The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1914-03-12
BIG MEETING HELD IN RACINE
More Than $50 Growers of Racine and
Kenosha Meet at Commercial Club
There and Hear Discussions as to the
Best Methods of Truck Gardening.

Prof. L. R. Jones of the agricultural
department. Of the University Of Wis
consin, explained his experiments in
trying to produce ga disease proof
Racine strain" of cabbage before an
audience of 200 farmers from Ra-
cine and Kenosha counties at the
Commercial club rooms in Racine on
Friday during the course of the first
truck growers conference ever held
III this section of the state. The at
tendance overreached all expectations
and as most Of the men present were
cabbage growers and cabbage buyers,
it showed what great interest is being
taken in that branch of agriculture in
this district.
At the outset of his discourse Prof.
Jones explained that while he and his
able assistants were undoubtedly on
the verge of discovering a new breed
of cabbage which will ultimately revo-
lutionize the cabbage industry in RAJ
cine and Kenosha counties, they have
not as yet succeeded fully, but will
have to follow their present line of pro-
ccdure for several seasons before they
can confidently state that they have a
real disease-resisting breed of cab
bage.
Prof. Jones labored for the past
fonr years in an attempt to get a cab
bage that could be grown on cabbage
diseased ground. In 1910 this county
was visited by great cabbage plague,
the yellow rot, plague which was
driving the growers to despair and
making them give up this profitable
line of agriculture.
Prof. Jones came to this section to
battle with the disease He tried many
remedies to kill it, but was unsuccess-
full. During his york he noticed that
there were a few heads of cabbage.
growing and thriving on the worst of
the diseased land. This was at the
Hansche farm on the lake shore road,
south Of Racine. He saved the seed Of
this cabbage and planted it again in
1911 He found that in comparison
with other grades of cabbage, planted
in competition in adjacent rows, the
seed of this ''spcrtN cabbage gave re,
markablo results. Out of alternate rows
of twenty heads each, it was found
that all of the twenty "sport'' cab
bage plants lived and formed good
heads, while the other commercial
breeds withered and died
This fact, according to Prof. Jones,
showed that new variety of cabbage
has been obtained, variety that can
resist all cabbage diseases and is the
offshoot or descendant of from forty
to fifty breeds of commercial cabbage.
Last year the seed planted showed
surprising results Ground which
had formerly produced scarcely sin
gle head in acid of many acres, and
planted with this new variety, gave
great results.
At the close of his lecture Prof
Jones said that he had saved guam
tity Of "sport" seed which he would
divide into three equal parts, one part
to be kept as a reserve, one part for
his own experiments, and one part to
be given out to twenty different farm
ers present who had diseased cabbage
land Minute account will be kept of
all seed given out and its record will
go to Prof. Jones for reference The
professor appointed the following COM
mittee to give out this seed: w. J.
Hansche, Matt Broesch and A. j. Piper.
The main disease in Racine and Ke.
nosha counties is the yellow rot, for
which there is no known cure. When
the Jones variety of seed becomes
plentiful this disease will be stamped
out In closing Prof. Jones urged the
farmers to raise their seed in Racine
and Kenosba counties, saying that bet
ter seed could be grown there for local
conditions than in any other section of
the country. The talk proved to be of
great interest to the farmers present
In order that belated farmers might
have the opportunity of hearing Prof
Jones tell of his work among cabbage,
Chairman Frank Swingle of the Wis
consin Agriculturist first introduced
Prof. J. G. Sanders, also of the Uni
versitv of Wisconsin. Prof. Sanders
gave an illustrated talk on s'The Con-
trol of Insects Which Injure Crops. .
Prof. Sanders said that there are two
varieties Of insects, the biting or chew
ing insects and the sucking insects. The
modes Of fighting these pests differ ac-
eording to whether they bite or suck.
The biting insects can be controlled by
spraying the leaves of the affected
crop, but TIE sucking insect has to be
fought by the contact method. The first
species can be killed off by using an
arsenic spray, but the second variety
rust be killed through rotation of
crops, fall blowing and field sanitation
1he best spray for killing the biting