Vol. Vrr. Xo. 15S. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



155 



SUGAR-CANE DISEASE AT ANTIGUA. 



Mr. F. A. .Stoekdale, B.A.,F.L.S., Mycologist on the 

 staff of the ImpeiialD ejmrtment ofiAgriculture, visited 

 Antigua from April 12 to 18 to enquire into the fungus 

 diseases of plants in that island. 'J"'he following extract 

 dealing with root fungus of the sug;lr-c.inc ( J/-(/'((.s;/U((.s 

 Sacchari) in Antigua, is taken from Mi-. Stockdale's 

 report on his visit: — ' 



The niut fuiigu.s (Hsea.se of sugar-cane wa.s the disease tn 

 which chief attention was given during [this visit to Antigua. 

 This disease is wide-spread, and undoubtedly )ias been'the 

 cause of some of the small yields of cane obtained from 

 .several fields in the island. In simie cases its effect was the 

 more marked, and owing to various co^lditions, over .some of 

 which the planters may have had no control, certain individ- 

 ual fields had suffered considerably. The presence of the 

 disease was known to the planters, all of whom seemed ready 

 to apply such remedial measures as could be suggested, and 

 to carry out experiments that would be of value in increasing 

 knowdedge as to the effects of the fungus <in the canes under 

 varying conditions and as to various methods of control. 



By the e.xanunation of the trucks of canes as they came 

 to the mill at (luntlior[ies factory, it was observed that the 

 distribution of the fungus might be .suppo.sed to be general. 

 The fight between ho.st and parasite is so evenly matched 

 that but a small disturbance in the external conditions mav 

 very easily lead to the one or the other getting the upper 

 liand, and therefore it is to be strongly urged that the 

 attention of the ])lanters should be e.specially directed towards 

 doing everything that may possibly assist the .sugar-cane in 

 its fight with the fungus. Dr. Watts has made a careful 

 survey of the island, and has informed planters of the life- 

 history of the fungus and its remedial treatment. With 

 a view, however, of showing the planters that the Imperial 

 Department of Agriculture is desirous of a.s.sisting in every 

 way i)0ssible, I would suggest that a series of experiment's 

 wdth diffei-ent remedial measures for root fungus disease 

 of sugar-cane should be organized at an early date. I would 

 also ventui'e to suggest that separate reports might be sent 

 to the managers or attorneys of the estates that I visited, 

 dealing directly with the problems on their estates. 



For the treatment of the root fungus disease of sugar- 

 cane at Antigua, I would suggest that all estates .should make 

 it a general practice to throw out of cultivation one or two 

 of their worst fields every year, with the view of planting 

 rotation crops. If the fields are badly disea.sed it might be 

 advisable that all the old diseased stumps should lie dug out 

 and burned before the fields are jiut into cultivation. 1 have 

 seen no ca.se, during this visit to Antigua, of fields so badlj- 

 diseased as to warrant the burning of the trash ; but trash 

 from diseased fields should not be put into pens for manure. 

 If the throwing out of one or two l3adly diseased fields every 

 year were generally adopted on the estates, it would be 

 rendered imperative that the trash shoiild be burned in (U'der 

 to allow of thorough cultivation for the rotation crops, and 

 I would suggest for the consideration of Dr. Watts that 

 experiments in this direction might be commenced. The 

 humus problem is an iinjjortant one in regard to the Antigua 

 sugar-cane soils, and therefore it would .serve a useful i>urpose 

 if definite information could be gained as to how often trasli 

 may be burned off without causing any serious effect upon 

 the condition of the .s(jils. This matter was brought up for 

 discussion by Dr. Watts, and I think that carefully planned 

 experiments in this direction might be tried in certain 

 districts of the island. The u.se of lime as a fungicide .should 

 receive careful consideration, for it is possible that lime may 



play an important part in the control of this fungus disease. 

 The maximum ijuantity of lime that the land will stand 

 without danger to the various\nitrification changes couM be 

 recommended. ^' 



1)1 the choice of rotation crops, cotton might be included 

 and also, periiaps, various forms of green dressings. 

 Sweet potatos, in view of their being liable to be attacked 

 by what would appear to be the root fungus of sugar-cane, 

 should be watched and .should only be recommended with 

 caution. Near relations of the sugar-cane, such as maize, 

 Guinea corn, etc., also should -receive careful attention if they 

 are u.sed as lotation crojis, for if they are found to be affected 

 they could not serve their purjwse as rotation. Guinea corn 

 I have not known to become affecteil, but, in view of what 

 was noticed with Indian corn (maize) during this vi.sit tf) 

 Antigua, I should be inclined to view this plant with 

 suspicion. The evidences are not sufhcient to condemn this 

 crop for rotation purposes as being liable to be attacked by 

 the root fungus of sugir-cane. but I should recommend that 

 it be carefully watched. 



RICE CULTIVATION. 



An article under the above heading appeared in the 

 Aifriridtural JV<;w.^ (Vol. V, p. 411) giving an account 

 of experiments carried out in Ceylon, the results of 

 which clearly indicated the great advantage to the 

 rice grower of sowing his seed in a seed-bed, and after- 

 wards transplanting the seedlings to the field. Experi- 

 ments in rice cultivation have also been lately carried 

 out at the Raipur Government Farm, Central Provinces, 

 and the results are also in favour of transplanting the 

 seedlings as opposed to sowing broadcast in the field. 

 The following notes on the Raipur experiments are 

 taken from the A<irl<'u.ltvval Gazette of the Central 

 Provinces, for August 1907 : — 



These experiments were carried out in .series A and 

 J!, A being irrigated and B unirrigated. Both .series of 

 plots were uniformly manured with cattle-dung, estimated to 

 contain nitrogen at the rate of 20 ft), per acre. The plots 

 were each -j^j acre in area. 



The transplanting plot has done liest every year, and 

 has yielded a net jjrofit that is dcaible that of the second 

 best jilot. It is often stated Ijy cultivators wdio have never tried 

 transplanting that the system is suitablefor irrigated i)addyoniy, 

 and that even then it is not profitable on account of the adili- 

 tional cost of labour involved. The results of this series of 

 experiments prove that lioth the.se statements are doubtful, for 

 the plots were not irrigated, and in calculating the profits 

 derived from them, the cost of cultivation has been deducted 

 in each case. Tran.splanted rice grown under irrigation gives 

 a still higher profit, despite the fact that the cost of cultiva- 

 tion in this case is still increased by a water rate of I'll rupees 

 per acre. With the exception of broadcasting, transplanting 

 is the cheapest of all the methods experimented with, as it 

 reduces the weeding charges very considerably. The weeds 

 are so thoroughly eradicated by the ploughing given to the 

 plot before trans])lanting that after-weeding is .seldom neces- 

 sary. The extra cost ot transplanting is much less than the 

 e.xtra co.st ot weeding entailed by other methods of cultivation. 

 A most important factor in the cost of cultivation is that, 

 whilst broadcast sowing rei|uires about 80 to 100 ft), of .seed 

 per acre, transplanting rei|uires only 20 to 30 ft), of seed for 

 the same area. 



