JAMAICA 

 BULLETIN 



OF THE 



BOTANICAL DEPARTMENT 



Vol VITI 



New Series.] AUGUST, 1901. ^ A ^ v j LL i' 



J Part 8. 



FUNGOID DISEASES OF COCOA. 



Cocoa in Jamaica has not been troubled much so far with disease, 

 but there is no doubt that injurious fungi exist to some small extent. 

 It will be advisable that planters be on the watc'i, and adopt the 

 remedies suggested by Mr. Howard in the following report, [f not 

 the pest will c ntinue to extend on heaps of the decaying shells until 

 it is strong enough, and the opportunity of favourable weather occurs, 

 when it may spread with great rapidity, and do much damage. 



Commissioner of Agriculture for W. Indies to Biredor of Public 

 Gardens and Plantations, Jamaica. 



Imperial Department of Agriculture 

 for the West Indies, Barbados. 



8th June, 1901. 



Sir, 



I beg to forward, herewith, a copy of a report on the fungoid 

 diseases of Cacao in Grenada prepared by Mr. Albert Howard, Myco- 

 logist to the Imperial Department of Agriculture for the West Indies. 



2. You will no doubt be glad of the opportunity of reading this 

 report which has an important bearing on the success of the Cacao 

 industry in these Colonies. 



3. The " brown-rot" fungus of the Cacao pod has been determined 

 at Kew, from specimens forwarded by this department, as Diplodia 

 Cacaoicola (P. Henn.) This parasite has so far been found attacking 

 Cacao pods in Dominica, St. Lucia, St. Yincent as well as in Grenada. 

 The fungi concerned in the " canker" disease of the stem, which is 

 known in Dominica as the "flowering" disease, have been determined at 

 Kew as Nectria Theobrcmae, Massee (n. sp.) and Calonectria flauida, 

 Massee (n. sp.). It is very probable that the " Hoot" fungus is a 

 species of Polyporus, somewhat similar to that attacking the roots of 

 forest trees in Europe. 



I have the honour to be, 

 Sir, 



Your most obedient Servant, 

 D. Morris, 



Commissioner of Agriculture for the West Indies* 



