75 



spot they push out the mycelium tubes into the bark and so the 

 disease commences. 



Occasionally trees cure themselves, but this must not he relied on. 

 The fungus dies and the growth of the tissues round the cankered 

 spot serves to drive out the dead piece. A considerable proportion of 

 the fruits of the Para rubber tree having been found to have fallen 

 unripe, they were examined and were found in some cases at least to 

 be infected with the canker, but whether they were attacked while 

 on the tree or after falling seems doubtful. In any case fallen black 

 fruits should be destroyed when found. 



To cure the tree it is necessary to cut out all the diseased part of 

 the bark down to the wood, if the disease has spread as far. A 

 margin of not less than 2 inches should be cut round the discolored 

 area so as to be sure of getting out all the mycelium. Dying 

 branches high up in the tree should be suspected and cut well back ; 

 and all dead or diseased pieces destroyed by fire as near as possible 

 as it is dangerous to carry them about the plantation, for fear that 

 any spores on them might be drifted into the trees as they are borne 

 along. 



This is only a short precis of the paper which is a very import- 

 ant one for planters of rubber. The disease is one which as yet is 

 not common at least in the Malay Peninsula, although it has been 

 reported thence; therefore care should be taken that it does not in- 

 vade the country, or if it does appear that it should be rigorously 

 looked for and destroyed when found. As it is certainly more fre- 

 quent in Ceylon than in the Peninsula, great care should be exer- 

 cised in introducing fresh stock of rubber plants and seeds from 

 that country. Seeds in themselves are doubtless quite safe, but 

 fragments of the husks picked up on the ground and such like 

 material sent in packing might possibly introduce the plant. Seed- 

 lings again are probably safe, but stumps of a greater age might 

 be infected. Estates should be regularly and carefully inspected, 

 tree by tree, by the planter to see that neither this nor any other 

 disease is threatening, and steps taken at once to check any that 

 may be found. An insanitary estate is a danger to its neighbours 

 and it is almost invariably the case that the bad outbreaks of dis- 

 ease in plantations have been due to carelessness and ignorance of 

 one or two owners. — Editor. 



HEVEAS IN THE AMAZON. 



In the Beihefte zum Tropenpflanzer, Vol. VI I, p. I, just published, 

 is the account of an expedition by Herr Ule to the Rubber region 

 of the Amazons to investigate the collecting and preparation of 

 Rubber there. He mentions and partly describes 13 species or 

 forms of Heveas and gives a figure of H. braziliensis and //. discolor, 

 but the descriptions of most of his new species are quite insufficient 

 to identify them by. He gives also an account of the methods of 

 collecting and prepaiation of the rubber by the Seringueiro*, and 



