The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-02-17
b]GAR-CANE TEST FOR SEEDLINGS |S
 DECLARED SUCCESS
experiments in Plant Detention Greenhouses Develop Ex- pectations-variety May
 Resist Disease
By HUGH W. ROBERTS Washington Bureau The Age-HeraId
 500 Davidson Building

800 Davidson Building
 Washington. February 16.-(Special.) Successful production of sugar-cane seedlings in the plant detention green houses of the office of foreign seed and plant introduction here is an- nounced by the United States depart mont of agriculture
 Among the possibilities seen by de- partment specialists in the present germinadon tests is the production of varieties that will resist sugar-cane diseases. especially the newly intro- duced mosaic disease. A pathologist in tho department has recently suc- cecded in perfecting a method wher<- by sugar-cane plants can be infected with mosaic disease by artificial in- ecufation. This method will be used in testing the new varieties for immunity. In addition to the possible resistance to disease the seedlings will be studied fsum the standpoint of syrup and sugar product1on with the hope that a cane betber adapted to these uses than any hfaase present sorts will be found.
 ITS NEW VENTURE
 H4ning of sugar-cane from see dis
 moet unknown in this country in
 sc& until SSS, it was not generally> Enps1n that sugar cane produced via
 
 rector of a government sugar-cane etxfaon in Barbados grew few seed llnEs from seed head produced in the experiment station fields Since then thousands of seedlings have been pro- Nuoed in the West Indies. X. The First successful experiment in Nrnpagation of cane from seed in this ccnmtry was made by the Louisiana eUpecn0ent station at Audubon park, fS ir1l-f f1 breuxft from Hawaii where the grow ing season permits maturing of seed hea<k- During the winter of 191s-20 several hundred seedlings were raised ct Washington from seed which had ibeAR ahiDped from Java and Cuba iSince that time shipments of seed from Fvarfous ofher tropical countries have been received and vsucce ssfully germi- uzt1d.
 DISEASE POSSIBLE The work is carried on in the plant detention greenhouses in Washington in czder to guard against any possi- biity of infectious diseases or insect pests being introduced and distributed The First of these canes are beginning to form nodes which can be used for planning if found dsease-free. Dndculty in obtaining sugar-cane vped is illustrated by the experience of
 
 leequ&N a long, warm season to pro- ance soed. which grows on a plume, likA pampas grass, but only very SmaA number of the plumes carry fer tile seed. A fluffy mass of several thousand possible seeds was recently taken to the plant detention labora- tories and young woman was set to work to sort out the good seeds by picking the mass over with a needle. l Out of the first 5000 seeds of this lot nve pAump seeds were found. These were; placed in a germinationl box and Au1A Tepd6ng was the result. In the Ga Se of nome varieties of sugar cane a n a dh larger proportion of the Seeds will gerninate if the seeds are mature and are properly cared for.
 LEAGUE MEETING X IS HUGE SUCCESS Is Washington, February 1e-tspe- cial The most inspiring meeting the League of Women Voters has ever held''s is the way Mrs Richard Ed ards Peru, Ind, treasurer, charac- terizes the southern regional confer | ence which she attended in Atlanta last week. Mrs. Edwards arrived in l Washington this morning after having | stopped over in Richmond, where she was the chief speaker at a League of I Women Voters mass meeting last l Thursday night. Mrs. Edwards will re- ; main in Washington to work for the 1 passage of the Sheppard -Towner in- fancy and maternity bill during this l session of Congress. Mrs. Edwards re- ports that the southern conference. be- | sides being one of the most enthusas- 1 tic, was one of the largest of all the | regional gatherings which have been ! held. ''The way in which southern 1 women are handling their problems as | ahcwn 9n this conference convfnces us | more than ever of the value of or 9anizing along sectional lines" she | sAid- So much interest was aroused | bF the conference and the speakers noved 70 popular that at the close od the Atlanta sessions members of | tAe national board of directors were | calied into neighboring states to speak | hfore state and local leagues land l cher public meetings before return | ing to their homes. Miss Katharine l Itdington. Hartford, Conn, director of | tie firSt region, will make the most | eHtendsd tour. Before leaving Geor- l Gta. she addressed the student body | BrsaAu college, Gainesville, Ga. Cher stops on her itinerary will in dude Birmingham. Ala, Memphis, 1 Jenn.. and New Orleans. La.