PREFACE 



THE very rapid development of plant pathology during 

 the past few years and the increasing interest in tropical 

 agriculture have led the writer to prepare this intro- 

 ductory work on the Diseases of Tropical Plants. 



An extensive study of the fungi, bacteria, and other 

 organisms which cause the diseases of plants was a 

 necessary preliminary to the development of plant 

 pathology, and the progress in this subject has been 

 much more rapid in the north temperate zone than in 

 the tropics. In the past few years, however, there has 

 been a great awakening of interest in these studies 

 throughout both the eastern and western tropics. 

 Nevertheless, the literature is scattered, frequently 

 indefinite in character, and presents an abundance of 

 difficulties to the student at the present time. While 

 gathering material for this book, one correspondent 

 wrote that the time had not yet come when it was 

 possible for any one to write a work on the diseases of 

 tropical plants. The writer is now ready to agree with 

 this gentleman, and to add that it is doubtful if the 

 time will ever come when any one author can adequately 

 treat of the tropics of the entire world and their plant 

 diseases. The eastern and western tropics have each 



