147 
customary in large estates to dip the cuttings before plani- 
ng into a solution of carbolic acid in water in the proportion of 
me pint of carbolic acid to one hundred gallons of water (the 
Queensland solution). This is probably of considerable value in 
disinfecting the cuttings, but of course will not make cuttings 
thoroughly impregnated with the fungus healthy or fit to plant. 
COFFEE DISEASES. 
My attention has been called to two fungus diseases of the 
offee which seem to do a considerable amount of damage. The 
*st of these manifests itself first in a cracking of the bark on the 
ranches, usually in the upper part, and descending from the 
wigs sooner or later makes its way to the base of the branch, 
diich soon becomes black and dies. Careful examination shows 
t first small white specks scattered on the diseased portion, 
hich seem to develop into leprous pink masses forming patches 
n the dying twigs. Examination with the microscope shows 
hat these masses are the fruiting portion of a bark fungus pushed 
p through the cracked bark, and producing large number of 
finute spores. The fungus, Mr. Massee informs me, belongs to 
new genus which he calls Necator ( i.e ., the killer), the species 
eing N. discretus. It is allied to the destructive Nectrias which 
e parasitic on many trees. It seems seldom, if ever, to destroy 
e whole coffee tree, but it certainly injures it considerably, 
id should be looked after. 
All boughs affected should be cut off well below the already 
ackened part, and rigorously burnt to prevent the development 
id dispersal of the spores. 
Another fungus disease attacks the base of the stem and roots, 
uickly causing the death of the tree. In this case it will be no- 
ced that the chief symptom is the thickening of the bark on the 
rger roots and at the collar at the base of the tree. The bark 
'comes corky, and whitish and irregularly cracked, or scaly, 
section under the microscope shews that the cambium layer, 
etween the bark and the wood is black, and the mycelium of a 
mgus has crept through it and often has traversed a portion of 
le wood as well, marking its course by a black line. When the 
mgus has completely encircled the tree, it is of course quite 
filed. One of the remarkable points about this disease is that 
occurs in patches in the coffee plantation, and does not seem 
i spread. All the trees in the patch may be killed, and young 
ealthy trees planted there perish very soon. From this it 
>pears clear that the fungus is in the ground, in the form of my- 
lium or as it is often called spawn. On a tree which had been 
estroyed by this fungus and then pulled up and thrown away I 
>und a quantity of a species of Irpex, namely, 7. flavus , fully 
eveloped at the base of the stem and at other points where 
aces of damage from the mycelium could be seen. 
This fungus is a leathery white irregular mass of no great 
ickness firmly attached to the bark of the tree, covered on the 
