14 



only one, Mr. S. Crowder, who lived in Durban and was Chair- 

 man of the Commission was able to attend. This paper had 

 special 1 eference to two of these parasitic fungi, viz. : the 

 11 Sugar Cane Smut" TJstilago Sacchari, Rabh. about which some 

 correspondence bad taken place between myself and the Victoria 

 Planters Association, and an Hemileia which I had myself 

 collected and which is now known as H. Woodii, Kalch & Cook. 

 This fungus I had found upon two plants Vangueria infausta 

 and V. latifolia, and the following is an extract from the paper: — 



44 I now pass on to the particular plant the discovery 

 " of which caused this paper to be written. When I first 

 11 collected the fungus I failed to identify it, as it differed 

 44 considerably from any other species which I had ex- 

 4< ammed, and of the genus Hemileia I had no description. 

 44 My correspondent in Cape Colony also declared it to be 

 44 4 indeterminable,' but he had probably forwarded the 

 44 best of the specimens which I had sent him to Dr. 

 44 Kalchbrenner, for some weeks ago the pamphlet which I 

 44 have here in which the plant is described and figured was 

 44 forwarded to me from Kew. Upon the receipt of this 

 44 pamphlet I was of course anxious t~ identify the plant 

 44 upon which I had found the fungus, and after some 

 44 little time I succeeded in doing so, and finding it to be 

 44 Vangueria infausta, a plant belonging to the same Order 

 44 as the Coffee plant, I thought the matter of sufficient 

 14 interest to warrant further enquiry. The first question 

 44 which may be asked is — What reason have you for 

 44 supposing that the fungus which has hitherto been found 

 44 on Vanguerias only, will establish itself on the Coffee 

 44 plant, should Coffee be extensively grown here ? 



44 It seems to me that if this fungus appears on two 

 44 totally different plants, even though both plants belong 

 44 to the same genus, we may at any rate suspect that 

 44 under favourable circumstances it will transfer itself to 

 44 other plants, even though they do not belong to the same 

 44 genus, but only of the same Order. 



44 1 have just referred to the Hemileia being found upon 

 44 two plants belonging to the same genus, but I should 

 44 say that the fact is not yet quite proved. I have here 

 44 a specimen of a fungus which I collected upon Vangueria 

 44 latifolia, but the power of my microscope is not sufficient 

 44 for me to decide with certainty whether it is an Hemileia 

 44 or not, or if ix, be an Hemileia then it is H. Woodii, but 

 44 1 hope to-night with a higher power of the microscope 

 44 we may be able to decide upon the genus at any rate. 

 44 (Note. — The fungus on examination proved to be H, 

 44 Woodii). 



