13 
sown with it entered the young seedling finally travelling upon the 
ear and destroying the young fruit. Simple treatment of the 
grain with a cheap fungicide solution before sowing destroys the 
noxious fungal spore without injuring the germinating power of 
the grain. There is no universal application ; the circumstances of 
the case determine the mode of procedure. 
Changes of season — wet to dry, warm to cold— help the destruction 
of fungal spores; though most fungi have adaptations, such as 
specially resistent spores, to surmount this obstacle. The potato 
blight, which prematurely kills the leaves, winters in the tuber. 
The uniformly warm and moist climate, without any marked 
distinction into . seasons, of this Peninsula is well suited to rapid 
spread of fungi. For this reason and on account of the large 
areas covered with the same species of tree the early notification 
of unhealthiness is important. A specimen from the diseased 
plant should be sent to the Department of Agriculture for investi- 
gation and advice. Usually too little material is sent ; it is better 
to err on the side of sending too much. Specimens should not be 
sent in an envelope; certain parts sent in this way arrive too dry 
and shrivelled up, others get crushed ; besides it generally means 
too little material. Moist vegetable matter should be carefully 
dried and sent in a package or box. Do not send detached leaves ; 
send the twig and leaf together, pressed flat between sineets of 
newspaper. Large specimens, such as portions of roots, sterrj, or 
large fruits, should be forwarded in ventilated boxes, ]f it can be 
conveniently done it is advisable to send the root Do not send 
what seems to be the most diseased part in a stem or root, but take 
a specimen which includes the apparent boundary between healthy 
and diseased tissues. An account of all observ s made on the 
disease should be pent, will prove useful in the laboratory and r ay 
help considerably in diagnosing the disease and advising treatr jnt. 
In the main this paper is for Rubber planters, but ' the bur en of 
its remarks apply equally to coconuts, coffee, sugar, rice, tapioca 
and the numerous other vegetable products of the Peninsula. 
W. J. GALLAGHER, m. a. 
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF LATEX IN PLANTS. 
The following appears in the “ Tropenpflanzer’L A paper by 
Dr Hans Kniep appeared .ider the above title in “ Flora V in rocK 
and deserves to be known t , a wider circle. On the basis of a critical 
examination of earlier researches in this field and supported by his 
own experiments, the writer attempts to show that it cannot be 
proved on either anatomical or physiological grounds that the 
laticiferous vessels are important organs for conducting or storing 
plastic substances, functions ascribed to them by many Authors On 
the contrary vanous experiments testify against the latex taking any 
considerable share in the nourishment of the plant The facts o'f 
chemistry are also in agreement with this. The quantity of products 
