December, 1908.] 



539 



Edible Products. 



Remembering the now universally 

 used Jensen hot-water treatment for 

 smut in certain grains, in Avhich the 

 grain is immersed in water at 55 

 degrees, we tried the experiment of 

 planting seed and putting on the hot 

 water afterwards. In oue bed the hot 

 water was put on at 55 degrees, but a 

 half inch below the surface this became 

 only 48 degrees, and while this bed 

 showed up very well still some fungous 

 spots finally appeared in it. In an- 

 other the water was put on at 62 degrees 

 and caused a temperature of 58, a half 

 inch below the surface. This bed was 

 perfectly clear of fungus throughout, 

 and the seed came up more quickly than 

 in any of the other beds. However, this 

 increases the complexity of the opera- 

 tion, and would require constant test- 

 ing with a thermometer in the hands of 

 a competent foreman, whereas if applied 

 before planting the only direction is to 

 go over it twice thoroughly with 

 water boiling hot, and any farm hands 

 can do this. We do not believe that 

 this method would be much if any 

 more expensive than a thorough firiug, 

 and it would certainly be far more 

 effective. If a dozen large kettles could 

 be had, putting two men to each four 

 kettles, refilling as fast as used, mov- 

 ing, and keeping fires going, a great 

 many acres of ground could be gone 

 over in a very few days. No remixing 

 of the soil should be done after steriliza- 

 tion. 



If the soil of the seed beds is carefully 

 worked and mixed several times be- 

 tween spring and planting time, and then 

 sterilized with hot water which pene- 

 trates deeply, there will be no loss 

 from fungus and probably none from 

 cutworms. We found also that the 

 attacks of flea beetles decreased in 

 proportion to the increase in the height 

 of beds at ground level suffering most 

 severely. Also beds that are kept care- 

 fully covered during the day while the 

 plants are very young do not suffer 

 from flea beetles when beds alongside 

 uncovered or only partially covered 

 will suffer severely. If, however, after 

 all possible preventive precautions are 

 taken there is still some damage by 

 insects or fungus, the Bordeaux mixture 

 recommended by Mr. Horne should 

 be promptly sprayed on the affected 

 portions. 



It is perhaps needless to say that the 

 beds should be kept perfectly free from 

 weeds. All the time weeding is done, 

 the plants should also be freely thinned 

 where they come up too thick, the 

 smaller and weaker plants being the 

 ones removed. This will give a more 

 even stand and besides will be a not 



inconsiderable deterrent to the action 

 of the fungus. It also contributes very 

 materially to the production of stronger 

 posturas. 



(c.) Transplanting. 



Appreciating fully the enormous diffi- 

 culties and expense in any proper steri- 

 lization and care of extensive seed beds, 

 we have constantly sought methods 

 w T hereby the work and expense involved 

 could be reduced and the results at the 

 same time made still more certain. At 

 the same time we have laboured to reduce 

 the time involved in the production of 

 usable posturas from seed. We have in 

 successf ul operation now a method that 

 makes entirely unnecessary the steriliza- 

 tion of any except a very few of the 

 beds, that insures the very finest quality 

 of posturas with a certainty wholly 

 unknown in older methods, and that 

 this year on the Estacion grounds made 

 posturas ready to plant in 30 to 35 days 

 from the seed. Under this method 

 planting out could begin thirty days 

 from seed with almost absolute security, 

 and proceed without intermission there- 

 after. In native Cuban seed beds the 

 posturas are pulled up, the dirt shaken 

 off from such roots as still remain on 

 the plant, and tied in the bundles for 

 transportation to the vega — sometimes a 

 journey of several days. But among 

 the almost always over-crowded plants 

 many are too small to use, and these are 

 left for later pullings. The quality of 

 these later pullings is always considered 

 far below that of the first. By our 

 method there are no later pullings, all 

 of the posturas being of the best pos- 

 sible quality, and most uniform possible 

 growth. In the figures VII. and VIII., 

 a comparison may be made between a 

 seed bed managed by the old system, 

 and one of the new. In the two there 

 is exactly the same mixture of soil, the 

 same seed, the two are of exactly the 

 same age, and have received exactly the 

 same treatment as to water and light. 

 In figure VII, the plants show a great 

 variability in size, and a proportion of 

 loss from fungus and insects not at all 

 uncommon in Cuban seed beds. But the 

 plants in figure VIII. were transplanted 

 from the original seed bed in which 

 they were sprouted just as soon as they 

 were big enough to be handled ; the bed 

 they are in tvas not sterilized in any 

 way. 



The rather remarkable immunity to 

 fungous attacks possessed by the healthy 

 transplanted plantlets is quite surpris- 

 ing. We made a very interesting and 

 important test in this connection by 

 transplanting large series of small plants 

 into beds that had just been swept 



