TSI AGRICULTURAL NEWS 



MBEK 30, 1918. 



PUNT DISEASES. 



A NEW COFFEE DISEASE IN SURINAM. 

 l»r. GeraW .Stahei, in -!/<//. rn/i //<■/ Dchorl- via (ten 

 jM'iiH-oinr in Sur/\w>ic, No. 1.3, describes an affection of 

 Liberian cr.ffee tinder the name of the Sclerotium iJisease. 

 It was l.vieHy noticed by Kuypor, in lUiihiin jf of the same 

 JUDortincDt.' a.t the L'on-mimii di.^ease, but since that time 

 li«s u.^miieil a greater importance. 



On n-.ature leaves the fungus produces brown, dead spot-, 

 with distinctly marked concentric ring.s In continuou.'ily 

 humid weather these may expand over the entire leaf. The 

 under.side of the spots bears wMte, spiny outgrowths, 

 •_'-4 nim. long, which do not bear spores, but are easily 

 broken ortaod carried by the wind to 0ther cotiee trees, on 

 which tht-y serve to originate new infestations. 



The ripenir.g fruits are .sinnlarly attacked, with the pro- 

 duction of concentric zoned spots, and when dead they are 

 entirely covered witli the white spines. On both leaves and 

 berries while still , on the tree, there maybe developed (in 

 damp weather! brown or orange-brown sclerotia, and these 

 occur in profusion on the fallen berries. In very daiiip 

 ■weatlier a feathery rayceliura is produ"ed on the material 

 lying on .he -ground. 



Where a cluster of fruit is involved a.s a whole, the 

 fungus may invade the cushion, and thus inhibit further pro 



ductioi!. 



The disease ceases to extend with tlic onset ol thfe dry 

 season It is supposed that it is again renewed from the 

 .'^elerotia, but in what manner remain.s as yet unknown. 

 Sporc-forination oi any kind has not been observed, but from 

 the presence of clamp connexions in the hyphae. the fungus 

 j« believed to be a C.asidioniyccte. 



Apparently good results have followed the use of I'.or- 

 dtaux mixture agaiM.sl the disea-e. The disease i.s at present 

 ronlioed to plantations along the iSurinam Kiver, and is 

 thfwcially severe on an estate on the upper river. It has not 

 >.een dotected. in tlie field, on ilohusta, I'ganda, or Surinam 

 coflfee. though infections were secured by artificial means. 

 j\bfoknta and I '.xcel.ia arc very susceptible 



\Y. N. 



ALCOHOL PRODUCTION. 



From time to time, and very much more so recently, 

 .vnggesltd additional sources of alcohol have been discussed 

 and ex(M;rJmenU'a with, and up to the [.resent the most prom 

 ising new raw materials for termcntatiou spirit arc ai.parently 

 wood want, which is used on a. ."'nail commercial .scale in 

 America l^C'/r"^''"'"'' ■■^' ''"• V"^'!- XVll. Nr.. 429, p. :il:'.). 

 and certain tropical plants rich in ia,rboliydrates. True syn- 

 thetic alcohol is also being niade in Switzerland from 

 calcium carbide fin acetylene The Pcrfiuiury mnl Kwnlml 

 Oil A'u-.'r.i, October 191 S, now discufses the subject from 

 the .ttHiidpoint of increasing the production of fermentation 

 Hj)irit. After htat^ing the csstntiaU ne<«R.iary for making 

 carbide alcohol, uamtl} , cheap |K.wer such an is provided by 

 v-Hierfrtll.', and amph- cupplii = of w.il and limestone, atten- 

 »i(..ii is ilireitcd tc »hut in considiTeil to be really of more 



immediate importance, that is. the breaking of fresh around 

 for fermentation spirit. It is mentioned that the chief 

 sources of the KiTropean spirit have hitherto been three, 

 (ireat Britain has depended on ^rain, and Germany on 

 potatoes, while in certain wine-prowing countries such as 

 Italy, }'ears of abundant vintage have yielded alcohol at a 

 low rate from surplus wine All these, however, trench on 

 the food snpply. and what is now sought is primarily material 

 which is not wanted for human consumption. The Imperial 

 ( lovernment is taking the matter up seriously, and a com- 

 mittee has been appointed to investigate the available sources 

 of supply (with particular reference to manufacture from 

 materials other than those which can be u.sed for food pur- 

 poses), the method and cost of such manufacture, and the 

 manner in which alcoh^J should be used for power purposes. 

 The whole question, it is pointed out, is one of prime 

 moment to the perfumery trade. 



Sir T. E. Thorpe, -writing to I'lic Tnius of October 16 

 concerning the appointment of the Committee referred to 

 above, remarks that, no doubt, the main object of the 

 enc|uiry will be to determine methods of producing cheap 

 alcohol for use as fuel, particularly mot()r fuel. He recalls 

 the fact that the question had been already dealt with bv a 

 Departmental (.Committee. It Avas admittedly surrounded 

 with dilliculties — economical, fiscal, and mechanical —.somt 

 of ■vthich have ;)0ssibly been overcome. -\s for the fiscal 

 objections, these, .Sir Kdward states, will have to be met, il 

 it is satisfactorily established that, alcohol can be economi- 

 cally used for power purposes. Under the changed condi- 

 tions due to the War, and owing to the great im-rease in 

 knowledge and experience, it is undoubtedly lime that the 

 problem should be otlicially reconsidered. Many projects 

 have been i)ublished from time to time for the production of 

 ordinary alcohol from non-alimentary materials, and there is 

 a large amount of patent literatnre on the subject. The 

 greater number of these suggestions may be classified under 

 two heads. They depend either on the produftion of fer- 

 mentable substances capable of forming ethyl alcohol, or on 

 the synthetic formation of coni[iounds which may be made 

 to yield this alcohol by purely cheiuical means. 



.Sir I'^dward gors on to sny that, in the fir.st class is 

 the production of ah ohol from marine algae. It has been 

 shown that such seiwecds as J.itiniiKiiin iligi/tif,^. /.. s/mo- 

 phylla, and /,. saccliarina, the common wracks or tangle, 

 and the various l^iui. the black and bladder wracks, all of 

 which are abundant on the British shores, and .some tf which 

 were formerly of importance .as .sources of alkali and iodine, 

 mny be made to yield considerable quantities of alcohol by 

 ai>propriate treatment. Thus it lias been stated that li«> lb. 

 ol red wrack, dried to a moisture content of 10 per cent;, 

 when heated for a short time with weal; sulphuric acid and 

 the acidity still further reduced alter cooling, may be fer- 

 mented with brewers yeast, and is then capable of yielding 

 about (■) litres of alcohol on distillati(m. It is alleged that 

 under industrial conditions this amount may be increased. 



If these statements can be verified, continued .Sir i-idward 

 Thorpe, we have in our seaweeds a ready and chea]! source 

 of alcohol, and the possibility of employment to a poor popu- 

 lation whose means of livelihofn;! were greatly im[>overished 

 by the loss to them of the kelp industry. The mode of 

 collection and preliminary treatment of seaweed for use in 

 the chemical arts were largely workeil out by the late 

 Mr. K. C t;. Stanford many years ago, and are applicable 

 to the present suggested employment. In addition, we have 

 the experience of America; the collection and utilization of 

 the giant weed? of tU«? Pacific coast is nciw an established 

 industrv 



