390 Hoivard. — On some Diseases of the 
Thus the ‘ rind ’ disease of the West Indies and the ‘ Red 
Smut 5 of Java are identical. This conclusion was strength- 
ened by the examination of specimens of sugar-cane, said 
to be attacked by c rind ’ disease, from other parts of the West 
Indies and Surinam. In all cases the characters of the disease 
were identical with those given above, and most of the 
specimens showed both Melanconium and Colletotrichum. 
Further, careful examination of many of the cane-fields of 
St. Vincent in January, 1902, where the Bourbon is almost 
exclusively cultivated and where the ‘ rind ’ disease makes 
its appearance every year in December, showed that the 
disease was identical with ‘ Red Smut ’ and that the fungus 
Colletotrichum falcatum was present. 
The fungus appears to be widely distributed. In addition 
to the West Indies it occurs in Java, Madras ( 19 ), and also in 
Queensland (20). 
The remedies suggested by Went ( 13 ) for the treatment 
of this disease in Java would seem to apply to the circum- 
stances of the West Indies. 
Since Melanconium always appears on canes attacked by 
the ‘ rind ’ disease it seemed probable that it must infect the 
canes after they are diseased. Accordingly the effect of this 
fungus on a part of a sugar-cane attacked by Colletotrichum 
was compared with its effect on the still healthy portion. 
The results were as follows : — 
1. Two canes which had been inoculated on December 4 
with spores of Colletotrichum, and which showed from the 
outside that infection had taken place, were reinoculated on 
December 21 at the affected region and also near the base, 
in the still healthy tissue, with spores of Melanconium from 
a pure culture. On January 23, it was found that at the 
upper part numerous stromata of Melanconium had developed, 
but at the base infection had not taken place. 
2. On December 19, three canes, which had been inoculated 
at the upper parts with spores of Colletotrichum nine days 
previously, were reinoculated with Melanconium spores from 
a pure culture. A second inoculation with these spores was 
