57 



White Frontignan s — Fruit greenish-white, small, round ; flesh firnij 

 yet juicy and very richly flavoured ; bunches medium, long-cylindrical, 

 well set. A mid season Muscat Grape. 



Foster's Seedling :— Fruit clear greenish -yellow, medium, oval ? 

 flesh tender and melting, sweet and pleasant ; bunches medium, shoul- 

 dered, well set. An early Sweetwater Grape. 



Madresfield Court : — Fruit purplish-black, with a fine, grey bloom, 

 large, ovate : flesh firm, yet juicy, sweet and rich, having a strong Muscat 

 flavour ; bunches large, long-tapering, well set. A very handsome and 

 excellent, mid-season Grape. 



DISEASE AMONG SUGAR CANE. 



Copy. Downing Street. 24th March, 1894. 



Jamaica. — No. 68. 



Sir, 



With reference to my Despatch No. 75 of the 12th of April, 1893, 

 and to Mr. George Massee's pamphlet on the Trichosphaeria Sacchari, 

 copies of which have been recently sent to you through the Crown 

 Agents for the Colonies, I have the honour to transmit to you a copy 

 of a letter from the Director of the Royal Gardens, Kew, stating that 

 the evidence regarding this disease goes to show that it is new to the 

 West Indies, and pointing out the importance of bearing this fact in 

 mind. 



I also enclose a copy of a further letter and enclosure from the Di- 

 ector of Kew Gardens, which will enable you to realise the extreme 

 gravity of the situation. I have, etc., 



Ripox. 



Governor Sir H. A.felake, 

 &c. &c. &c. 



Copv. Royal Gardens, Kew, 



March 12th, 1894. 



Sir, 



I have the honour to inform you that I have received a copy of the 

 Supplement to the Leeward Islands Gazette for January 11th, 1894, 

 containing " A Report on Diseases affecting the Sugar Cane inBarba- 

 dos," by Mr. C. A. Barber, the Superintendent of Agriculture. 



2. In this paper, p. 108, Mr. Barber states : — "The fungus (2W- 

 chosphaeria, which is the cause of the most serious disease) has been 

 detected in specimens in the Kew Herbarium 40 years old from the 

 West Indies, and we may therefore at once assume that it is no recent 

 importation." I think it is important to point out for the information 

 of the West India Governments interested in the matter, that this 

 statement is founded on a mistake. There is no evidence at Kew of 

 the existence of this particular disease in the West Indian Sugar fields 

 prior to 1892. There is a specimen at Kew of Sugar Cane collected in 

 Mexico 40 years ago attacked by the moth borer, and this may be what 

 Mr. Barber has in his mind. 



3. The evidence in my opinion goes to show that the Trichosphaeria 

 has made its appearance quite recently in the West Indies, and I have 

 little doubt that it has been introduced from the Old World. 



