175 
I have not at present succeeded in hikina the ripe spores for trials in 
inoculation. 
“T have evidence that the vast majority of moth-borer eggs are 
destroyed by a small parasitic fly. Some of the eggs turn yellow and 
addled ; these probably were unfertilised, Others are left transparent 
an empty ; from these the grubs have escaped. The great majority, 
rhaps great because of their emt as turn black, and when 
punctured show : much smaller and m eular hole than ‘the minute 
grub makes. ese I regarded as aii laid the suspected 
specimens of Macken eggs before Mr. Hubbard, the sil are im 
in the United States Department of Agriculture, who is 
visiting Montserrat, d he at once recognised the presence of a sitesi 
belonging to a well-known class of egg-eaters. When I detailed the 
numbers of eggs laid by the moth-borer, and the great majority of 
blackened ones, he remarked, ‘ Without this fly you could not grow a 
* cane in these islands.’ " 
The end Se papers are published in continuation of previous 
correspondence 
Royat Garpens, Kew, to COLONIAL OFFICE. 
Royal Gardens, Kew, 
Sir, June 5th, 1894. 
I wave the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter with 
enclosures of May 8th and June 2nd on the subject of the disease now 
affecting the sugar-cane in the West Indies. 
2. The history of the matter is briefly this :— 
In a letter to the Colonial Office, April 5th, 1893, I pointed out the 
appearance of the disease in the West t Indies, now generally s spoken of 
as *Ri [pannis I stated that it was due to a fungus to which the 
heria had been given ; that D fungus possessed 
different reproductive E which had been mistaken A distinet fungi ; 
at it was a very destructive parasite which csn effect a lodgement « on 
the young leaves of thea sugar-cane but not on the o o ones ; and finally, 
that no practical remedy can be suggested : check the progress of the 
disease beyond the “ cutting out” and the eareful destruction by burning 
of every diseased cane. In a further setts: “of March 12th last, I stated 
my opinion that the Trichospherir had 'made its appearance quite 
i bee 
troduced from the Old World. 
"In another letter of November 3rd, 1893, d She oe gee Office 
that a further disease, which m may be distinguished a t-disense," 
existed in the West Indies; that it was iden neihi with ¢ one which existed 
in Java, where it had been ‘ascertained to be due ae a fungus to which 
the name of Colletotrichum had been given. The opinion was expressed 
that “if perfectly healthy and uninfected canes were only used for 
* propagation, the disease would not be found to give much trouble.” 
As will be seen from what follows there is dd evidence that at any 
rate at St. Vincent this precaution is neglect 
3. The specimens of diseased canes ai by Mr. Bovell in St. 
Vias, and referred to in Colonel Sandwith’s despatch of May last, 
have reached Kew, and have been carefully examined, I enclose a co 
of the report of the member of our staff to whom I entrusted their 
examination, - 
