The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1928-04-12
USE AIRPLANES
TO HUNT SUGAR
CANE IN WILDS
Scientists Sail Today for
New Guinea in Quest
of Sturdy Plant.
BY GEORGE M. ROMMEL

BY GEORGE M. ROMMEL
written for The Times and Science
Scryice)
NEW YORK, April 12.-Flying
over the land of the head hunters
and exploring in a few hours jungle
country that would take months to
traverse on foot, a United States
department of agriculture expedi-
ton to New Guinea this summer
will search for wild varieties Of
sugar cane that may bring added
wealth to Americas sugar planters.
The party, led by DR.. E. w.
Brandes, in charge Of the Govern
ment's sugar plant investigations,
will include DR.. Jakob Joswiet Of
the University Of Mageringen in
Holland, who for fifteen years was
in charge of the cane improvement
division of the experiment station
for the Java Sugar Industry; j.. c.
Pemberton, an entomoligist on the
staff of the experiment station of
the Hawaiian Sugar Planters As
ISOLATION, and Richard K. Peck.
airplane pilot who is a veteran OF
q previous aerial expedition to the
wilds Of the East Indies.
Louisiana Cane Dying
Back of the sailing today from
San Francisco Of these saccharine-
bent aviators lies a story of agri-
cultural romance that has few
counterparts in history if any.
Until two years ago, the Louisiana
sugar cane industry was slowly dy-
ing of wasting diseases. The sugar
cane mosaic, carried from plant to
plant by the corn aphid, had spread
over the entire cane area
A root-rot complex (plants have
completes. like human beings added
to the misery Of the Louisiana
planter.
The only way known to combat
these diseases was by thorough
"roguing" of the fieldss. but what
help was that if entire fields were
affected?
One might as well dig it all up
did dig it up often-and start all
over again with a whole year lost.
Import Sturdy Variety
Then came the "P. o. j." canes,
first brought in by Dr. Brandes and
his associates in the Bureau of
Plant Industry from Argentina,
where they had been imported from
the "Proofstation COST Java,
whence the name.
These canes had shown a disease
resistance that was lar superior to
that of the varieties commonly
grown. They get the mosaic, but
it does not affect them. They may
not produce quite as much sugar
per ton Of cane, but they produce
so much cane per acre that the net
sugar production is much larger.
As a result of Brandes' study Of
the various "P. O. j." canes, three
varieties, Up. O. j." SO, 213 and 234,
we're recommended for trial in
Louisiana, and planted in April,
1922, by Elliott Jones, field manager
Of Southdown plantation, Homer,
Louisiana.
Save Up. o. j." Type
And now the romance. The flood
threatened SouthdoWn plantation
in 1927. Here by this time was the
largest nursery of P. O. j. 234 III
Louisiana. The Sugar Bowl was
given up to the flood, and with it
most Of the acreage Of the old,
susceptible varieties.
If Southdown and its P. 0. J.
canes were saved, the Whole Sugar
Bowl" could be replanted to the
diseaSe-tolerant canes. Would the
planters below Southdown consent
to the cutting of the levees, so that
the P. o. j. canes on SouthdoWn
could be saved, even at the expense
of overflow Of their own lands?
They would and they did.
As a result practically all Of the
sugar district in Louisiana is now
growing P. o. J. canes, largely from
seed saved by this remarkable
demonstration. A new page has
been turned on which is being
written the story of the comeback
of an industry which had almost
been given up as hopeless. The
n L T..