70 
Supplement to the Tropical Agriculturist." 
DISEASES OF TKEES. 
(Me. N. a. Cott in the Agricultural Gazette of 
N.S. Wales.) 
Every year brings me a number of enquiries a? 
to the cause of the death of the whole or parts of 
trees, generally fruit trees, under peculiar circum- 
stances, such as the absence of any apparent cause, 
or, at least, adequate cause. Sometimes tlie deaths 
are sudden, sometimes not ; but in most such cases 
the disease has not been prolonged. These cases 
must not be confounded with death from lack of 
nourishment or care, or from old age. A tree in 
good soil or hitherto vigorous, suddenly sickens and 
dies, or perhaps manages to hold out for a season 
or two and then dies ; such is the typical case to 
which I refer. 
In such instances we at once suspect one of two 
causes, namely, insects boring in the wood, or the 
presence of some timber-rotting fungus. In the 
former case tlie death of the tree or branch is often 
sudden. The leaves will dry up and turn brown, 
as if a fire had scorched them, the whole operation 
sometimes occupying only a few days. If a limb 
be cut away and split up, the boring insects are 
usually discovered. Tlieir holes may usually be 
seen on the surface. 
In the second case the death of the tree is 
usually slower, and the cau.=e is commonly more 
hidden from sight. The wood of the dead tree, 
however, on being examined carefully, or compared 
with healthy wood of the same kind, exhibits the 
peculiarities well known to timber merchants and 
carpenters under the name of dry-rot. The dis- 
eased wood is softer and more brittle than sound 
wood, and differs also in colour, and finally be- 
comes punk and falls to jiieces. This deterioration 
is due to the presence among the fibres of the wood 
of the hyphse or vegetative organs of a fungus 
whose fruit may sometimes be seen either growing 
out from the bark in the form of “shelves” or 
“ brackets,” or in the form of toad-stools near the 
base of the tree. Strange as it may seem, the 
microscopic “ roots,” as we may almost call the 
vegetative organs of these fungi, penetrate long 
distances into the solid Avood of the tree, where, 
by gradually absorbing and changing the substance 
of the cells of the wood, they Aveaken it and give 
rise to the Avell-knowu appearance of dry-rot. 
The death of the Avhole or part of the tree follows 
as a matter of course. 
Both these conditions may occur in the same tree, 
and it is therefore well to have a clear idea as 
possible of the external appearance due to each of 
these diseases. 
Remedies. 
1. Trees dead or dying from either of these 
causes should be burnt. If there' is reason to 
attribute the death to dry-rot fungi, the stump and 
main roots should also be destroyed by fire and the 
ground treated Avith quicklime. 
2. Keep the place free from rotting and decayed 
timber. Such only forms a nidus, from which 
spring the spores of the dry-rot fungi. 
3. Where timber-rot is prevalent, take the pre- 
caution to disinfect Avith tar the wounds on trees, 
either those caused accidentally or by pruning. In 
pruning be careful to use sharp tools, and to u«e 
them skilfully, and cut off the limbs close to the 
[July 1, 1897. 
trunk or main branch that bears them, the idea 
being to give the tree a good chance to heal the 
Avound as rapidly as possible. 
4. Eemove superfluous bark, and whitewash 
tlie trunk and main brauches. 
0 . Where a wound fails to heal over, and 
becomes a sore, cut away the wood. 
0. Look out that the drainage is good. This is 
a most important percaution against timber-des- 
troying fungi. Damp, ill-drained plantations are 
their natural home. 
7. As regards the remedies for borers, it is 
necessary to point out that they are, for the most 
part, totally different to the preceding ones, 
directed, as they are, against an insect instead of 
a fungus. It is Avhen I observe remedies for fungi 
being applied to trees suffering from borers, and 
vice versa, that I realise how necessary it is to 
point out the possibility of being deceived as to the 
nature of diseases through resemblances in their 
external appearances. Is is a waste of money and 
energy to apply the wrong remedies. It would 
be of little use to apply fungicides to a tree 
attacked by the borer alqne, or to adopt the fol- 
loAving remedies against borers for dryrot fungi: — 
1. Eemove from the vicinity, unless they 
are serviiijg some useful purpose, all native trees 
that are found to harbour the borer, 
2. Spray the trees Avith tar-water, or some 
other substance that will be so offensive to the 
female that she will decline to lay her eggs there. 
3. Eemove loose bark, and whitewash the trunk 
and main branches. 
4. Squirt or otherwise insert into all holes 
and crevices to be found, such liquids as kerosene 
emulsion or phenyl. 
6. Set lighted lanterns at night, in the proper 
season, and so arrange them that the attracted and 
dazed moth (Avhere the mature insect is a moth) 
will fly against rags and dangling strings ,‘oaked 
in kerosene, or some very sticky surface. 
NOTES FEOM A TEAVELLEE’S DIAEY. 
( Continued.) 
Again, as regards paddy cultivation, anyone who 
goes about the country with his eyes open cannot 
but be surprised at the crude methods practised by 
some of the villagers in the cultivation of the 
staple food product of the island. IngBurma and 
other countries where rice is extensively grown 
and exported in large quantities, the most approv- 
ed methods, such as the nursery system, tran.splant- 
ing, and weeding are invariably carried out, and 
the result is an enormously large crop, something 
like ninety-fold. In some of the Eandyan dis- 
tricts of this island the preparation of the land 
is apparently most carefully carried out, and weed- 
ing is also practised. These methods are, how- 
ever, confined to only a very small area of the 
island, and the people even here have as yet to 
learn a great deal as regards the most approved 
methods of preparing the laud and various other 
details, such as the selection of seed paddy &c. 
Sir Arthur Havelock, our late Govei’nor, speaking 
at a prize-giving of the School of Agriculture said : 
“ I was particularly interested by those passages 
in the report of the Superintendent which deal with 
