Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1917-06-13
APPREHENSION
FELT IN CANE
INDUSTRY us.
FEAR EXPRESSED FEDERAL QUAR-
ANTINE F0RRIDDiNG iMPORTA-
TONS WILL PREVENT INTRO
DUCTi0M OF NEW VARIETIES.
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Pro-
vlDES AVENUE FOR IETR0DUC-
TON OF SUCH VARIETIES
ON A SMALL SCALE.

quarantine that now forblds Mi importa-
tons Of sugar cane will prevent further
work along the line Of Introducing new
and improved varieties Of sugar cane.
The u. -. department Of agriculture recog-
nizeS, however, that in the Introduction
of new varieties lies one of our strongest
hopes for improvements in yield, disease.
resistance, or other desirable characters
ties of the cane. There has been provided
years by this department in lis office
of foreign seed and plant introduction, in
the bureau OF plant industry, nm avenue
through which the introduction on 4 small
can be made Of promising new va
rictie~ Of sugar cane az well a. other
quarantined plant material and also non
quarantlned plants and seeds, without cN-
posing our home induSirie, % the risks
involved III the i-ndiscriminate introduc-
tion OF varieties. Until more extensive
facilities are made available for propa-
eating such imported varieties under quar-
%antine, limited space in the quarantine
greenhouses of the department at Wash
ington, ID. C.. l. available for the propa-
cation OF small shipments of cutting which
Of this department. or any state
sugar experiment station, may desire TO
introduce. For the present, the amount
of such shipments must necessarily be linn
tied To a few stalks each. After such
samples are propagated i'll quarantine long
enough 10 make sure they harhor 10 dan
gerou- disease or pests. they may be- re-
leased from quarantine and planted where
ever the i%ntroducor may wish.
Private individuals. learning of new va
rietics that seem desirable ones 10 in
troduce. should communicate with the bu-
reau az plant industry Of this department
with the officials Of 4 state sugar eX-
pertinent station relative ~ the introduce
tlon of such variety. giving a fall dcScrIp-
tion of the variety Ia question. il origin
and where II may ~ secured for importa-
ton. Unless such variety j. \ new seed
mcnt station. the chances are hat it has
already been introduced and tried, and
that II 1t has heen found promising, II
now be available somewhere within
the United States.
To GUARD AGAINST SERIOUS PESTS
4 few serious pests which are now ar
nually doing an immense amount Of dam
age to our ~ugarcane crop have already
been introduced. Other very dangerous.
pests and diseases not known 10 have been
introduced a. Yet IN the United States,
are known to occur IN foreign -ugarcaHc
countries, making u important that meas
ures be taken 10 guard against their in
PRODUCTION. Among the diseases which
either are not Yet introduced or are not
widely disseminated in this country may
be mentioned the screh, of Java. various
root rots the Queensland stripe disease,
the Formo~a downy mlldcw. the iliau and
the pineapple disease. Because cane i-
rropagatcd hy p~lgntlng the stalks and not
from seed, II ~ especially difficult with
this crop ~ make -ure that the plant ma-
terial does not harbor pests or di~east,-
hence the occasion for first growing 1t in
quarantine.
A STRIKING EXAMPLE.
The need of the prccaution of growing
newly imported samples FIRST IN quaran-
tine i well Illustrated in an incident that
occurred two years ago. The Porto Rico
agricultural experiment station desired To
introduce a variety of cane from Hawaii.
Officials Of this department offered % a.
sist IN securing the sample, and when ii
arrived ii Washington, they took the pre-
caution Of ~propagating ID the first season
IN the quarantine greenhouse. III spite III
the fact that the canc was very carefully
selected and prepared for shipment ~ m
official of the Hawaiian Sugar Planters
experiment station, and of the fact that
when it arrived 1t appeared free of pests
diseases. it developed during that sea
son an abundant crop of the Hawaiian
.leathoppcr. one OF the most destructive
insect pests that has ever been known.
to attack the sugar cane. The Porto.
Rican planters. through this simple pre-
caution and the subsequent destruction
Of this cane. doubles were saved from
losses on account Of this pest, such ~ the
Hawaiian planters once suffered. In iIl-
wali nj ono time these losses mounted INTO
iHlihoi@ 81 uolIdIN ANNUALLY ana threat
encd the complete destruction of their
great sugar industry.
Seed of sugar cane for use in originat-
ing seeding varieties also may be imported
through the department from localities
which are known to be free of dangerous,
diseases or pests.
Ix.rx~ .l.iluY tns-.-t.l "a, Il. 4 Int ny
Bond ~ 4 bullet fired I'D the Enemy. DO