434 [ THE BANANA. 



plant, such as peas or vetches, in January, and in spring 

 when the leguminose plant has reached full development 

 and is in flower it is digged in, in order to enrich the 

 soil with the nitrogen fixed by the plant in its roots, 

 and also with the organic matter resulting from the 

 decay of its foliage. Later on the land is trenched, 

 burying all the dry foliage of the banana, manuring and 

 levelling properly. During this operation the grower 

 will reserve from the old plants the suckers required 

 for the new plantation, selecting the best available, 

 exceeding in number that actually required by about 10 

 per cent., so that he may have a margin for selection or 

 to make good for possible iailures. 



DISEASES. 



These are remarkably few, considering that the 

 banana has been cultivated in most tropical and subtro- 

 pical countries from the dawn of history. The fungus 

 Marasmius semiustus Berk et Curt, attacks the foliage 

 and the stem of weakly plants, and attacks also the 

 immature fruit, and even the bunch which has just 

 flowered. It also attacks the bunch while yet within 

 the stem so that it comes out black and rotten. It is 

 probable that the infection takes place through wounds 

 at the base or rootstock, particularly through the wide 

 wound which is necessarily made when a stem which has 

 fruited and matured its fruit is cut down. 1 he infection 

 then spreads to the lateral suckers travelling upwards 

 within the stem, killing the tender foliage in process of 

 formation, and destroying or damaging the growing 

 bunch more or less severely. This disease is found in 

 most countries where the banana is cultivated, and is 

 probably identical with certain cases of black rot of the 

 bunch and foliage which have been noted in spring and 

 autumn on the dwarf banana grown in local gardens. 

 The banana-blight of South Africa is probably another 



