Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1916-10-30

experiment station at Cairo, Ca, and
because of the new interest being stim-
ulated here through the Farm Products
Co., We reprint the following article
from the Albany Herald:
Throughout most of the sugar cane
section of Southern Georgia the seed
cane came through the last winter in
rluch better condition than has gem
orally been the case during recent
years. The observations in the vicin-
ity of Cairo, Georgia, of those in
charge of the Government Sugar Cane
Experiment Station at that place,
would indicate that the red rot is
working in the cane now as much as
usual at this season. The farmers
are, therefore, advised against consid-
ering this trouble thing of the past,
but it is recommended rather to con-
tinue resorting to any means found
efficient in lessening the danger by
this disease. This disease has been
found to be caused by an organism OF
fungous falcatum, called Collector
chum falcatum, which is very widely
disseminated throughout the cane
growing regions of the world, and
which can infect the live cane either
from the diseased plant material or
from spores carried by the winds OF
in the soil, and under favorable cor
ditions it then causes great losses in
the cane stored for planting. 1t has
been observed this fall in some fields
near Cairo that this disease has made
much progress, the stalks when split
open show red streaks and red and
white notified condition, and the taste
of such portions is very similar to
that of badly frost-bitten cane. This
is especially noticeable in the soft
green or green ribbon canes which are
such favorite varieties for chewing.
More rarely stalks of the red cane al
SO show such infection at this time.
All fields are equally badly infected
and farmers finding their own fields
much worse infested than their neigh !
Eors, as shown by these red streaks
and red and white mottled coloration, |
would do well to grind up their own
cane and secure SEED cane from clean
err fields of their neighbors, where
possible. OF course, the usual precau- |
lions of getting the cane as mature |
as can safely be done and of choosing |
cool time and time when the soil |
is damp for banking the seed cane
shouldn't be omitted. IN gauging |
the amount of seed cane to put away, |
it should not be assumed that there
will be as little spoilage as was the
case on most farms last winter. A
study of the manners in which this |
disease is propagated and means Of |
lessening the damage from it consti- |
tutes an important line of activity Of
the Bureau of Plant Industry at the |
Experiment Station OF the las ex-
detrimental plats included in the
planting this year, a large number
are devoted to the study of this dis
ease.
Thirty Cane Varieties.
About thirty varieties of cane are
now growing on the experiment field,
including the fire varieties familiar to
the farmers of this locality. More va
rieties of promise are being collected
as opportunity presents itself. Among
the new varities it is hoped that some
may be found that not only yield
more and better syrup, but also that
are more resistent to red rot and 9TH
er cane diseases.
These field tests and others on fer
tilizer, spacing, time of planting, man
ner of cultivation, and the choice ana
| treatment Of plant material are being
continued and will require tests re-
peated through a series of years and
preferably also repeated on variety
of soils to give the necessary data for
a safe conclusion and for recommen-
dations to the farmers The farmer
wishes to know, not what succeeds
best in one particular year on one
particular soil, but what averages the
best through a long series of years
and on the common varieties of soils
on his farm adapted to cane culture.
With the boil weevil rapidly
spreading over the sugar cane area,
diversifcation in farming has come to
be a necessity. Stock raising is bound
to be an important feature in the fu-
ture systems of farming creating an
increased demand for forage, especial
ly for winter feeding. The tests with
7 a,.s.. ~,