

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



3eptj mb] b 25, 1915. 



manurial experim ■ these do institute 



the purely physiological investigation which we 



o urgently necessary. As a matter ! 

 familiarity | irements 



uudi tndil ions is in ci ssar) i ' holog) 



and artificial nutrition can be rationally considered; 

 and ii has oft □ been the casi thai ipp -I enl imolo- 

 al or mycological troublea have been resolved 

 ultimately to a purel) ph) al basis. 



The cotton coc it and rubber plan i have been 



instanced as cases in which the individual is being 

 carefully d. There are many tn pical economic 



plants which have 1 n, and ai irefully neglect 



The sugar cane is an example. It is a remarkable 

 facl thai whereas a whole army of investigators are 

 engaged in the stud) oi manufacture, ii is not 



possible to mention a single nami i • ted with the 

 systematic stud) of the cane plain s physiology. There 

 can be no question bul thai there remains i greal deal 

 to be understood concerning this plant. The reasons 

 for its remarkable synthesizing powers are quite 

 unknown, nor lias anyone attempted to show why ii is 

 that one variety ran produce iflore sugar than another. 

 The morphological development of the cane plant has 

 not been workedoul accurately, in spite of the facl that 

 its growth is extremely symmetrical, thereby indicating 

 the existence of very definite correlations. Similar 

 remarks apply to cacao, limes and coffee. Great 

 individuality is known to exist amongst cacao 

 trees, and recently this has been taken into account 

 in the conducl of manurial experiments. A group 

 pf trees selected l>\ mere inspection to serve as 



a control plot ma) contain a preponderance of low 

 yielding trees, whereas another group similarly selected 

 bv sight and at random for manurial treatment ma) 

 include a preponderance of high yielders. The erron- 

 eous conclusions resulting from such an experiment 

 can well be imagined. We are beginning to realize 

 that in manurial experiments we must start with 

 the individual of known habits just as we must 

 .start with the individual of known parentage in the 

 case of genel ics. 



While referring to the ease of the sugar-cane, 

 mention was made of the large amount of attention 

 that has licen given to tic manufacture of sugar in the 

 factory, compared with that given to the plant in the 

 field. This state of affairs is very general, and is to be 

 seen both in the case of cacao and of limes, It is ver) 

 ^striking in the case of limes. Great progress has been 

 made in regard to the manufacture of the various pro- 

 ducts, hut the lime plant remains where it was. The crux 

 of the matter lies in what those who have to pa) for 



investigations think mosl useful. Certainl) an analysis 

 ot a plant's individualit) is tiol likely to lead to i direct 

 gain such i plant a dose of pen manure 



bul it will be the means of pn venting far greater 

 losses through ii rational treal ment. 



We have indicated in the foregoing that the 

 plainer must knew his plant, and the extenl to 

 which he understands it. from the biological stand- 

 point of course, will depend largely upon the wbrk 

 of the physiologist. This is inadequate in regard 

 to the sugar-cane especially, and ii mighl be more 



l if a part of the large sums of money, now 

 spenl on manurial experiments, wer< i cpended in the 

 direction of enquiring into the inner working of the 

 organism itself. 



SUGAR INDUSTRY. 



TECHNICAL CONTROL FOR NATAL. 

 An important project fot the benefit of the Natal sugai 

 industry was outlined at the annual meeting ol the Natal 

 - . ciation held recently at Durban. It was to the 



effect that a special branch of instruction should lie started 

 at the Durban Technical Institute for teaching the science of 

 sugar cultivation and manufacture, and thai chairs of Entom- 

 ology, Bacteriology; and Chemistry should be founded, 

 towards the cost of which the sugar industry should be asked 

 to contribute two thirds. A contribution of \d. per cent, per 

 month from both cane growers and mills on their output 

 would, it was estimated, produce an annual income of about 

 £3,750, which sum would not only be sufficient to defraj the 

 expenses of the special instruction referred to above, but also 

 the cost of a cane-grpwing Experimental Station under the 

 control of the industry. 



This project, if carried out, should prove an inestimable 

 boon to the Natal sugar industrj ; the latter, though progres 

 sive in man) ways, is admittedly rather backward as regards 

 scientific control and co-operation. Technical assistants have 

 at present to be procured from overseas, involving consider- 

 able delay when a vacancv has CO be tilled. Any plan which 

 would obviate this and enable the Natalians to acquire the 

 necessary scientific training within their own territory, would 

 obviously result in a larger and more settled supply of trained 

 labour ; for it is obvious that staffs introduced from Europe 

 or from other cane sugar countries are not SO prone to settle 

 down and stay at a post in a foreign country as the native 

 settler is likely to be. And the presence Of three men in the 

 midst of the industry, each an expert in his particular line, 

 would offer the sugar interest- facilities for investigation on 

 scientific lines which could not but redound to the benefit of 

 the industry as a whole, and might conceivably be the means 

 of preventing; or at all events promptl) scotching, some epi- 

 demic or other form of catastrophe which sooner or later 

 visit* ever) sugar growing country. The cane breeding station 

 ought to be a particularly opportune addition to the resources 

 of the planters ; for Natal has so far pinned its faith to but 

 one variety, the 1'ba, and were this one to deteriorate sud- 

 denly through disease or sterility, the pi. inters might be faced 

 with the prospect of a most serious sel back. So far good 

 fortune hail aided them, but it would not be safe to assume 

 that this would continue for ever. So the proposals to find 

 the wherewithal to start a cane experiment station come none 

 too soon i T!,, International Sugar J- urnal, August L915.} 



