588 Went. — Notes on Sugar-cane Diseases. 
soon over the canes that are still sound. It will be very 
difficult to combat the disease in any other way ; it is im- 
possible of course to remove and destroy the diseased canes, 
for we cannot tell by the outward appearance if canes are 
attacked by Colletotrichum falcatum. But of course every- 
thing may be done to preserve the cane from injury, more 
especially by borers. 
As already stated, the disease was first detected in 1 892 at 
the Tjomal estate ; from thence it is spreading gradually over 
more estates, especially those situated to the west of Tjomal. 
Now it is very interesting that the fungus exists in other 
parts of Java, in those too where the disease is yet unknown. 
There Colletotrichum falcatum is a simple saprophyte on dead 
cane-leaves. Hence it seems that there are special circum- 
stances which induce this saprophyte to become a wound- 
parasite. 
The fungus has also been found outside of Java. Massee 1 
attributes to it the so-called root-disease in the West Indies, 
but gives no evidence whatever for his opinion. I received 
the fungus from the West Indies, so I could identify it with 
Colletotrichum falcatum from Java; and according to my 
experience about the fungus and the disease it causes at Java 
(not only in the purple Java cane but in other varieties such 
as Louzier too) I think it extremely improbable that the 
so-called root-disease — a disease which looks very much like 
the £ sereh ’ in Java — is caused by Colletotrichum falcatum. 
As this fungus is generally a saprophyte, its mere presence 
on diseased canes is no evidence for its being the cause of 
the disease. 
In conclusion, I may add that I have cultivated Colleto- 
trichum falcatum on very different nutrient solutions for 
several years — since 1892 ; that I have searched for other forms 
of this fungus on diseased canes, but have never got any- 
thing but conidia and chlamydospores. Only in two cultures 
on agar-agar with cane-juice and \°/ o peptone did I get 
1 Bulletin of Miscellaneous Information, Royal Gardens, Kew, 1893, p. 347. 
