287 
of attacks on the exposed wood of the cuts both by wood boring 
beetles and fungi. In tropical countries where wood-destroying 
insects and fungi are so abundant and develop so rapidly, there is 
always a risk to a tree when the wood is exposed, and one of the 
main uses of the rubbers, dammers, wood-oils and other such ex- 
cretions is to prevent the intrusion of such enemies into acciden- 
tal wounds, by sealing them up as soon as the wound is made. It 
would be easy however, when necessary to make and apply some 
such disinfectant as above suggested to protect the exposed 
wood till the bark has grown over the cut again. 
. ‘Kickxia when treated judiciously yields between f and a 
popnd of rubber for every year of its age, that is a Uco r.a years 
oki could be safely depended on to yield nine pGuIlds of rubber. 
A pound of Kickxia rubber should realise at least 2 s. 9 dd ’ This 
is a larger return than we expect from Hevea, although the ra- 
pidity of growth of the latter appears to be much greater than 
that of Kickxia. We have at present no details as to the rapi- 
dity of growth of the African plant, which I should judge from 
the behaviour of the few plants in the Botanic Gardens, is not 
what could be called a very slow grower. 
Since writing the above further investigations into the various 
species of Kickxia has been published by P . Preuss in the Notiz- 
blatt des Kgl. Bot. Gartens No. 19, July 1899; where it is shown 
that it is not Kickxid Afyicdtid but a new species K. cldsticd 
which supplies the Kickxia rubber. This plant has not yet been 
introduced. 
INJURIOUS FUNGI. 
A very troublesome fungus occurs on the leaves of clove frees 
which appears to have been overlooked. There appear on the 
leaves at first dark red spots on the under side which eventually 
attain a diameter of | to | inch, and can be seen on the upper 
surface as a dark blotch. Later the fructification appears on the 
under surface, it is white and remembles mildew at first sight. 
The leaves perish and fall, and as large numbers are affected the 
tree soon has a miserable half leafless appearance. At the same 
time the shoots become black and die, other shoots are produced 
but they too wither up, and eventually the tree becomes quite 
leafless and. dies* 
Some trees attacked by this fungus were treated with Bo- 
deaux mixture, viz., Copper sulphate and lime in water. This 
was sprinkled on the trees by means of an ordinary garden sy- 
ringe which however did not prove a very satisfactory instru- 
ment as it was difficult to spray satisfactorily the under sides of 
the leaves where the fungus was fruiting. The mixture did not 
injure the leaves in any way, and now, some months after, the 
trees appear more free from the fungus. 
Rosellinia vudicipcydd , Massee. — This is a most destructive 
fungus which I recently found in a portion of the shrubbery in 
the Botanic Gardens. It was observed that all the plants of 
whatever kind growing beneath a large fig-tree, Ficus dubxa. 
