6 i6 7 his el ton-Dyer .— On the Sugar-cane Disease . 
the end of twenty days developed the Melanconium- stage of 
Trichosphaeria . This and the result of other experiments is 
still open to independent confirmation. But the practical 
result was of considerable importance. The sugar-cane is 
propagated by planting ‘ tops.’ It cannot be doubted that 
these were often infested with the mycelium of the ‘ rind 
fungus/ Under these circumstances they failed to develop 
a healthy cane but, as is believed, exhibited the symptoms of 
* root disease/ According to Massee’s view (Kew Bulletin, 1894, 
p. 177): { The new canes and their rootlets are attacked by 
the Colletotrichum , which, from the evidence at hand, appears 
to be nothing more than a condition of the Trichosphaeria , 
modified by being more or less buried in the ground/ 
Using this as a working theory, the advice was given to 
take great precautions to avoid planting ‘ tops * which were 
possibly infected by rind disease. When followed, the result 
was ‘a marked improvement/ (Kew Bulletin, 1895, p. 88.) 
Went (he., p. 581) gives the disease produced by Colleto¬ 
trichum falcatum , the name ‘ Red Smut/ apparently having 
regard to the red discolouration exhibited by the interior of 
the affected canes. But the development of a red colour, 
especially in the neighbourhood of the fibro-vascular bundles, 
is probably not characteristic of the Colletotrichum but may 
be found in any diseased cane, whatever the cause of the 
disease. 
