282 CACAO 



rapidly become dark brown or nearly black as they assume 

 the mature two-celled form. In the roots of trees lately 

 examined, there was strong evidence that young trees 

 had become infected through cutlass wounds made in the 

 stems just at the surface of the groimd by workmen when 

 " brushing " or " billing " down the tall weeds which 

 flourish in young plantations. Certain mites were noted 

 during our studies which carried some of the spores 

 attached to the hairs of their bodies, showing the possibility 

 of transferring spores from one point to another by insect 

 movement. 



It may be noted that in recent works reference is made 

 to a fungus determined as Lasiodiplodia sp., but that all 

 writers have, to the present time, been careful to place it 

 among the so-called Fungi imperfecti, which means that 

 its history is imperfectly known. Our examination of the 

 original specimens, however, showed nothing more than 

 the organs of Diplodia cacaoicola P. Henn, and hence it 

 would appear that this fungus is accountable for " Pod 

 disease "—" Brown Rot," for "Stem disease "—" Die 

 Back," and for the " Root disease " of young plantations. 

 The same fungus, or possibly one nearly allied, has been 

 detected here (Trinidad) on Castilloa elastica, causing a 

 disease of the roots, on sweet orange stem affected with 

 " Root Rot," and on the fruit of Clusia rosea in the open 

 forest, which appears to be strong evidence that the fungus 

 is indigenous to the colony and widely distributed, although 

 only brought to notice during recent years. It will be 

 further noticed that in the lectures recently delivered 

 before the Agricultural Society no mention whatever is 

 made of any disease caused by Diplodia cacaoicola, and that 

 the greatest amount of disease is attributed (even canker) 

 to the action of Lasiodiplodia sp., for the determination of 

 which American botanists appear to be responsible, but 

 which may probably prove to be a form of, if not actually 

 identical with, the long-known Diplodia cacaoicola. It 

 will be remembered that the identical sample on which the 

 determination was made was collected by the writer, who 



