Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1899-06-23
The Treatment of Sugar Beet Dis
eases.

/
The most prominent new crop in the
| United States is that of sugar beets.
| California and Nebraska have set the
pace and now Michigan seems to have
added further impetus by the establish
ment of a number of new factories.
With this new crop come the diseases
which the farmer must fight IN order
that his beets may develop their high
est possible per cent. of sugar. The
three diseases which as yet claim the
best share of attention are the root rot
leaf spot and beet scab all due to fun
gous growths, which may be largely
controlled.
Generally this root rot begins at the
base of the leaves, which parts are left
moist from dew or slight rain, and 1t Is
i'll an atmosphere of moisture that the
disease most readily secures its hold.
When attacked, the base of the leaf
turns black, the stalks become weak,
and the leaves eventually fall over onto
the ground, retaining, however their
green color. From here the disease
gradually spreads downward into the
root which turns brown, large cracks
appearing shortly on the surface.
Where beets become much rOtted they
are found to be, when moist, covered
with short, tuft-like growths in these
cracks If favorable conditions for the
growth OF the fungus are kept up, the
entire root disappears Cold or dry
weather retards the fungus growth and
the roots may recover somewhatOf their
vigor DIR. Duggar of the Cornell Uni
versity Agricultural Experiment Station
found that beets growing in a field
thickly strewn with broken tanbark
were entirely free from the disease.
This absence of the disease he considered
due to the dryness of the upper layers of
the soil He also found that beets in
field where coal ashes had been applied
very literally had considerable less of
the disease than in the other parts of
the field
As a result of this work on this dis
ease Dr. Duggar has decided that it is
due to fungous growth probably
hhlZJctonia BetU), which thrlves best
III "a moist atmosphere and III slightly
acii substance. From this fact it would
seem that an alkaline substance would
be the best with which 10 combat this
disease. This showed itself in the field
where the coal ashes had been spread
AS remedy, then, DR.. Duggar recon
mends the use of sixty to seventy bush
els Of air-slacked lime per acre as a
cheap and effective means of securing
the desired alkalinity. This he would
apply in the fall or before the land is
turned, in order that the lime would be
well distributed.
The leaf spot is a very widely distrib-
uted disease, affecting sugar beets IN
both Europe and this country. 1t be
gins as a small brown spot with purp
lish margins, the margin retaining its
color while the center becomes gray.
These spots are scattered very irregularly
over the leaf. Soon the leaves begin 10
show the effects by taking on a parched
and blackened appearance. finally be-
coming crisp and somewhat curled.
The outer leaves are the first affected
and as they fall away the root tries to
send up others to do their work, the re
suit being that the beet has peculiarly
elongated crown. This detracts consid-
cradle from the roots, leaving them
small and unsatisfactory. A queer
thing is that the disease seems to attack
the roots grown in dry places as readily
as those in moist. AS TO remedies, DR..
Halsted of the New Jersey Experiment
Station, after conducting numerous ex.
periments, decided that the use of the
ordinary Bordeaux Mixture is the best
remedy. DIR. Halsted used the stand
ard formula for Bordeaux, viz. Cop
per sulphate (bluestone), pounds. fresh
unslacked stone lime, pounds, and 30
gallons of water, making it up by dis
solving each of the chemicals in half of
the water and then pouring together.
The beet scab (Oospora scabies, Thax-
ter, which has been discovered to be
the same as the potato scab, gives TO the
beet the we'll known warty or spongy
excrescences whose injuries are not al.
together confined to the surface. These |
appear, as upon the potato, as small /.
spots, gradually spreading until large /
area is covered by the corky growths. |
The cause is the attempt of the part af-
fected TO cover up with a deposit of /
corky matter the work of the fungus.
AS with the potato scab, great many
experiments have been tried for "a
remedy, but with the same results,
namely, thorough rotation of crops /
keeping all root crops from the this soil