5^ 



single or fused, and are, when fresh, of a brittle woody nature. On 

 breaking across, the bracket is seen to consist of two layers, the 

 upper of which is white and composed of fibres which run parallel 

 to the surface, the lower bright orange coloured, and composed 

 of tubes vertically arranged. The upper surface is zoned with 

 alternate brown and pale yellow brown zones running pai-allel 

 to the margin, while narrow wavy lines or striae run at right angles 

 to the zones. The margin, especially in young fruits is yellow, and 

 the under surface is bright orange, studded with very small pores — 

 the openings of the tubes mentioned above. The spores are borne on 

 the sides of the tubes, and are shed from the pores. It must be 

 mentioned, however, that the majority of the Fames fructifications 

 examined in this country are found to be sterile, i.e., bear no 

 spores, and cannot assist in the spread of the fungus. 



The fructification may be found in another form — as a plate 

 spread on the wood — ^the exposed surface being orange coloured. 

 This form is known as " resupinate " and is not common. 



The great majority of infections of Fomes arise from contact, of 

 mycelial strands, or pieces of diseased wood, with healthy roots. 

 Artificial inoculations carried out by Bancx'oft to prove this point 

 were very successful, giving positive results in 10 out of 14 cases. 



In tlie opinion of Bancroft, in Malaya the fungus occui-s on all 

 kinds of jungle timber, hard and soft, white and red; so the selective 

 clearing favoured in Ceylon is unsafe here. 



Attacks by Fomes are usually first detected at 12-18 months, 

 and if properly treated, begin to diminish some time after the fourth 

 year, owing to the decay of the jungle hosts of fungus. 



Sphferostilhe repens. 

 This fungus Avas first recorded as a parasite on Hevea in 1907, 

 in Ceylon ; when it was found to have killed thi'ee 25-year old trees. 

 Richards first recorded it in Malaya, and Brooks described it in the 

 Agricultural Bulletin of November, 1914. In Malaya the disease has 

 so far occurred on low-lying lands — Petcli, however, states that in 

 Ceylon it is not confined to low country. 



Attacked roots are cliaracterized by a blueish-purple colour and 

 an extremely unpleasant odour. There is no external mycelium, but 

 between the wood and bark run rhizomorphs — flat mycelial strands, 

 red when young, turning black as they grow older. The disease 

 sometimes travels up into the stem, after which borers often enter. 



The fructifications of this fungus are very minute and easily 

 overlooked. The form most frequently found is the conidial — 

 Stilhum stage — consisting of white or pink blobs about the size of a 

 pin's head, borne on stalks about |th inch long, and hairy when 

 young — spores are formed at the ends of the blobs. 



