321 



Mr. Massee of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and the fungus was. 

 (iiscovered to be a new species of Colletotrichum to be named Colletotri- 

 chum necator Massee. On examining pepper vines cultivated in the 

 Singapore Botanic Gardens, I found the same parasite. The pepper 

 spikes while still green, and unripe, showiat first a yellowing on some 

 of the fruits. These, instead of becoming deeper green and even- 

 tually red, blacken and eventually become dry and quite black, the 

 whole interior becoming black and powdery. Then on the outside of 

 the pepper appear small black processes, the fruit of the fungus. As 

 a rule only a few of the fruits on the spike are affected, and these 

 generally in the middle of the spike. The fruit-spike is quite spoilt 

 and generally falls off before it is fit to gather. 



The disease is easy enough to see as the blackening and wither- 

 ing up of the fruits, here and there on the spike. 



The disease could be stopped by picking off all infected spikes as 

 soon as detected and burning them at once. Care should be taken 

 not to leave any about on the ground of the pepper-garden. Disin- 

 fecting the ground with copper sulphate and lime would probably be 

 beneficial and the plants should also be sprayed, 



One of the difficulties in a case like this would be that the Chinese 

 planters would be unwilling to destroy a spike of fruit if it only had 

 one or two infected fruits on it, and so allow the infection to go on 

 to other spikes, but this destruction is necessary to save other plants 

 being infected. 



As to the root disease complained of we have little information 

 as yet. Specimens of stems and roots w^ere sent, but no fungus could 

 be'detected, except that in one case some Diplodia *was found, but this 

 appears to have been accidental and not the cause of the injury. A 

 good many diseases of pepper vines in Southern India have been 

 described, but this does not appear to fit any of them. 



Pepper is practically always cultivated from cuttings, that is to 

 say continuously asexually, for many generations. In cases likeithis it 

 generally happens that after a lapse of years, varying in length in 

 different plants, the stock gets weak, degenerate, and liable to disease. 

 It then becomes necessary to renew the stock from seed. This a 

 slower process but should be done from time to time. — Ed. 



*The following letter was received from Mr. Lewton Brain : — 

 "Sir, 



With reference to your letter of the 3rd., Mr. Bancroft reports that 

 he has secured an almost pure growth of Diplodia from the wood of 

 the diseased pepper roots. It may be of interest to record this, 

 although, as the specimens were not entirely fresh, it may not be of 

 great importance." 



