6 



EUTYPA AS A PARASITE. 



An account of Eiitypa cauUvora on Para rubber trees was 

 published in the Bulletin some time back, and Mr. Massee's sugges- 

 tion that it was a true parasite though it did not appear on the tree 

 till after its death was also mentioned. The trees on which the fun- 

 gus appeared had, however, either been blown over or had died from 

 some other cause and till after death had not shown any signs of 

 fungus, of any kind. Hence I held that this species of Eut3-pa was 

 probably not parasitic but saprophytic only. A few months ago, 

 however, I found a young Para rubber tree dying from the top down- 

 wards which had produced a black fungus on its top, resembling 

 Eufypa, and obviously not the well-known dieback fungs Diplodia. 

 The tree was at no great distance from a big tree which had previously 

 died and on which Eutypa had later developed and a portion of it 

 sent to the Royal Gardens, Kew, was examined there and the report 

 given that " the black growth on the Para rubber stem was the 

 •Stroma or young stage of some Eutypa-like funges which has not yet 

 produced fruit, hence cannot be determined." It is probably then 

 that this fungus was Eutypa caulivora, the only species seen near the 

 spot and that it is truly parasitic, attacking the topshoot of the tree 

 and growing downwards like Diplodia. The other trees however on 

 which Eutypa caulivora appeared showed no signs of being killed by 

 this fungus, as previously described. I have seen no other cases of 

 death from this fungus, and it does not seem common. As too it 

 seems to be veiy slow in fruiting, and to show its presence cons- 

 picuously in young plants before it is ready to fruit it should be ver>' 

 easily dealt with. 



The only other tree I have seen it on is Macarauga Grinithiana. 

 a tree of swampy open country which is abundant in the neighbour- 

 hood of the trees affected, and it is probable that this plant somewhat 

 allied to Hevea is the original host of the Eutypa. Further investi- 

 gations of this group of Fungi is however required. — ED. 



PiNK DISEASE PREVENTION EXPERIMENTS. 



The most interesting matter in this district is the progress of the 

 <^xperiments vrhich are being conducted at Palapilly and Vellanikana 

 estates in the prevention of Pink Disease {Cor-ticium Javanicum) on 

 Para Rubber, a disease which has done a considerable amount of 

 damage. It will be remembered that these experiments aim at pre- 

 vention rather than cure, and the trees were painted in the dry season 

 with Bordeaux mixture so that the spores of the fungus, which are 

 Avind-carried at that time and find a lodgement on the trees, especially 

 in the forks, should germinate with the beginning of the monsoon 

 rains in a mediuni of Bordeaux mixture which will kill them before 



