The times., 1898-08-08
COFFEE BLIGHT.
Hawaiian Planters Are warned
Against n Foe


The division OF vegetable physiology
and pathology OF. the Department of Ag-
riculture has issued an interesting circu-
lar relative to the danger of introduce
ing Central American coffee diseases in
Hawaii.
The circular states that the interest
evident in the introduction of Guata-
Inalan coffee for cultivation in Hawaii
calls for a word of caution as TO the dam
ger of introducing very dangerous dis
ease of the coffee plant prevalent in Mex
leo, Central America and South Ameri-
ca. The circular reads in part as fol-
lows:
Cooke described two small parasitic
fungi growing on coffee leaves sent to him
from Venezuela, and he believes them
to be the cause of this disease known
as mancha de hierro or candeIillo. watch
attacks the leaves of the. coffee plant in
that country.
IN 1892 Prof. Nicholas Saenz, of the
National University of Colombia, publish
ed a pamphlet coffee culture and in
Il he described at length the disease in
question. He speaks of il as u disastrous
malady which has caused and is now
causing great loss to growers The
aHeeted plants. he says. present a num-
Der OF round or oval yellow dingy spots
on the branches, fruits. and especially on
the foliage, he having counted as many
as seventy on a single leaf
The plants in good soil show bur little
Change at first and may pass through the
Winter and the hot, dry season uncaarc
ed. but when the frs rain comes. even
the most vigorous suffer greatly. losing
most OF ,heir leaves and fruit. so that
the harvest Is much reduced Not ALI
the diseased leaves fall. however. some
times, III cases of mild attacks. The spo;s
IAN away. leaving holes in the leaf. Spots
on the berries always appear on the up-
per side, and the berries that do NOT fail
frequent h5wn portion OF tha pet earn
dead and simply network of dead nh.
foCs tissue. Even strong trees REQUIRE
al least three years 10 recover from an
attack &C mancha
ne disease almos- invariably appears
IN the upper or colder part of A pIanta-
ti0sl and is also favored by long RAINY
seasons accompanied BY relatively low
temperature. -0''
In 1898 Senior Adolfo Tonduz. of the
Costa hlca National Physico-G nh
lcai institute, rpade3sS preliminary rannrt
on the nttncha and sent dry leaves show
ing the disease, Hes found in Costa Rfca
that II caused the dropping of great
numbers OF berries from the trees.
In 1917 W. j. Forsyth wrote two short
accounts of the malady as ii exists in
Guatemala and southwestern Mexico In
recent letters to this division and the Di-
vision of Entomology, e. p. DisaIdorff
prominent coffee planter OF Coban. Gem
tral Guatemala, expressed alarm at the
extension of this disease about coban In
one or his letters he said that he was No
longer afraid Of the scales, but more Sc
rlousiy of the cQffee-Ieaf disease. which
mad increased alarmingly. doing great
damage to many plantations. about sl0O.
0J0 worth every year
Considerable coffee seed has been i'm
ported into Hawaii from Guatemala in
the past and numerous young plants
nave been brought into the islands. 1t is
obvious that reports which have heen
puohShed regarding the superiority of
Guatemalan over Hawaiian coffee is like
ly to lead to considerable Importation
or seed and possibly of young plants into
hawaii from Guatemala, and in this way
mancha may be introduced, and the con-
ditons of the weather are such in Ha-
wall that there is grave danger The
safest course would be to prohibit the
importation into Hawaii of all seeds or
young plants from South America. Cen
trail America and Mexico. Should this
be impracticable 1t would certainly be ad-
Visable to have all plants and seeds i'm
ported riGidly examined by an expert
VINO would have the power to destroy
those affected. 1t Is then probable that
the coffee industry of Hawaii will be
greatly developed in the future, provided
these almost irremediabe diseases and
pests are prevented from reaching the
islands,