Digest

Pacific

Planters '

Choosing Banana

Suckers

SELECTING the right banana sucker at the right time is im portant to any banana planter and the choice is usually made when several suckers appear spaced evenly around the parent plant.

The sucker or follower selected is usually the sucker on the uphill side of the parent plant, and it is left to develop what is commonly termed the “straight follow through”.

The timing of desuckering, or the first pruning of unwanted suckers, depends largely on their rate of emergence. It is, however, generally carried out as soon as the line of succession is clearly defined.

Later a further crop of suckers may appear. These should be removed as soon as possible so that the selected follower and the parent plant may develop without competition for both moisture and plant foods.

Hints For Pineapple

Growers

IN areas of high rainfall successful pineapple growing can only be expected on adequately drained soils.

Clay loams and gravelly clays with tight subsoils are liable to water logging. Waterlogging leaves the way open for top rot and root rot which will account for heavy losses.

Recent experiments in Australia to assess the best pineapple planting material have produced some interest ing results.

There are four types of planting material used for pineapples. These are: • Tops—the crown of leaves sur mounting the pineapple fruit. • Slips—the shoots occurring on the fruit stalk. • Suckers—the shoots in the leaf axils lower down on the plant. • Butts—the stems of mature plants from which the fruit has been harvested.

From the experiments it was shown that growers should plant in the following order of preference:

1. Large slips, 2. Tops, 3. Small slips, 4. Small suckers, 5. Large suckers, 6. Butts.

Large slips were outstanding in all respects. They had the most rapid leaf and fruit growth and produced the largest fruit.

It is important to grade planting material into types when planting out large areas of pineapples. If the plantings are mixed the growth rates and harvest times will vary. Not only does this involve more labour, but smaller plants could suffer if there is competition for nutrients in the soil.

Large plants also tend to shade the smaller plants with their leaves.

Large plants also collect most of the rainwater. Asa result, the large material produces large plants, while the smaller material becomes stunted.

Diseases To Watch

For In Cucurbits

CUCURBITS, such as rockmelon, watermelon, cucumber and pumpkin, when grown in the tropics, show a susceptibility to attack by several diseases. These diseases reduce yields often drastically, and in extreme cases kill the plants.

Cucumbers and rockmelon plants are particularly prone to downy mildew which is more prevalent in humid areas. The downy mildew is caused by a fungus which produces spores abundantly in wet weather.

The spores are readily blown by the wind, and, when deposited on a suit able leaf, may germinate and penetrate through the leaf pores to establish new infections.

The first indication of downy mildew infection is the presence of small, pale-yellowish areas in the leaf, which enlarge and dry out to form brown, angular spots often delimited by the veins.

This angular shape is most notice able on cucumbers, while on rock melons it tends to be rather rounded.

The older leaves near the crown of the plant are the first to be affected.

When numerous infections occur on one leaf, the edges curl upwards and the leaf shrivels and dies.

Vegetable growers should ask dealers for seed varieties resistant to downy mildew, otherwise the use of fungicides will control the disease.

Sprays or dusts should be applied at weekly intervals. It is essential that a thorough coverage of undersurfaces as well as uppersurfaces of leaves be obtained since much of the infection occurs here.

POWDERY MILDEW is the most common and most easily recognised disease in cucurbits, and often occurs

Sulphur dusting

in association with downy mildew.

Cucumber, rockmelon, pumpkin, watermelon, marrow and squash are susceptible.

Like downy mildew, powdery mildew is often first observed near the centre of the plant, usually on the undersurfaces of leaves. Small, more or less circular, white, powdery patches are formed.

Eventually both leaf surfaces may be completely covered with a mealy, white coating of mildew. This causes shrivelling and premature death of the leaves. Stems and leaf stalks are also attacked.

Unlike downy mildew, the disease can flourish under comparatively dry conditions. The fungus also occurs on some weeds common in cucurbit growing areas. However, it is not yet sure if the same fungus attacks both vegetable and weed.

Resistant varieties of cucumber and rockmelons are advised but with other vegetables fungicides are re commended. If powdery mildew is the disease risk, dusting with sulphur is an efficient and economical means of control in pumpkin, watermelon, marrow and squash.

An added advantage of sulphur dusting is that it eradicates established mildew spots.

Dusting usually begins when the disease first appears and subsequent applications should be at 7 to 14day intervals, depending on weather and disease incidence.

FRUIT ROTS in rockmelons are often the cause of loss of fruit. Fruit rots are caused by a wide variety of fungi, with the weather playing a determining role.

Prompt harvesting and marketing are essential as ripening fruit is particularly susceptible. Care should be taken to avoid any bruising or similar damage to the skin of the fruit as this allows ready entry of the rot-producing organisms.

Troublesome Scab

In Horses

THERE is a particular scab formation on horses in the tropics which causes severe irritation, and which has been found to respond often to the application of lime sulphur.

The scab formation appears on areas of the neck, shoulders and legs.

It is belived that some kind of itch mite may cause the condition and spread it.

If sand rolls are used they should be changed regularly.

Skilled aid needed

The condition can usually be cleared up in three to four days by swabbing daily on affected areas with 0.1 per cent, lime sulphur (0.1 per cent, polysulphide sulphur).

Danger Of Milk

Fever In Cows

IF, when close to calving, a cow becomes recumbent, the danger of milk fever should not be over looked. Milk fever usually occurs within 72 hours after calving; some times shortly before calving, and oc casionally weeks after calving.

The disease is linked with an acute blood deficiency, which affects the central nervous system. Posterior paralysis results, then depression and coma.

In its early stages, the first signs to be noticed are an unsteadiness in the hind legs, and a tendency to wobble when walking. Muscle tremor is common.

In time the cow goes down, and is unable to rise. Her ears droop, her muzzle becomes dry and consistent with her lack of muscle tone, she becomes constipated and cannot pass her urine.

The cow loses interest in her calf, has no appetite for food and water, and gradually her coma deepens. Her respirations become slower and her heart sounds become fainter.

Despite the term “milk fever”, in most typical cases the temperature is normal or subnormal.

If the case is severe and allowed to progress too far, the cow will lie extended on her side. Generally they are bloated as well, and often regurgitate paunch contents into their mouth, which may or may not be inhaled into the lungs, causing pneumonia.

Skilled veterinary attention is necessary, and it pays handsome dividends to have a valuable cow up on her feet in a matter of minutes after calving.

As long ago as 1897, Danish veteri narians found that milk fever could be cured by pumping air into the udder of affected cows. This simple method was so effective that it was widely used.

The udder was inflated with air by means of a boiled teat catheter and a pumping device after proper cleansing of the udder and teats. A bandage was tied at the end of each teat to retain the air, and removed 3 to 4 hours later to prevent pressure necrosis.

The air pumping method forced the milk, and therefore the calcium, to be re-absorbed into the blood stream.

Following the discovery that milk fever was due to a blood calcium deficiency, calcium gluconate was found to give safer, quicker results.

With the old method of treatment, there was always the possibility of introducing infection to the mammary gland or causing the flare up of an existing dormant mastitis.

Today, injections of calcium boro gluconate have almost completely

superseded the old form of treatment, although both may still be used in very stubborn cases.

The dose usually used is 2i oz of calcium borogluconate as a 20 per cent, solution although the dose varies according to the district and the symptoms.

Never drench a cow suspected of milk fever. Muscles that control swal lowing are affected with the com plaint and it is easy to accidentally pour the drench into the lungs causing pneumonia.