, 1894-06-09
SUGAR CANE DISEASE
Demerard Argosy, 2Sth april.

1t may be as we'll in reyefting to this i'm
p~ortant subject, TO give a brief outline Of it's
principal phases, SO rs TO convey a general
idea of lis nature and the Necessity of check
ing if possible the development Of $ raya-
ges.
The period Of growth at which the fungi
parasites vegetate on the cane plaut, is from
two months onwards until the last blade en-
closing the scape of the arrow bloom. Sup
posing the cane to be planted in December.
tile time at which the plant is most liable to
be seriously affected by the fungi spawn. is
from the beginning of March to the end of
May, or during the dry season"
The first symptom Indicative Of the plant
being diseased, is a pale turbi'l green ohserv-
ed in the blades, which Is usually but not al
ways accompanied by a red or scarlet tingo
on the sheaths of the lower blades, tie mar
gins of which often have q strip of yellow
preceded by a faint streak Of red; these blades
always wilt and turn inwards in the form Of
tubes during the hot hours of the day, the
blades again recovering their turgescence
during night. If a plant which shows these
symptoms be carefully pulled up after the
surface of the soil has been well mOistened
with water, so as TO allow the roots being
removed from the soil with the least possible
breakage, and a minute examination of these
roots Is made, a number of mysllial spawn
threads will invariably be found embedded
in the thin stratum of Osmatic mucilage which
covers the tender surface of the roots and root
hairs, and the stubby roots around the radi-
Gle will appear as if literally covered with a
white musty smelling mysilial deposit, not
unIka tho Orinuta OrUctolc nf hNar frnct And
if The stem of the plant be split UP Longitude
nally through the Centre TO the terminal bud
or cone at the top, it will be observed that
the greater portion of the fbro-Va .cular
bundles look as if they were stained with q
red liquid that the lateral or continent eiab-
Grating bundles which run tranSVersely
through tire nodes or joints of the plant are
of u light straw colour when first exposed to-
the a ton of the air, but the latter after q
few minutes exposure gradually change to a
pale orange, whilst the nodes and internodes
at the terminal bud brighten into a scarlet
colour the creamy cellular tissue being little
affected by the exposure. / may remark in
passing, that the cause of the mySilial spawn
being found embedded in the osmaric muci-
lage of he roots is due more TO the accident
of position than to the nature Of the fungus
TO which it belongs borrowing in tho soil, as.
the congenial zone of it's habitat on tie host
plant is the Sheaths of the blades where it
thrives, blooms, and fruits in sangnine luxu-
rance, and not on the roots. Probably, the
sporangia from which they negotiate are
buried in the area OF root distribution during
the process of tillage operations. The musty
smelling spawn attached to the radicle be-
long t. "a common species of the genus
''Agricus". Should the rainy season set in
about the beginning of June the greater por-
ton Of the more advanced sprouts affected by
the fungus blight will apparently recover
from tbs effects of the virus which has pois-
oned them, and become succulently green, the
verdant colour ever attractive 10 the mother
moths of the larval borers, and which meets
the. essential condition of their economy,
irrespective of the constitutional soundness
or unsoundness Of the plant selected on which
to deposite their eggs, and should the plant
to be favoured with genial weather
for six or seven consecutive weeks. And If