1915] 



SMITH BACTERIAL DISEASES OF PLANTS 



397 



It will be of interest to mention a few of these diseases with 

 particular reference to their distribution and prevalence. 



Dutch East Indies.— The tobacco disease of Sumatra and 

 Java is probably the most destructive, if the Sereh of 



cane is not bacterial. Each of these diseas 

 enormous losses. Each threatens an industry 



has caused 

 The tobacco 



disease occurs also in the West Indies, in the United States 



and probably also in South Afi 



If Janse's root disease 



of Erythrina, the coffee shade tree of Java, is also bacterial, 

 as he supposed, then there is another great bacterial plague 

 in that region, for hundreds of thousands of trees have died, 

 and another species has been substituted as a shade tree. 



West Indies.— Here the most destructive disease is the bac- 

 terial bud-rot of the coconut palm, which occurs all around the 

 Caribbean, and threatens the entire destruction of a profitable 



in Cuba. There is also the bacterial disease of 



industry 



bananas and plantains, but the 



structive Musa di 



* 



Panama disease, due to a Fusarium 



mo 



wide-spread and de 



of the Western Hemisphere is the 



A 



Cobb's disease of sugar-cane has probably 



tracted more attention in Australia than any other bacterial 

 trouble, although bacterial rots of the potato are also very 

 destructive. The cane disease in both Queensland and New 

 South Wales has in many cases destroyed the output of whole 

 plantations and greatly discouraged planters. This disease 

 occurs also in Fiji, and probably in South America. 



Probably the tobacco wilt, which has destroyed 



Ja 



many fields, is the worst Japa 



d 



be identical with the tobacco wilt of Sumatra and of the 



United States. Several other bacterial blights h 



been 



ted. including one of the basket willow 



In 



brown rot of Sol 



common and de 



structive. Most of Asia 



South Af 



The 



mango 



disease in recent years has 



greatly reduced the exports. Potato and tomato wilts are 



There is a serious tobacco disease, probably bac- 

 a-gall is common and injurious on shade and 



common 



terial. Crow 

 orchard trees 



Other diseases 



