xxvi. Timehri. 



tion Vriesland and it was in this nursery that they had the credit of 

 first recognising the suitability of the new widely planted variety D 625 

 for soils in which the Bourbon and similar varieties fail to yield satis- 

 factory crops. 



This change in the varieties of sugar-cane planted has been due to 

 several causes but the main one which forced the hands of even such 

 staunchly conservative planters as the late E. G. Duncan was the steady 

 and almost universal spread of fungoid disease among the older varieties. 



The first appearance of these diseases in a serious form was in 1894 

 when strange to say they were first noticed in a large batch of seedling 

 canes at the Botanic Gardens. Almost simultaneously outbreaks were 

 reported from several widely separated districts in the colony. The 

 planters followed every suggestion which was made by the Kew 

 authorities as well as adopting the precautions which were being tried in 

 the West Indian Islands. This action was followed at first with much 

 success and in the early part of 1897 the rind-fungus and root diseases 

 appeared to have been brought under control. But the immediately 

 succeeding years proved this to be erroneous and these diseases gradually 

 spread to almost every plantation in the colony, working havoc among 

 the Bourbon canes. The spread of disease was greatly accelerated and 

 its evil effects accentuated by the disastrous droughts of 1898, and 1899. 



The exports of sugar fell off in round figures from 107,000 tons in 

 1896 to 100,800 in 1897, 96,600 in 1898, 84,800 in 1899 and 94,700 in 

 1900. The more favourable seasons of 1901, 1902, and 1903 were 

 accompanied by a steady decrease of the damage done by disease and the 

 export increased to 105,700 120,100 and 125,900 tons respectively. 

 During these years the rind-fungus disease was increasing the area of its 

 devastation, although it was not as virulent or destructive as it had 

 been from 1897 to 1900. 



The planters finding that every cultural method tried during this per- 

 iod had failed to check the spread of the disease, had resource to planting 

 new varieties, firstly, the White Transparent obtained from Barbados, 

 and later, as this cane gradually but surely succumbed to the attacks of 

 root-fungus whilst its unsuitability as ;i ratooning cane on heavy clay soils 

 became very marked, new seedling varieties produced in this colony and 

 in Barbados. 



The ravages of the root-fungus disease were noticeable during 

 these years. Its earliest serious outbreak was on Windsor Forest in 

 1894-1895 but this was brought under control by the late R. G. Duncan 

 placing the laud which was infected under water and keeping it flooded 

 for some months. The excellent results which followed on this gave a 

 great impetus to placing old cane-lands under water as an ameliorant of 

 their unsatisfactory condition. 



In 1905 very extensive and virulent outbreaks of rind-fungus, 

 again occurred, the most virulent being in the county of Essequebo 



