59 



■ CORTIGIUM JAVANICUM IN BORNEO. 



A correspondent sends some specimens and a letter on an attach 

 of Corticinm javanicum, the pink bark fungus, on the rubber trees in 

 an estate in Sarawak. 



He writes : " In the first instance drops of latex may be observed 

 exuding from the tree just as if a prick had been made with a needle. 

 By degrees these punctures increase in number and the latex buckles 

 down the stem freely. 



The above phase in the initial stages of this disease is a prelude 

 to the formation of black patches on the bark, which gradually 

 increase in area. On removing the dead bark with a pen-knife pads 

 of evil smelling rubber are found within and the rot has penetrated 

 right through to the wood. 



Subsequently to this "buboks" {Xylotrupes probably) make 

 their entrance and together with a pinkish fungus seem to complete 

 the destruction. I cannot accurately time this fungus, but have known 

 the tops of five year old trees to be completely reduced by it in a 

 week, so the destruction element appears to be fairly rapid. We 

 suffered heavily last year during the monsoon, but got rid of the 

 disease by tapping, burning and tarring and at the same period as a 

 preventive measure all scars on trees throughout. It seemed as if old 

 wounds and rough place on the bark afforded an easy entrance to the 

 fungus we were trying to stamp out. 



One peculiar feature I must remark is that our trees have been 

 attacked anywhere either from the collar upwards or from the topmost 

 branches downwards. 



In both cases, if attended to promptly, the tree does not generally 

 die, but its growth is seriously retarded especially when pollarding 

 old trees has to be resorted to. 



I have often noticed trees recover by themselves without atten- 

 tion viz (a) a year old tree died off from the top about 5 feet and 

 then shot up again below the affected part, *3 a 5 year old tree 

 (measuring 30 inches at 3 feet above ground) suffered from the 

 fungus round the collar and upwards for about four inches. There 

 were three distinct dead patches round the trunk, but the disease was 

 suddenly checked and new bark began to make its appearance. The 

 above instances are only two out of many. The fungus apparently 

 does not confine itself to Para rubber trees as I have just noticed two 

 young trees in my garden known locally as S^ga. { Ade?w?itherd pavonina 

 L) attacked by identically the same thing." 



The specimens sent consisted of boughs and portions of the 

 trunks of young trees bearing large patches of the pink Corticium 

 javanicum. As commonly happens the patches of the fruiting fungus 

 were only on one side of the stem and there seemed to be a strong 

 tendency for it to appear on the under side of the smaller branches. 



