m 
The author then mentions the Ceylon canker Nectria diversispora 
described in the Ceylon agricultural journals, and goes on to urge the 
system of not too close planting of Hevea, with some leguminous plant 
between and separated into plots by barriers of Ficus elastica; and this 
breaking up of the plantation with sections, he recommends too for 
nurseries as, it is better to have a number of small detached nursery beds 
separated by hedges rather than one large one, to permit any disease 
spreading through the lot. This all will agree with. 
Pestalozzia Palmarum a leaf parasite on coconuts, tea, Gutta percha 
etc., has been met with on Hevea and P. guepini occurs also in Ceylon 
and Java, but does not do much harm as long as it confines itself to the 
leaves ; when it attacks the stalks of young plants however it is fatal. 
Stilbella ( Stilbum ) Heveo attacks the young branches dead after 
an attack of Corticium. 
Among annual pests of Hevea the author mentions Acari, (mites) 
borers, small beetles (. Xylcborus and Bostrichidac) which attack damag- 
ed part of the trees, termites, (but apparently Termes Gestroi , does 
not occur in Java) ; red ants which devour the plantlets as they 
germinate, eating off the growing points ; a caterpillar (unidentified) 
which eats the leaves and a bug which attacks the foliage and finally 
porcupines and wild pigs. 
In concluding his account of the diseases of Para rubber, he 
mentions one or two obscure ailments which do not seem of any 
importance and includes under them the well known formation of burrs 
on the trunk which he suggests are due to punctures caused by some 
insect. This however we know is not the case. 
The paper concludes with some accounts of pests of Ficus elastica 
(chiefly insects) Castilloa attacked by Corticium and the white root 
fungus ; Kichxia elastica and Ceara rubber. 
He writes at some length about lalang but the chief addition to the 
information we possess on the injury caused by this plant, lies in the 
fact that in plantations where this grass w T as found to be abundant, 
the root fungus appeared, and in digging it was seen that fragments 
of dead lalang rhioimes were covered with the mycelium. An estate 
which had been for two years healthy while there was no lalang was 
neglected on account of expense, lalang then invaded it and simultane- 
ous the root-fungus- 
However as one has frequently seen Para rubber grown in lalang, 
and free from root-fungus, and vice versa a good deal of root-fungus and 
no lalang present, it is probable that the only connection between the 
two is that the lalang spoiled the soil, and weakened the plants which 
were then attacked by the fungus. I do not think that we have yet 
got at the real cause of the injury done to trees by the presence of 
lalang in the ground, and more experiments and observations are 
required on this subject. 
A good suggestion is to use the shrub Leucaena glauca against 
lalang. It is a leguminous plant, easy to grow from seed and though 
apt to get rather large might be will kept cut back so as not to interfere 
with the growth of the young rubbers. It seems to have been success- 
fully employed to kill lalang. 
