a parasitic Fungus on Sugar-Cane and Cacao. 693 
a control. Five days afterwards, about a quarter of the sur- 
face of the infected pod had turned brown, and in eight days 
after infection the whole of the surface was deep brown, and 
there was a considerable development of pycnidia for some 
distance round the point of infection. The protrusion of the 
spores as a greyish ‘ tendril/ visible to the naked eye, from 
the ostiole of the pycnidium, and their gradual darkening 
were beautifully shown on this pod. Near the point of infec- 
tion the spores were visible as a black dust on the surface of 
the pod, and in most cases the ‘ tendrils * had broken down 
into their constituent spores, each showing the transverse 
wall and the dark-brown colouration under the microscope. 
Further away the colour of the spores became lighter and 
‘ tendrils ’ were more numerous. These were composed of 
spores loosely cemented together, in which the transverse 
wall had not yet appeared. The control pod in this experi- 
ment showed no infection. 
(b) The above preliminary experiment was repeated, and 
in this case two nearly ripe pods were infected with mycelium, 
and a third was used as a control. Distinct infection took 
place in three days, while the control gave negative results. 
(c) Next, four half-grown pods were selected for experi- 
ment, in order to determine whether the spread of the Fungus 
is as rapid here as in nearly ripe pods. In each case small 
cavities were made in the rind, and in the first pod ripe spores 
from the infected pod in experiment (a) above were placed 
in the cavity. In the second pod a portion of the rind con- 
taining growing mycelium from the infected pod (a) above 
was introduced, and in the third pod actively growing 
mycelium from a pure culture was used for infection. The 
fourth pod served as a control. Seven days afterwards 
distinct infection was noted in the first pod, the rind having 
turned brown about a quarter of an inch all round the cavity, 
and in the discoloured tissue mycelium was extremely abundant. 
In the second pod infection had proceeded further, about 
ond square inch of the surface being attacked. In the third 
pod about six square inches of the surface was decayed, and 
z z 2 
