ToL. I. No. 1. 



THE ACntlCrLTURAL NEWS. 



vast nninlx'vs of seedlings in the hope that by some 

 fortuitous chance one or more may turn out t)f vahie. 



I visited the counties of Essequiho and Berbice 

 during the period under review and examined the very 

 extensive series of e.xperiments being carried on h\ the 

 IS'ew Colonial Company on their estates in these coun- 

 ties in conjunction with ours at the Gardens. I have 

 also visited Plantations Diamond, Windsor Fore.st, an<l 

 some others in Demerara, examining the experiments 

 being carried on and giving any advice and assistance 

 in my power to the managers and others controlling 

 them". Mr. Ward visited other estates and rendered 

 valual)le aid in this branch of wt)i-k 



It has been arranged by the Board of Agriculture 

 that in future years the officers in charge of these 

 experiments shall be advised and assisted by a sub- 

 conniiittee appointed by the Board, among the members 

 of which will be certain of the most expei-ienced 

 planters in the Colony and the leading technical 

 experts ; the actual executive control remaining in the 

 hands of the official or officials at present directing 

 them. 'i'his arrangement will in my opinion tend 

 materially towards the practical success of the Experi- 

 ments, and by its combination of ])ractical ex])ert 

 knowledge and experience with scientific skill should 

 increase the confidence of the planters of the Colony in 

 the reliability of any results published as obtained in 

 the experiments conducted in British tJuiana. 



Plot. 



ROOT DISEASE OF SUGAR-CANE. 



Canes attacked by the common root disease of the 

 sugar-cane in the West Indies are familiar to the 

 planters. Such diseased stools are distinguished by 

 the fact that instead of forming cane the shoots con- 

 tinually- bud from below gi\ing rise to a dense tuft of 

 <lwarfed canes. Such canes on examination are seen 

 to be covered at the base with a white, musty smelling, 

 fungus growth which causes the lower leaves to adhere 

 firmly to the stem of the cane. This fungus growth 

 belongs to a common toadstool — a species of Afariis- 

 ')nias — which may be seen in large numbei's on the 

 base of the shoots in wet weather. The fungus attacks 

 the cane in Java as well as in the West Indies. 



In consequence of the economic importance of this 

 root-disease attempts have been made to find a direct 

 remedy for this disease, that is to say, to find some 

 means of arresting the flisease when it has once shown 

 itself. An experiment was made on October 17. 1001, 

 in which four plots of 100 holes each of fiist crdji 

 canes attacked by the disease were treated as follows: — • 



(1). Canes stripped, sprayed at the base with Bor- 

 deaux mixture and then mouUled uj). 



(2). Canes stripped, sjirayed at the l)ase with Bor- 

 deaux mixture, limed at the rate of one (juart of air- 

 slacked lime ])er stool and then mouldi'd u]i. 



(3). Canes stripped, limed as in (2) and then 

 moulded up. 



(4). Control plot — untreated. This was a better 

 l>\nt than any of the above. 



The canes were cut and weighed on February 

 27, 1902 and the following results were obtained. 



117. of Wf. of r,, ., 



HouAid viini'.-i rotten canex. 



(1). 1092 72 11G4 



(2). HOG 20 1120 



(;?>. 1411 34 1445 



(4). (Control) 2132 6.5 2197 



The result shows that the treatment is not likely 

 to be of any practicable use. The figures are of interest 

 however, as showing that in the wh(jle ]jlot of one-third 

 of an acre the tonnage of canes was at the rate of only 

 eight tons per acre. Thi^ importance of the disease is 

 evident. The indirect methods applicable to the disease 

 are based on the idea of starving the fungus by depriv- 

 ing it of suitable food. Fields attacked by the disease 

 sh( luld l)e first of all isolated by a trench from the rest 

 of the estate so as to prevent the fungus spreading 

 under ground. After rea[)ing the stumps should be 

 dug up and burnt along with the trash remaining on 

 the field. After thoroughly ploughing up the field 

 some rotation cro]) shoidd he planted after which the 

 field could be again jilaced under canes. 



In connection with these indirect methods of 

 dealing with the disease an examination of sweet j)ota- 

 tos fi-cjui a cane field attacked by the root-disease of 

 the sugar-cane is of interest. It was noted by one of 

 the planters that where a hole of sweet j)otatos 

 occurred near an old cane stump, the potatos became 

 co\'ered with a white fungus gnjwth. Examination 

 of these specimens showed that the fungus on the 

 pi:)tatos is pi\)b(d>ly the mime as that which attacks 

 the cane. Evidently, therefore, when a diseased field is 

 thrown out of cane cultivation the olfl stumps should be 

 carefidly dug up and buiiit before the planting of any 

 rotation crop. 



MOTH BORER IN SUGAR-CANE. * 



Throughout the West Indian islands the sugar- 

 cane crop is now being reaped and the young canes 

 ha\e attained a certain height. This is the best season 

 for fighting the m)th bori'r l>y cutting (jut deadhearts 

 and "collecting the eggs. The work now done, in this 

 way, will produce the greatest result for the least 

 expenditure of time and effort. In Barbados there 

 appears to be no lack of moth borer this season and it 

 is to be hoped another year will not be allowefl to go 

 by without a more determined ettort being made in all 

 sugar growing Colonies in the West Indies to C(juibat 

 this pest wherever present. The insect and the remedies 

 recommended for it have been fully discussed and full 

 information may be found in the We.st Indian Bullc- 

 tin. (Vol. 1. pp. 338-845 and Vol. II. pp. 41-43). 



Egg collecting is the simplest and cheapest 

 remedy and careful work in this direction would 

 ])revent the later occurrence of deadhearts, since it 

 destroys the pest before it can tlo harm. In a dry 

 season such as the present, planters hesitate to cut out 

 many shoots in the young canes but there need be no 



* Diatvcea saccharalis. Fabr. 



