76 



in connection with a certain well-known disease of the ripe and half- 

 ripe fruit, the main characteristics of the disease on the fruit being* 

 as follows : 



Spots which at first are greenish on the purple background of the 

 fruit, later turn brownish or buff, and show a somewhat concentric 

 arrangement of slightly varying colours. Ultimately the skin or shell 

 of the fruit becomes very thin and brittle at the diseased spot and 

 caves in of its own accord or as the result of some slight accident. 



As before remarked, a fungus (the Macrosporium) occurs on this 

 diseased area, and its presence is denoted by the appearance of tiny 

 tufts of a dark fur-like growth of small dimensions. 



Notes were made on a large lot of passion-vine fruit and leaves 

 collected in July. 



Undoubtedly by far the most common fungus was the Macrosporium , 

 which on these specimens I was able to prove to be such by examination 

 in situ with the aid of reflected light. The spores could be plainly 

 seen to be borne singly on the stalk. 



I should say that nine out of every ten spots on the fruit examined 

 were infested with Macrosporium, and in no case would I care to say 

 that this fungus was entirely absent. 



Not infrequently there were found associated with the Macrosporium 

 dark pustules, and upon examination it was found that these pustules 

 were an immature form with stalks growing from near their bases > 

 they contained no ripe spores. These were oblate, and dark in colour. 



Some spots that showed the Macrosporium also showed deliquescent 

 pustules of Gloeosporium of a dirty transparent colour. There were 

 spots that were composed almost altogether of Gloeosporium pustules,. 

 but I could not be sure that there was no Macrosporium in connection 

 with these spots. 



On the leaves the main fungus feature was the Macrosporium, though, 

 in most cases, the fungus had not yet broken out. In a few cases the 

 dark-coloured perithecia occurred, the same as those mentioned above 

 as being unripe. No Gloeosporium was seen. These specimens were 

 from a plantation where there had been considerable loss from disease. 



Pleospora on Passion-Vines. 



This Pleospora was first found on the rind of diseased ripening fruit 

 in the form of perithecia, most of which in the month of July were not 

 yet ripe. The perithecia were more than half submerged and of a 

 dark colour, but not necessarily black. Round the bases and in the 

 vicinity of the perithecia there were hyphae that bore, on short stalks, 

 minutely echinulate 8-10 celled yellowish spores more than half as wide 

 as long, and measuring about 25 x 17 micromillimetres. These spores 

 germinated in water, and in doing so sometimes produced at the ends of 

 hyphae not much longer than the spores themselves secondary spores of 

 a similar nature to the primary spores, but of a lighter colour. (Fig. 85.) 



Returning now to the perithecia, it may be said .that the few ripe 

 ones contained asci bearing eight yellowish spores, each averaging 



