the host ; these hyphee (Text Fig. I, 3) resemble in all 

 respects those in agar culture. By incubating a diseased seedUng in a 

 sterile petri dish a growth of white hyphse was obtained which gave 

 typical sclerotia when subcultured on agar. The vitahty of the 

 fungus in culture is considerable, cultures having been found living 

 after five or six months. 



In all the culture experiments the soil was sterilised in steam 

 for three days and placed in pots wdiich had been carefully washed in 

 corrosive subUmate solution. Seeds were washed in formalin solu- 

 tion (2-o°o) for ten minutes and then sown, the pots were covered 

 with bell jars as soon as germination took place ; unless otherwise 

 stated, infections were made by placing a small piece of agar cul- 

 ture on the stems. 



A fungus exactly similar to the Rhizoctonia of jute has been 

 found attacking the mulberry, Text Fig. I, 4 ; shows its appearance in 

 an agar culture 24 hours old. The attack takes place at the base of 

 the plant the whole of the bark and phlojm being destroyed ; in 



