Vol. IV. No. 75. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



55 



SCIENCE NOTES. 



Seed Infection. 



The following note, from Science for February 12, 

 1904, on A fungoid disease of beans is of interest as 

 showing the danger of disseminating diseases by means 

 of infected seed : — 



The bean crop in the vicinity of St. Louis was severely 

 injured this year in many instances by Rhaoctonia sp., 

 which not only attacked the stems and larger roots of the 

 plants, but also produced brown, sunken areas on the surface 

 of the pods, penetrating the latter and discolouring the seeds. 

 An examination of a number of seeds whose surface was 

 discoloured disclosed the fact that the mycelium of the fungus 

 had established itself in the seed -coat and in many 

 instances had formed minute sclerotia there without rotting 

 the seed or even penetrating the cotyledons. Pure cultures 

 of Bhixoctoiiia were easily obtained from a number of 

 mature discoloured beans which had been carefully removed 

 from diseased pods. The presence of the fungus does not 

 prevent the germination of the seed, as was proved by a test. 

 From this it follows that a very common means of dis- 

 seminating Rhixoctonia on the bean is through diseased 

 seed, and that seedsmen should be careful not to send out 

 discoloured beans. 



It is well known that several fungoid diseases are 

 disseminated by spores attached to the seeds of their 

 hosts. The smut and bunt of cereals (wheat, oats, 

 etc.,) are classical e.xamples of this ; these diseases are 

 now dealt with by treating seed for planting with 

 formalin, copper sulphate, corrosive sublimate, or hot 

 water, to kill the fungus spores. ' Seed ' potatos 

 affected with scab are treated with formalin or corrosive 

 sublimate. The cotton seed imported by the Imperial 

 Department of Agriculture from America was treated 

 with corrosive sublimate solution with the object of 

 preventing the introduction of fungus spores that 

 might be attached to the seed. 



A New Sugar Plant. 



Some four years ago, Dr. Bertoni, Director of the 

 Agricultural College at Ascuncion, Paraguay, dis- 

 covered a new sugar-yielding plant, locally known as 

 Cau-ehe (meaning 'sweet herb') whose secret had for 

 a long time been known to, and jealously guarded by, 

 the Indians of that district. Leaves of this plant were 

 forwarded by H. B. M. Consul at Ascuncion to the 

 Royal Gardens, Kew, and a description of the plant 

 was subsequently published in the Kew Bulletin (1901, 

 pp. 173-4). 



At the request of the Imperial Commissioner of 

 Agriculture, H. B. M. Consul at Ascuncion was asked 

 to obtain seeds and leaves of this plant for shipment 

 to Barbados. The following is the Consul's reply, 

 dated November 22, 1904, to the Secretary of State 

 for Foreign Affairs: — 



I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt your 

 Lordship's despatch, No. 6, Commercial, of the 7 th. ultimo, 

 enclosing a despatch from His Majesty's Minister at Rio, 

 relative to the Ewpatorium Rebaiulianum. 



This plant was discovered by Dr. Bertoni near the 

 Brazilian frontier some 250 miles from here and not, as the 



official journal of Rio states, near Ascuncion. Its local 

 Guarani name is Cad-ehe, which means sweet herb. 



On learning of its existence in 1901, I managed with 

 some difficulty to procure and press a specimen which 

 I forwarded to the Director of the Royal Gardens at 

 Kew, and a descrij>tion of the plant was then published in 

 the Kew Bulletin. 



The Cad-ehe is said to grow freely in certain parts of 

 Paraguay and also, I am informed, in the interior of the 

 Brazilian State of Matto Grosso, but owing to the inaccessi- 

 bility of these regions, specimens are not easily obtained. 



I will, however, endeavour to carry out your Lordship's 

 instructions and forward some jiressed leaves and seeds to 

 the Imperial Commissioner of Agriculture at Barbados. 



Alkaloids in Thorn Apple Seeds. 



In connexion with the note in the Agricultural Nen's 

 (Vol. Ill, p. 358) on the thorn apple {Datura Stramonium), 

 it may be of interest to mention that the seeds of this plant 

 have recently been the subject of an investigation in the 

 Scientific and Technical Department of the Imperial Institute, 

 an account of which is given in the Bulletin of the Imperial 

 Institute (Vol. II, no. 4). 



'A sample of Datura Stramonium grown in Egypt was 

 also found to contain hyoscyaniine [the principal alkaloid in 

 the belladona plant and also the henbane (Hyo.tci/amus niffer)'] 

 with only a trace of other alkaloid, and it was therefore 

 desired to ascertain whether the plant obtained from India 

 would give a similar result, and what proportion of alkaloid 

 would be present in this ca.se.' 



The investigation of a sample of seed obtained from 

 India showed that these seeds resembled the Egyptian seeds 

 in the fact that practically the whole of the alkaloid is 

 present as hyoscyamine, but the Indian seeds contained 

 a smaller proportion of alkaloid. 



' The nature of the alkaloid present in the seeds of 

 Datura Stramonium apj^ears, therefore, to be quite constant, 

 whatever the country of origin may be, but whereas the 

 Egyptian seeds were found to contain as much alkaloid as 

 European seeds, the sanqile from India yielded a lower 

 proportion.' 



WATER BUFFALOS. 



The Jamaica Board of Agriculture is endeavouring 

 to obtain information on the subject of Water Buftalos. 

 The following is an extract from the official report of 

 a meeting of the Board on November 15, 1904 : — 



The Secretary read replies to his inquiries regarding the 

 Water Buffalos— (1) from the U. S. Department of Agri- 

 culture, with the information that the water buffalos were 

 not in use in the United States, but were being used in the 

 Hawaiian Islands on account of their value for work in wet 

 and mud, in the cultivation of the rice fields ; (2) front 

 Mr. Meaden, JIanager of the Government Stock Farm, 

 Trinidad, giving particulars as to their use in Trinidad and 

 their cost, and giving reference to the Hon. S. Henderson, 

 Chaquanas, Trinidad, and Mr. L. Bert de Lamarre, Orange 

 Grove, Trinidad, who had herds of buffalos. The Secretary was 

 instructed to write these gentlemen for full information as to 

 these animals and as to whether they could be procured in 

 Trinidad, and their cost. 



It may be mentioned that the Representatives at 

 the recent Agricultural Conference in Trinidad were 

 afforded an opportunit}' of seeing the water buffalos 

 belonging to the Hon. S. Henderson, at Chaquanas, and 

 were much interested in them. 



