389 
Sugar-Cane in the West Indies. 
6. On June 23, the above experiment was repeated on two 
similar canes. Two months afterwards two internodes were, 
in each case, found to be completely invaded by the fungus 
which had produced all the characters of the * rind ’ disease. 
7. On June 27, four canes about six months old, growing 
in tubs, were inoculated with pure cultures of the fungus, 
three at wounds in the internodes, the other at a leaf-base. 
On August 19, one of the canes inoculated at a wound 
exhibited the characteristics of the ‘ rind 5 disease in the infected 
internode, but the other three and the controls gave negative 
results. 
8. On June 23, three vigorous canes about six months old, 
growing in the field, were inoculated at leaf-bases, from which 
the adhering green leaves had been torn, with six days’ old 
mycelium from a pure culture. Afterwards the nodes were 
covered with sterile waxed tape. On August 19, one of the 
canes gave a negative result, but the other two showed distinct 
infection. In one case, 5 inches of the cane were invaded, in 
the other about 2J inches. 
These experiments show conclusively that the Colletotrichum 
is capable of more than mere wound parasitism. It is able 
to overcome tissues capable of active growth. At the same 
time it can thrive readily as a saprophyte in artificial media 
and pass through its whole development thereon. It occurs 
in the West Indies every ripening season as a parasite. It 
would seem to be therefore intermediate between a hemi- 
saprophyte and a hemi-parasite and not to belong strictly to 
either of these classes. 
Further, it is clear that this fungus and not Melanconium 
is the cause of the ‘ rind ’ disease of the sugar-cane. 
On referring this fungus to its systematic position it is 
evident that, in the absence of any higher fructifications than 
the stromata described, it must be placed in the Fungi 
Imperfecti and that it falls into Corda’s genus Colletotrichum 
( 18 ). From its characters and its parasitism on the sugar-cane 
it evidently agrees with C. falcatum , Went ( 6 , 14 ), a form which 
causes the ‘ Red Smut’ disease of the sugar-cane in Java. 
