397 
Sugar-Cane in the West Indies. 
after rain, were found on other canes not attacked by root 
disease. In such cases the rind of the cane below the inter- 
node was bright red in colour, partly disintegrated and 
invaded by a mycelium identical with that attached to the 
sclerotia. The characters of these sclerotia and of their 
mycelium and the appearance of the affected canes were 
found to agree in all respects with Went’s ‘red-rot’ disease 
in Java ( 14 ). 
The occurrence, therefore, of the sclerotia and of Cercospora 
vaginae on the leaf-sheaths of the diseased canes is accidental. 
It is, however, a good example of the simultaneous existence 
of two or more parasites on the same cane — a frequent circum- 
stance in the cane-fields of the West Indies. 
The toadstools noted on the diseased canes are yellowish- 
white in colour, the pileus varying in diameter from 10 to 
1 8 mm. ; the curved stipe being about equal in length to the 
diameter of the cap (Fig. , 9). As these fructifications reach 
maturity, the pileus becomes flattened, and in some cases 
depressed to such an extent that the toadstool has the shape 
of a wine-glass, the gills being on the outside of the cup. 
The lamellae run right up to the centrally-disposed stalk, 
but are not attached thereto. They are arranged in a stellate 
manner and may branch once or twice towards the margin 
of the pileus. The spores are milky white in the mass, 
irregular in shape with one end somewhat elongated. They 
arise from the basidia in the usual manner, measure 15-5 to 
18 by 4-5 to 5 \ a, and, when fresh, contain vacuolated proto- 
plasm and oil-drops. The toadstools dry up quickly and 
become tough, but they revive when moistened. These 
characters indicate that this form belongs to Fries’ genus 
Marasmius^ which, according to Saccardo, includes 450 species, 
mostly saprophytes of the tropics and sub-tropics. 
It appeared probable that there was a genetic connexion 
between these toadstools and the white mycelium with clamp- 
connexions found on the old leaf-sheaths, in the aborted roots 
and in the reddish-coloured portion of the still living leaf- 
sheaths. Further, there appeared to be some likelihood that 
