THE AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. 



259 



New Sugar Canes. 



A FURTHER consignment of cuttings 

 of new sugar cniies has recently been 

 received from the Imperial Pepartment 

 of Agriculture for the West Indies. These 

 were sent from Antigua in exchange for 

 some cuttings supplied to that Island by 

 this Department last year. They have 

 now been handed over to the "inanda 

 Farmers' Association for propagation 

 under similar conditions to those canes 

 introduced from other parts some months 

 l)ack. The following roport, furnished by 

 Mr. Alexander Fardy to the Government 

 Entomologist, upon the arrival and condi- 

 tion of the canes will be of interest to 

 sugar planters. Mr. Pardy reports : — 



" I have to inform you of the arrival at 

 Verulam on 26th June of the canes sent 

 by the Imperial Department of Agricul- 

 ture, Antigua, West Indies. This impor- 

 tation, as far as the condition of the cane- 

 cuttings is concerned, has been most 

 successful. All were 'tops.' They were 

 forwarded in a Wardian case, and planted 

 in what appeared to be sand and mould, 

 with which shell-lime had been mi ted. 

 The butts of the cuttings extending into 

 the soil were decayed in the majority of 

 cases, but the upper parts were quite 

 healthy, with perfect eyes, and giving 

 promise of good plants. Upon close in- 

 spection, unfortunately, n:any were found 

 to contain a ' borei',' and were also infes- 

 ted with mealy bug (Dactylopius spj. 

 Acting in accordance with your wire, all 

 those showing signs of the " borer " were 

 desti'oyed by tire, together with the case 

 in Mdiich they came, and only clean cut- 

 tings, fr^m which the mealy bug was re- 

 moved, were retained and handed over 

 for planting. 



" The contents of the case consisted of 

 over 100 cane-cuttings of three varieties, 

 viz., D95, B109, and Naga B. Unfortun- 

 ately oyer 50 per cent, had to be rejected, 

 owing either to fbe pi-esence of the borer 

 or to the rotting of a number of the canes, 

 particularly D'.)."), which, in one corner of 

 the box, had become quite useless for 

 planting, probably through some mis- 

 adventure during the voyiige. Altogether 

 eighty-five cuttings, viz., 25 of D'.)5, 10 of 

 BlOl), and 50 of Naga B, were selected for 

 propagation. 

 " The canes were handed over to Mr, H. 



W. James in the presence of Messrs. L. 

 Acutt and J. Polkinghorne. 



" The case was dispatched from Antigua 

 on Sth May, and arrived per S.S. Kin fauns 

 Castle about June 22Qd. It arrived at 

 Verulam on 27th June, and the canes were 

 handed over for planting on the 28th ; 

 altogether 51 days elapsed between the 

 date of consignment and planting. 



" The whole of the cuttings were ' tops,' 

 and unsealed at either end. The good 

 condition in which they were received 

 bears out the previous experience that 

 ' tops ' carry better than ordinary 

 cuttings when subject to this method of 

 packing. A number had commenced to 

 throw out roots, but none were firmly 

 set. This time of the year is rather un- 

 favourable for planting, but a piece of 

 sheltered ground has been selected, and 

 and they will be watered if necessary." 



With reference to the " borers" observed 

 by Mr. Pardy, the Entomologist furnishes 

 the following remarks :—" The 'borer' 

 referred to by Mr. Pardy, is the larva of 

 a moth, and after examination I take it to 

 be that of the sugar cane moth borer of 

 the West Indies, Diatrcea sac:haralis, 

 Fabr. The discovery of this insect serves 

 to illustrate most forcibly the great neces- 

 sity there is for the examination of all 

 introduced plants - to which exception has 

 recently been taken with regard to the 

 importation of American fruit trees. 



" This sugar cane borer does not occur in 

 Natal, so far as my enquiries and examin- 

 ations show, and it is very necessary that 

 it should be kept out, not only because it 

 attacks all sugar canes, but also because, 

 like the mealie grub, it feeds upon 

 mealies, imfi, and mabele." 



A few scientists have ventured to deny the 

 spontaneous combustion of hay. Farmers who 

 have lost barns from conflagrations which could 

 be traced to no other source were firm enough 

 in their belief that an ounce of such fact was 

 worth a pound of scientific theory which held 

 that heai could not be raised to the point of 

 combustion in the haymow. 'I he question has 

 been investigated recenty by an official of the 

 United States Weather bureau, who found that 

 fermentition with moist hay may raise the 

 temperature to 374 deg. Fahrenheit, at which 

 high temperature clover hay will ignite. The 

 mooted point may, therefore, be accepted as 

 settled from a scientific point of view. 



