Wv Q A, N V I L Gpa~ D - Forgotten Books

SCIENTIFIC REPORTS

OF THE

AgriculturalResearch Institute,Pusa

(Including the Report ofthe ImperialCottonSpecz'

alz’

s t)

1916 - 17

CALCUTTASUPERINTENDENT GOVERNMENT PRINTING, INDIA

1917

TABLE O F C ONTENTS

Rep ort ofthe Director, AgriculturalRe se arch Instituteand College , Pusa

I . Charge and staffII .Work ofthe Institute

Sc ientific workTrainingIII . Publicat ions

IV. General administrationV. Ac c ountsVI . Conferenc e sVII . Visit orsRe p ort ofthe Imp erial AgT iculturist

I . Charge and stafi

II . Pusa farmIII . F arm crop p ingIV. Cattle bi’e e dingV. Training - H

VI .

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Se e d d istribution, Visitors, and DemonstrationVII . Publicat ions and c orre sp ond enc eVIII . Programme for1917 -18

I II . Re p ort ofthe Imp erial AgrlculturalChemistI . Adminis trat ionand t oursII . Me t e orology and drain -

gauge sIII . Generalanalyticalwork and assistance giventootherSections

IV’

. Soils and nutritive value ofcr0p sV. F eed ing s tuffsVI . StarchVII . Occurrence ofinfert ility under tre esVIII . Tobac c o and transp iration ratio exp erimentsIX . Programme ofworkX . List ofp ublicat iofi s

PAGE

IV. Rep ort ofthe Imp erial Ec onomic Botanist sI . Introduc t ionII . Inve s t igat ions at F us e

(1) Wh eatPusa 12

F us e 4

The quality ofPusaWheatWheat - bre e dingTh e effe c t ofsoil t emp erature ond eve lopm ent

(2) Tobac c o

(3) F ihre s(4) Ind igo(5) Gram(6) Oil- s e e ds

(7) Soil -aerat ionIII . The D e ve lopment ofthe Agric ulture ofBalu

chis tan

(1) The saving ofirrigat ionwat er(2) The improvem ent offodd erproduc t ion(8) The sun- drying ofvege table s(4) Fru it -

p acking(5) Th e propagat ionoffrfiit tre e s

IV. Programm e and Publicat ions(1)/ Programm e ofwork for1917 18(2) Publicat ions

VRe p ort ofthe Imp erialMyc ologis tI . Charge and e s tablishment

I T. TrainingIII . Myc ological Conferenc eIV. Dis eas e s ofp lant s

(1) Pad dy d is eas e s(2) Tokre oftobac c o and mustard(8) Phytop hthora inve st igat ions(4) Rhiz oc tonia and othersc lerot ial d is eas e s(5 ) Anthracnose ofc hilli and p uls e s(6) Tikka d iseas e ofgroundnut

(7) Sal tre e disease(8) Peach leaf

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curl(9) Otherd is eas e s ofinte i‘e st

Misc e llane ousSys t emat ic W011:Programme ofworkfor1917-18

Publicat ionsRe port ofthe Imp erial Entomologist

I . Charge and e stablishmentII . ToursIII . TrainingIV. Inse c t Pe s t s

(1) Cot ton

(2) R ic e(8) Sugarcane(4) Maiz e(5) Fruit F lie s(6) Life -historie s ofins e c t s

Gra ins torage exp eriments

(8) Ins e c t ic id e s(9) Lantana workV. Be e s, Le e and Silk(1) Be e s

Lac

(3) SilkVI . Illus trat ionsVII . Misc e llane ousVIII . Ins e c t SurveyIX . Entomological Me e t ing'X . Programme ofwork for1917 -18

XI . Publicat ionsR ep ort ofthe Imp erialPathological Entomologis tI . Charge and e stablishmentII . (Work done . Dis ease - carrying inse c t s

Saproz oic flie sTabanidaeCulic oid e s Sp .

Dung-flie s

MosquitosIII . Publicat ionsIV. Programme ofwork for1917-18

VIII . Rep ort ofthe Imp erialAgric ulturalBac t eriologis tI . Adminis trat ionand toursII . TrainingIII . SoilBac teriology

Soil fert ility init s re lat ionto bac terialac t i.vitie s

Phosp hat e re quirements ofsoil bac teria andthe irre lat ionto plant growth

Biological analys is ofsoilsGre en-manuringLeguminous root nodule organismsPlant d is ease sPOPPY

Citrus cankerInd igoExtrac t ionHydrolys isV. PebrineHere d itary infe c t ionInfe c t ionthrough c ontagionoringe st ion ofthe paras it eVI . Saltp e tre

Programme ofwork for1917 -18

VIII. Publicat ionsR ep ort ofthe Imp erial Cot tonSp e c ialistI. Charge and toursII . Cot tons inthe Provm c e s

Bombay Pre sidencyCentral Provinc e sCentral IndiaUnit e d Provinc e s

IIL Programme ofwork forthe year1917 -18

Scientific Reports ofthe AgriculturalResearch Institute, Pusa

(Includ ing the Rep ort ofthe Imp erial CottonSp e cialis t )

1916-17.

REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR.

(J. _MACKENNA, M .A.,

fI . CHARGE AND STAF F .

Charge . I he ld charge ofthe offic e ofthe AgriculturalAdvis e r to the Gove rnment ofInd ia and Direc tor, Agricultural Re s earch Ins ti tute , Pusa, and Mr.Wynne Saye rhe ld the pos t ofAs s is tant to the Agricultural Advis e rthroughout the year.

Staff. The following change s in s taff took plac e duringthe year.Major J. W. Leathe r,V.D ., re ti re d from the

Ind ian Agricultural Se rvic e on12th Augus t, 1916.

Mr. Jat indra, Nath Sen, Supe rnume rary AgriculturalChemis t, ac te d as Impe rial Agricultural Chemis t up to

28th February, 1917, When he was re lieve d by the late Mr.JH. Barne s . Mr.Barnes die d ofente ric feve r onthe 2ndJune , 1917, afte r holding the pos t forthree months only.His untime ly death is a se rious loss to the Ins titute and tothe Ind ian Agricultural Se rvic e . Mr. Sen’s s e rvic e s havebe en plac ed at the disposal ofthe Gove rnment ofthe Unite dProvinc e s from 13 th April, 1917, to carry onanalytical .and spe c ial me dical work at the Ghazipur Opium Fac tory.The appointment ofMr. W. A. Davis as Indigo

Re search Chemist sanc tione d forone year from the 20th

SCIENTIFIC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHMay, 1916, has be en extende d fora furthe r pe riod offive

years . He has also be en temporarily plac e d in charge ofthe work ofthe Impe rial Agricultural Chemis t with effe c tfrom the 2nd June , 1917.Mr. F . M .Howle tt, Impe rial Pathological Entomologis t,

was onleave during the year . Mr. T. Bainbrigge Fle tche rremaine d in charge ofthe Pathological Se c tion in additiont o his owndutie s .

II . WORK OF THE INSTITUTE .

Sc ientifi c Work . The s c ient ific work ofthe Instituteduring the year is indicate d in the reports ofthe variousSe c tions . The spe c ial work onindigo, which is in chargeofthe Indigo Re s earch Chemist, will be dealt with in as eparate report.

“

Training. A numbe r ofpost - graduate s tudents attende d the Ins titute during the year and short course s we reg iven in se riculture .

In the se c tion ofAgricultural Bac te riology anAs s is tant from the Department ofAgriculture , Bengal, continue d his training .

A s tudent was depute d by the PatialaState to unde rgotraining in gene ral entomology.

In the Mycological Se c tion anAs s is tant depute d by thePunjab Department ofAgriculture in April, 1917, is stillunde r training.

A private s tudent has be en working onindigo s inc e the25 th Novembe r, 1916, in the laboratory ofthe IndigoRe s earch Chemis t.Be s ide s the regular s tudents mentione d above , the fol

lowing Vis itors also worke d in the laboratorie sMr. S. C . Bose , As s is tant to the Mycologist, Indian

TeaAs soc iation, worke d fora month in the

Mycological Laboratory.

Mr. Ganda Singh Che ema,M .Sc ., ofthe Punjab Government College , Lahore , s tudie d the fungald iseases ofcotton and sugarcane crops in the

INSTITUTE , PUSA, FOR 1916-17

Mycological Se c tion from the 1s t to 27th June ,1917.

Mr. R . K. Parme shwaram P illai,Manager,Silk Farm,

Trivandrum,

‘ depute d by the Travancore Stateforacourse in s e r iculture , has be en unde r training from the 16th Fe bruary,1917.

Six s tudents took the short oonrse in s e riculture duringthe year . Two ofthe se comple ted t he ir training .

I I I . PUBLICATION S .The Agricultural Journal ofIndia, Sc ient ific Memoirs

:and ‘ Bulle tins continue d to be is sue d during the year . The

D epartment publishe d during the year 11M emo irs and 11Bulle tins ; 7 Memoirs, a s imilar numbe r ofBulle tins , andt he Proc e e dings ofthe Mycological and Entomological Confe renc e (1917) are in the pre s s . A Guide to the Agricultural Se c tion ofthe Pusa Ins titute and a bookle t onthe Importanc e ofBac te rial Ac tion in Indigo Manufac ture we realso is sue d during the year . A Bulle tin (No . 75) onthe

P ebrine D iseas e ofSilkworms in India has be en exten~s ively dis tribute d fre e to s ilkworm reare rs and thos e int ere s t e d in se riculture in India. It re commends a mod ification ofthe Pasteur me thod which, as use d hithe rto inIndia, has faile d to e l iminate the pebrine dis ease , one ofthe princ ipal caus e s ofthe de c line ofthe Indian s ilk“indus try . It is grati fying to note a s teadily inc reas ingd emand from the public forthe bulle tins and as a re sult i twas ne c e s sary to reprint during the year the bulle tins 011

‘Se riculture and onSoil Ventilation and So il Eros ion .

A spe c ial numbe r ofthe Agricultural Journal ofIndiawas issue d including pape rs read at the Agricultural Se ction ofthe Fourth Indian Sc ienc e Congre s s he ld at Bangalore in Jannary, 1917.

The grant ofRs . pe rmanently sanc tione d for“publications was continue d during the year unde r report.The Publication Se c t ion has be en reorganize d ands trengthene d .

SCIENTIF IC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHThe form ofthe Agricultural Journalhas be en cons ide r

ably alte re d and i t is hope d that as a re sult it will gain in.

popularity.IV. GENERAL ADM INISTRATION.

Administration. Subj e c t to the gene ral c ontrol oftheGove rnment of India the adminis tration of the Pusa

Re search Ins titute is ve ste d in the D i re c tor, but the control ofthe pure ly sc ient ific work ofthe Institute (inc ludingexpe rimental re s earch work inthe field and the publicationofsc ient ific pape rs) is ve s te d in a Counc il ofthe Expe rtswith the D ire c tor as P re s ident. The cons titution of. theCounc il was revis e d during the year and me e tings are he ld;at regular intervals .Build ings and Work s . The four c le rks ’ quarte rs

re fe rre d to in the las t year’s report we re comple te d duringthe year . A se t ofexpe rimental indigo vats have be en cons truc ted . The Gove rnment ofIndia have sanc tione d thec onstruc tion ofa re s t hous e forIndian vis itors and the

work will be unde rtaken as soon as funds are available .

The c os t ofrepairs to the many old kut cha buildings onthee s tate is annually inc reas ing and s teps are shortly to betaken to demolish the majority as pas t repai r.With a View to improve the timbe r ofthe Pusa e s tate ,

the avenue s have be en care fully thinne d and fe lling ofdisease d and dead tre e s and the planting of3133 3 00 (DalbergiaSis soo) and teak se e dlings is be ing sys tematically carrie dout . Nurs e rie s have also be en put down forreplac ements .

The disuse d land in the bu ilding area is be ing broughtunde r cultivation . The s cheme forimprovement ofthe '

gene ral drainage ofPusa is being proc e e de d with . Amongothe r minor works and repairs carrie d out onthe e s tateduring the year may be mentione d the construc tion oftwonew gate s and the improvement ofghat approache s .

The s tation s e rvic e ve hic le s trave lle d roughlymile s during the year.Library. In addition to the nume rous bulle tins,

memoirs, reports , e t c .,which are re ce ive d in exchange from

INSTITUTE , PUSA , FOR 1916-17

India as we ll as from diffe rent parts ofthe world, about325 new volume s we re purchase d forthe library during theyear unde r report. The work ofrearranging, c lass ifyingand indexing books, pe riodicals, e tc ., has been unde rtakenand is be ing proc eed e d With s teadily. Index s l ips ofthepe riodicals we re also supplie d to the Education Department ofthe Gove rnment ofIndiaforthe preparation ofaG ene ral Catalogue ofSc ient ific Lite rature in the Librarie sin India.

Pusa Schools . The total numbe r ofpupils attending "

the PusaHigh School onthe 31s t March, 1917, was 221agains t 193 las t year . Sixte en candidate s have be en sentup forthe Matriculation Examination of1917.

The Lowe r Primary G irls ’ School was open foraboutthre e months, but onthe re s ignation ofthe s chool mis tre s sno subs titute was appointe d, and the school had to remainc lose d during the latte r part ofthe year .

G eneralHealth ofth e Stat ion. The ep idemic s ofchole ra, plague and small - p ox, which broke out in the ViCimity ofPusa during the months March to June ,1917, andthe oc currenc e offour importe d cas e s ofsmall - p ox and two .

ofchole ra among the menials coming from the affe c te dVillage s s e rious ly threatene d the health ofthe station. By

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cutting offthe s tation from all conne c tion with the affe c te dVillage s and by ke eping the wate r supply pure , the ep ide

mic s we re suc c e s s fully kept out ofthe s tation and the generalhealth c ontinue d to be good during the year unde r report.The re was, howeve r, one cas e ofente ric feve r among theEuropeans which unfortunate ly prove d fatal .A female ward, prope rly furnishe d, was adde d to the

PusaHospital during the year .Me dical re l ie f was afforde d to pe rsons ofwhom

we re treate d in the out - patients ’ department and297 as indoor patients . One hundre d and one cas e s amongthe European offic ers and the ir familie s we re attende d to.

Five deaths oc curre d in the hosp ital, but mos t ofthecas e s we re brought into the hospital in rathe r advanc ed;s tage s ofdis ease .

SCIENTIFIC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHV. ACCOUNTS .

The total expenditure during the financ ialyear 1916-17

was Rs . as unde r :

Otfi c e ofthe Agricultural Advis ertoGovernm ent ofIndia and Dire c torofIns t itut e

Chem ical Se c t ionMyc ological Se c t ionEntom ological Se c t ionPathological Entomological Se c t ionBac t eriological Se c t ionBotanical Se c t ionAgric ultural Se c t ionInd igo R e search Se c t ion

TOTAL

,A sum ofRs . was spent from the budge t ofthis

D epartment in 1916-17 in c onne c tion with the engagementofMr.W.Hulme as Sugar Engine e r in the Unite d Pro

“vinc e s .

A sum ofRs . 15,000‘

was pai d as a grant - ln- aid to the

Indian Tea As soc iation .

The princ ipal items ofexpenditure unde r the annualgrant ofRs . plac e d at the disposal ofthe Agricultural Adviser to the Gove rnment ofIndiaforspe c ial Agric ultural Expe riments we re as follows

Purchas e ofa thre shing machine forthePusa farm

Cos t ofant irind erp e s t s erumG1ant t o th e Imp erial Cot tonSp e c ialis t for

exp erim ental c ot toncult ivat ionPay ofa Ve t erinary Ass is tant inc onne c t ionwith cat tle - bre e ding and ofa F ie ldmanformosquito e xp erim ent s

The gross re c e ipts during the year from the sale offarm”

p roduc e , milk, publications ofthe Department and othe r


artic le s amounte d to Rs as agains t Rs . inthe previous year .

VI . CONFERENCES .In ac cordanc e with the proposal ofthe Gove rnment of

India to adopt the policy ofSe c tional M e e tings in years inwhich a full Mee ting ofthe Board ofAgriculture is nothe ld a confe renc e ofMycologis ts and Entomologists washe ld at Pusa on the 5 th Fe bruary, 1917, and followingdays . The s e s s ion was a great suc c e s s and was attende dby repre s entative s ofnearly all provinc e s and the offic ersofthe Indian TeaAs soc iation and Mysore State .

VII . VI SITOR S .No fewerthan 136 pe rsons Vis ite d the Ins titute during

the year unde r report . Amongs t the Vis itors we re :HisHonour SirEdward Gait,Lieutenant - Gove rnor ofBihar and Oris sa; the Bom

’ble SirClaudeHill,Membe r - incharge ofthe Department ofRe venue and Agriculture ,Gove rnment ofIndia; SirThomasHolland, SirR. N.

Mukherj i, the Ecu’ble Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviyaand”

othe r membe rs ofthe Indian Indus trial Commis s ion, SirGe orge Suthe rland, ofMe s s rs . Begg Dunlop Co ., theHon’ble Mr.W. Maude , M embe r ofthe Exe cutive Counc il,Bihar and Oris sa; G ene ral Gamble , Inspe c tor—Gene ral of'

Volunte e rs theHon’ble Mr. L. F .Morshead, Commiss ione r,Tirhoot D ivis ion, Mr. J F . Connolly, Commis s ione r,~Northe rn IndiaSalt Department Mr. Puran Singh, ChemicalAdvis e r, Fores t Re s earch Ins titute and College , DehraDunand Thakur Jagannath Baksh Singh,Es tate Rahwan,D is tric t Rai Bare li (Unite d P rovinc e s) .A party of25 membe rs ofthe Bihar P lante rs ’ Assoc ia

tion paid a two days ’ Vis it in Fe bruary,1917. Mr.WilliamBembower,ofthe Ewing Chris tian College ,Allahabad,with;16 students ofhis college , Vis ite d the Ins titute in March .

SCIENTIF IC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH

REPORT OF THE IMPERIAL AGRICULTURIST.

(G . S. HENDERSON,I. CHARGE AND STAFF .

Charge . I he ld charge ofthe pos t ofImpe rial Agri-c ulturist during the whole pe riod unde r review.

Staff. Mr. De oki Nandan, B.A., (C i renoe s te r), was appointe d as As s istan t to the Impe rial Agriculturis t on the 1s t De c embe r, 1916. The Firs t FarmOve rs e e r, Mr. Ikramudd in (with two months’ privilegeleave ), the Se cond Farm Ove rse e r,Mr. Arjan Singh (withone and a hal f months ’ privilege leave ), and Mr. JudahHyam, Ve te rinary Ove rse e r, remaine d as las t year. Mr.Jos ep h, the Se cond Ve te rinary Ove rs ee r, was onmi litaryd uty in Me sopotamiaforfour and ahalf months (from 7thJuly to 19th De c embe r, as s is ting in the fly campaignunde r Mr. Le froy.

Touringt A tour was made through the North -We s tFrontie r P rovinc e and one through the Punjab to s e e the

headquarte r s tation ofthe Department and the Ame ricanc otton ope rations, also the salt lands ofthe Montgome ryD is tric t . Also a tour was carrie d out 1nSind when a

numberofproblems conne c te d with the propose dnew Indusbarrage and 1rr1gat ionproblems we re discus sed with localoffic ers .

II . PUSA FARM .

A large part ofthe workofthe Impe rial Agriculturis tc ons is ts in the management ofthe Pusa Farm, in fac t theMadras and Bombay pre s s c ritic s ofthe las t annual reports tate d that the Impe rial Agriculturis t was s imply a farmbailiff. It is poss ible that, in the early s tage s ofthe deveiopment ofPusa, the Agricultural Se c tion was ove rshadowe d by ‘

the pure ly sc ient ific s e c t ions and much oftheene rgy ofthe Se c tion had to be e xpende d in preparation andbringing into cultivation ofthe e state and in othe r gene ral

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10 SCIENTIF IC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHThe only exc eptions to the ordinary rotation c rops are

sugarcane and jute ; the se take the plac e ofthe 1s t year’sand 2nd year’s rotat ions re spe c tive ly. They are sown early '

in the s eason and the mois ture cons e rve d in the cold weatherby repeate d cultivation ofthe so il ; this has to be done forallhot weathe r c rops which are sown be fore the break ofthemonsoon in the beginning ofJune .

Work ing. Afte r the M M (Winte r) c rops are cut the

land is lightly s tirre d by steam dis c harrow orgrubbe r, thenthe s team plough is given, the land be ing we ll turne d to adepth ofnine inche s . When the firs t rains break in Junethe grubbe r and hangar, (rolle r) are p ut onthe land. The

kharif(Summe r) c rops are drille d onthat at 2 - 2—5 fe e t apartand kept we ll inte r - culture d by bullock hoe s . The s ilagec rops are ready from mid -Augus t and s ilage making goe sonfor4 we eks orso . Brick s ilos and earth s ilos sunk inground are use d . A powe r—driv-enshre dde r and e levatorcut and make the s ilage . In Oc tobe r the maize cobs arepicke d and s tore d onshe lve s . The reafte r the c old weathe rc rops are sown afte r the land has be en we ll worke d bys team grubbing and c ross grubbing.

The oats are drille d with a10-row English drill and i fpos s ible finishe d be fore the middle ofNovembe r.Harve s tbeg ins inMarch a large 4’6” Marshall’s thre shing machinefit t e d wi th fe e de r and s traw e levator deals expe ditious lywith allthe grain .

F inanc ialre sults inpas t year. The eas ie s t me thod toge t a c lear and compac t View ofthe financ ial re sults ofthefarm is to take the produc e ofthe farm as pas se d ove r thefarm we ighbridge and c ompare with budge t cos t ofrunningthe farm. Rent, rate s and taxe s are not inc lude d,norinte re st oncapital, the salarie s ofthe highe r ‘posts canbewritten offagainst the exp e rimental work . Current additions to bui ldings, dead stock and implements are p ut

agains t depre c iation . The dairy he rd is kept as a s eparatee s tablishment and will be dealt with late r.The p roduc e ofthe farm is use d forz(i) The up - ke ep ofthe dairy he rd,


(ii) The up - ke ep ofthe farm work cattle ,(iii) The up

- ke ep ofEstate and Botanical Areaworkcattle and mule s .

During},rthe s eason farm produc e was as followsMaund ss tandard TOTAL

Rs . AS.

Grain

Maize

2 100

WheatMisc ellane ous

TOTALGreenF odder

Chiefly maiz e , oat s and p eas 2

Silag'

z , etc

Maiz e and jowar 5 250

Oat s traw

Sugarcane

5TOTAL

The c os t ofworking the farm was as follows

Cult ivat ionClearing and leve llingBuilding and machineryWorkshopImplem ent s , e t c .

Pe t tyre pairs and sup p lie sEstablishment

TOTAL 24,100

12 SCIENTIF IC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHFrom this has to be de duc te d the value ofone portable

engine , one s e t ofcable s fortackle and afew othe r items,total Rs .

Rs .

Cos t ofworking farmValue ofre turnA profit of

When the c osts ofrent, rate s and taxe s , inte re st onprevious capital expend iture onbu ildings , e quipment ands tock, e t c ., are de duc te d the balanc e will s till repre s ent ave ry handsome pe rc entage re turn on the money spent byGove rnment . The farm, having be en we ll manage d in thepas t, c ould we ll afford to be value d at aninc reas e d capitalvalue owing to ac cumulate d fe rtility .

Exp er'imentalWork . One field, Punjabi, has be endevote d to expe rimental work . The area is 40 ac re s and isdivide d into 124plots ofa quarte r ofanac re each and it ise nc los e d in awire fenc e .

The plots have been uni formly c roppe d unde r oats fortwo seasons in orde r that s e rie s ofs imilar plots may be

s e le c te d forquantitative expe rimental work . It has be enc learly demons trate d at Pusa that field expe rimen t workonunte ste d plots '

is us e le s s . At pre sent the re exis ts thes e rie s ofp e rmanent manurial and rotational plo ts lai ddown by the Board ofAgriculture 8 years ago . Re sults upto date show the profitablene s s ofmanuring with sup e rphosphate c ombine d with gre en—manuring . Anothe rs e rie s is conc e rne d with gre en manure fe rmente d andapplie d ac cording to the sys tem e volve d by the Impe rialAgricultural Bac te riologis t . The new expe rimental workt o beginfrom the pre s ent year cons is ts of

I . Chilli D ie back s erie s forthe purpos e offind ing ame thod ofdealing with D ie back (wilt) in the chilli c rop .

W1de spread damage has be en done by the diseas e and s eve ralme thods sugge s te d by the Mycological Department are be ingtrie d.

II . Wheat varie t ie s . A s e le c tion ofthe mos t wide lyknown varie tie s re c ently introduc e d are be ing care fullyte ste d unde r prac tical agricultural conditions .


III . Puls e e arz’e t ie s . A numbe r ofthe mos t suitableleguminous c rops forrotation and forgre en fodde r forcattle are be ing te s te d .

IV . Ind igo s erie s . This cons is ts in man'

urial and cul

tural te s ts onJava and Sumatrana indigo in consultationw ith the Indigo Re s earch Chemist .V. Gre enmanum’

ng. Anew se rie s to replac e the old onehas be en e volve d in c ollaboration with the Impe rial Agric ultural Bac te riologis t .Build ings ,Mach inery and. Imp lements . The farm

building s at Pusanee d a c ons ide rable amount ofalte rationand addition . Some ofthe

'

anc ient buildings ofthe old

R emount Farm are s till in us e . The main block offarmbuildings is badly c onge ste d with old godowns, e t c ., andnew buildings such as Dutch barns , e t c .,are require d . The

catt le line s are old horse l ine s . During the year a beginning has be en made in taking down some old buildings ; thetimbe r from the s e has be en us e d formaking animplementshe d 84

’x 25 ’ which ‘

was urgently requi re d . Some old

indigo vats we re demoli she d and the bricks use d forroadsand putting a p uc ca floor on

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the cattle line s . The workcattle we re brought unde r one roo f,and the mi lk cattle line shave be en improve d by removing c ros s walls and knockingout windows . A wash hous e fit t e d with a steam boile r wasfinishe d fordealing with the milk ve s se ls .When money is available mode rn brick and ste e l build

ings will have to be e re c te d . Mos t ofthe produc e ofthefarm such as s traw, e t c ., is at pre sent s tore d in ku tchabamboo buildings which, though cheap in firs t c os t, arede c ide dly nasty in many ways and are not in ke ep ing witht he dignity ofthe premie r agricultural s tation ofIndia.

Among the main e quipment ofthe farm are the follow

St eam Plough Tackle . This cons is ts of2 s inglecylinde r K c lass Fowle r - engine s and a disc plough, a discharrow, a grubbe r, a zig - z ag harrow and a rolle r . The se t

B2

14 SCIENTIF IC REPORTS OF THEAGRICULTURAL RESEARUIId id invaluable work during the year . The cos t forthe year ‘

was

LabourCoalOil

Misc e llane ous store s, e tc ., and renewals

TOTAL

No allowanc e is made forinte re s t ordepre c iation .

R s . A. P . Acre s

Ploughing 4 6 2

Harrowing 2 0 9

Grubbing 1080 1 7 4

Z ig- Z igHarrowing 0 14 9

Rolhng 1 5 6

The tackle worke d 151days in the year .PowerMachine ry. Two portable s team engine s are

kept employe d onvarious works such as pumping drainagewate r when the rive r is in flood, in thre shing and in s ilagemaking . Chaff c utte r, grinding mill and cake breake r andthe workshop machine ry are driven by e le c tric current from:

the e state powe r house .

Silage making and thre shing are big items in the year’sworks . An Ohio Ame rican shre dde r is use d to cut upthe mai ze and the s tuff is carrie d by e levator e ithe r into thep uc ca s ilos orpits . The ku tcha pits are mo re suc c e s s fulthan the f

p ucca s ilos . The re is le s s was te and a tight c ove rcanbe p ut onthe top with plaste re d earth .

Thre shing is done with a4’ 6” Marshall’s machine fit t e d'

With fe e de r and e levator . The be s t day’s work done was ,

427 maunds ofcats .


Imp lement s . The chie f cultivation implements in useonthe farm are the Punjab plough, pric e Rs . 27,and theSpring - toothe dHarrow made by Wallac e Bros . As the

field s are large nearly all c rops are drille d 2 - 2—3 fe e t apartwith the exc eption ofc old weathe r c e reals . The sys tem ofinte rculture with bullock - drawn hoe s is a great saving oflabour . The c e reals are drille d with a10- c oulte r Englishdrill and ve ry straight work canbe done .

Afte r rain the surfac e ofthe soil is kept broken up whenrequire d by Wallac e ’s hors e hoe s, chain and toothe dharrows .

A good deal ofwork has be en done in leve lling up low

plac e s in the fields with anew form ofs c rape r, adapte d bythe write r. Anac count ofthis and a s imple wooden ploughve ry us e ful forrough work has be en prepare d as a bulle tin .

Five s c rap e rs with two ploughs working in front ofthemleve lle d 17 ac re s ofsome ve ry rough ric e land at Pusa in 45days .

III . FARM CROPPING .

Maiz e . Maize is sown fors ilage and cutting gre en andalso forgrain . The local varie ty is us e d . Trials withAme rican varie tie s have not be en ve ry suc c e s s ful . Thirtyt o forty ac re s are sown in February in land which has be enwe ll cultivate d in the cold weathe r to cons e rve mois ture ,andthis is cut and fe d to the cattle , beginning in the middle ofMay. The main sowing oc curs afte r the rains in June .

Trials are be ing made with jowar(Sorghum vulgare ) sownve ry thickly as a subs titute formai ze . When sown likemaize the yie ld is greate r but the re is was te with woodystalks .

The mai ze forc obs has arhar(Cajanus ind icus) sownalong with it in the drill, thi s oc cupie s the ground in thecold weathe r afte r the maize has be en cut out .

In Chandman field , 17 ac re s ofmaize yie lde d 323maunds ofs ilage p erac re ; cos t p erac re ofgrowing wasnearly Rs . 20 and re turn Rs . 121.

16 SCIENTIF IC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHIn Nepal i he ld of22 ac re s, maize grain came to 10

inaunds with 20 maunds ofs talk, arizargrain came to 14

maunds . Cost ofcultivation was Rs . 18 p erac re and re turnRs . 71.

Oat s . Oats are the chie f cold weathe r c e real c rop .

Bihar oats are probably the be s t quality grown in India.

In the pre s ent s eason the s traw was short, e spe c ially infields sown late r than the firs t we ek in Novembe r. I t wasnot p oss ible to ge t on to some ofthe fields in good timeowing to s eve re flooding ofthe farm cons equent on the

burs ting ofa large Public Works D epartment bund .

Two hundre d and twenty - four ac re s ofoats we re sown,the ave rage out —turn was 17 maunds p erac re and 14tons ofs traw. One ortwo ofthe floode d fields brought the ave ragedown . Fifte en ac re s in South Punjabi field ave rage d 29maunds ofgrain p erac re .

The c at s traw is ve ry good fodde r and canbe fe d without chopp ing .

Puls e s . Arkarand field peas are both use ful rotationc old weathe r c rops . The forme r is c onvenient as it has notto be sown at abusy time in Oc tobe r -Novembe r,but the yie ldofgrain is le s s than the peas and the p ea s traw is us e fulfodde r . Oats and peas cut gre en gave a yie ld ofove r 300maunds p erac re and made exc e llent fodde r fordai ry cattle .

Forthe hot weathe r apulse c rop forgrazing which willke ep the ground we ll c ove re d during the rains is a greatde s ide ratum. Fallow ground unle s s it is high is ve ry difficult to ke e p c lean during the rains . I f the wate r s tagnate sit is not p oss ible to work it and it be come s amas s ofwe e ds .The p ulse s be ing trie d forthis purpos e are cow peas , soybean, ve lve t bean, guar(Cyamozys is p s omlioid e s ) and afewothe rs .

Jut e and Sugarcane . A quantity ofjute is grown fors e e d by arrangement with the Fibre Expe rt to the Gove rnment ofBengal . It is aus e ful c rop forlow ground which1s liable to be flood e d .

A numbe r ofsugarcane varie tie s are grown onthe farmwithout irrigation. The s e varie tie s have mos tly be en for~


18 SCIENTIF IC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHin outs ide blood forsome time , and eventually it will bepos s ible to move one ormore ofthe se divis ions to new d istric t s as the nuc le i ofnew pe digre e he rds which canbeworke d in conne c tion with Pusa.

The cas trate d male s tock have turne d out to be exc e llentdraught bullocks be ing hardy, ‘ blocky animals, standingc lose to the ground.

The c ross - bre e ding work was s tarte d ove r 3 years ago,s o no re sults are ye t available as to the e ffe c t ofthe c ros s onthe milk yie ld . It is expe c te d that not only the milk yie ldwill be inc rease d but also that the cows will calve moreregularly and that it will be pos s ible to wean the calve s . Itis intende d to use c ross - bre d bulls onthe c ros s - bre d cows andno t p ure Ayrshire s . The re are at pre s ent two importe dAyrshire bulls , Le s sne s sock Wildfire and Carston RoyalSc otch . They want great care t o bring them through the

rains .

The sole te st ofinc lus ion in the he rd is the milk pail,p o ints ofcolour, e t c .,are not c ons ide re d.As a rule the e s tablishment ofape digre e he rd is an

expens ive unde rtaking, but while the potential capital valueofthe Pusa he rd is ve ry great the ac tual c ost to Gove rnmentis not large . The he rd cons is ts of125 cows ,10 bulls and 206young s tock . The cost, which would be wipe d out manytime s by the inc rease ofthe capital value ofthe he rd,was asfollows during the year

R e turns

R e c e ive d forsale ofm ilk25 young bullocks transferre d to work cat tle27 h ead s old at cat tle au c t ion13 mis c e llane ou s head , m os tly cas t

1 c1os s ~bre d bull given t o De partm ent ofAgriculture , Biharand Oris sa

TOTAL


Budge t h ead f01 up-ke e p ofdairy herd

includ ing all labou1, e t c .

F ood due to fa1m . 3,000 maund s ofgrain,mis c e llane ous, at R s . 2 8 0

F ood due t o farm . Gre enfodd er, s ilageand bhu sa, maund s at 4 annas p ermaund

TOTAL

That is to say, i t cos t about Rs . las t year to carryonthe Pusa dai ry he rd . Cons ide ring the huge sums spentby Gove rnments and private agency in othe r parts oftheworld onsys tematic cattle bre e ding this is not anexc e s s iveamount.

The milk is sold dire c t from the cows and as the

cus tome rs s end the i r tins to the dai ry the milk is not handle dat all. It is sold at 10 Lahori s e e rs ”

to the rupe e orabout s ix penc e p ergallon .

The fe e ding ofthe cattle is done almos t entire ly withfarm produc e . At the beginning ofthe year the long fodde rc ons is ts ofs ilage and cat bims e , about February gre en oatsand peas are ready forcut ting ; towards the end ofMarchs ilage and oat s traw are us e d till mid -May when the earlys own mai ze is ready . The s eason is carrie d onwith maizeand pulse s till the end ofOc tobe r when s ilage is again us e d .

The grain use d is chiefly cats with maize , arhar,peas,e t c .,we ll ground and fe d mo is tene d .

It is propose d to have a public cattle auc tion sale atleas t onc e a year fordisposal ofall surplus s tock . Asthe sale will be we ll adve rtise d, people ne e ding cattle willbe able to make the i r arrangements be forehand.

The bui ldings ofthe he rd are there lic s ofthe old hors ebre e ding days . They have be en made as sanitary as p oss ible but some mode rn buildings are ne e de d .

20 SCIENTIF IC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHV. TRAINING .

The following s tudents re c e ive d a gene ral prac ticalcours e in agriculture

1. Mr. PiyareyLalGarg, from Unite d P rovinc e s Agricultural College , from 7th De c embe r, 1915 , to30th Septembe r, 1916.

2 . Mr. D e ok i Nandan, from Bharatpur State , from11th March to 30thNovembe r,1916.

VI . SEED DISTIHBUTION, VIS ITOR S, AND DEM ONSTRATION.

During the year a c ons ide rable amount ofs e e d wasdis tribute d, among othe r lots 170 maunds s e e d oats .

A large numbe r ofV is itors went round the Se c tionparticulars are mentione d e ls ewhe re . M embe rs of the

Bihar P lan te rs ’

As soc iation Vi s ite d the farm and a spe c ialprogramme was arrange d forthe day.

VII . PUBLICATIONS AND CORRE SPONDENCE .

One bulle tin on Be rs e em and one onNew ImplementsforIndia we re written ; a Gu ide book to the AgriculturalSe c tion at Pusaand a numbe r ofnote s forthe AgriculturalJournal we re also written during the year . Evidenc e wasgiven be fore the Indian Industrial Commis s ion chiefly onthe subj e c t ofcotton .

A large numbe r ofle tte rs ofadvic e onvarious agricultural subje cts we re s ent out .

VIII . PROGRAMME FOR 1917—18 .

Ii P rac tical treatment ofpe digre e dai ry he rd ofIndiancattle and pe digre e dairy he rd ofc ros s Montgome ryAyrshire cattle .

II . P rac tical treatment of ac re mixe d farm, withparticular attention to profitable mode rn machine ry and

the financ ial re sults ofthe work.

The bulk ofthe produc e ofthe farm is us e d forthe upke ep ofthe dairy he rd . The rotation adopte d aims at theup

- kee p ofthe fe rtil ity ofthe land along with supply of


conc entrate d food and long fodde r and a c onstant supply ofgre en fodde r throughout the year . Inc lude d in the aboveis the s tudy onaprac tical s cale of

(a) Rotations ,(b) Crops forfodde r and s ilage ,(c ) Implements and machine ry,(d ) Te chnique ofcultural ope rations,(8 ) Type s offarm buildings .

‘

III . Exp erimentalWork at Pusa. Afte r the pre l iminary te s ting ofthe new expe rimental area at Pusa, thefollowing will be s tarte d and continue d along with exis tingwork

(a) Rotational expe riments .Trial ofnew varie tie s ofexis ting c rops e spe c iallyleguminous fodde r c rops, Ame rican maize s,fore ign oats , and wheat varie tie s .

(c ) Manurial expe riments , e spe c ially s easonal andquantitative te s ts with phosphate s .

(d ) Rotation and manurial expe riments alreadys tarte d .

(0) Seasonal and cultural te s ts with Java and Sumatrana indigo .

Ferment e d gre en—manuring expe riments in collaborat ionwith the Impe rial AgriculturalBac t eriologis t .

Trial ofsugarcane varie tie s suitable forgrowthwithout irrigation . Some ofDr.Barbe r’s varietie s are ve ry promis ing .

IVF D emons tm t io 'nS, exhibi tions and cat tle sale s ofsurplus dairy stock, e t c ., will be he ld from time to time asoc cas ion offe rs .V. Tow ing and Advisory. Vis its will be paid to pro

vinc ial agricultural c entre s . This should tend towardsc c - ordination ofagricultural work .

VI . Ext ens ion ofbers e em cultivat ion. Se e d ofth e

mos t promis ing fodde r c rop will be obtaine d and dis tributedin suitable distric ts .

22 SCIENTIF IC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH

REPORT OF THE IMPERIAL AGRICULTURALCHEMIST.

(W. A. DAVIS, B.Sc ., INCHARGE.)I . ADM INISTRATION AND TOUR S .

Charge . The Se c tion was in charge ofMr. J Sen,M .A., Supe rnume rary Agricultural Chemis t, up

to February 28th, 1917, when the late Mr. J II . Barne s,B.Sc ,

F .I .C .,F .C .8 , Impe rial Agricultural Chemis t , took

oxe r charge . Mr. Barne s ’ untime ly death onJune 2md

afte r having s e rve d at Pusa only th i s e months willbe fe ltas a gleat los s not only to the Chemical Se c t ion but t oIndian agriculture and Indian s c ienc e . Sinc e 2md June Ihave b e en temporarily in charge ofthe Se c tion in additionto my dutie s as Indigo Re search Chemis t.Es tab lishment . The s e rvic e s ofMr. J Senhave be en

plac e d at the disposal ofthe Gove rnment ofthe Unite dP rovinc e s with e ffe c t from April 13 th to carry out spe c ialwork at the Ghazipur Op ium Fac tory .

Mr. Bhailal M . Amin, Third As s is tant, has be en ond eputation to the Ind igo Research Se c tion from 15th June ,1916. Mr. S. K . Dutt, Eighth Ass is tant, was transfe rre dto the same Se c tion from 4th Jannary,1917.

Tours . Mr. Senwent to Cawnpore in Septembe r,1916,to confe r with the Deputy D ire c tor ofAgriculture , C entralC irc le , Unite d P rovinc e s , onthe que s tion ofdrain - gaugework

'

at Cawnpore and Pusa, and the oc currenc e ofnitrate s and alkali salts in so i ls . A Vis i t was pai d to Juhi

‘

t o witne s s the re c lamation work be ing carrie d out the re .

In D e c embe r Mr. Senvis ite d Cuttack to arrange forcolle c tion ofsoils the re and in Jannary attende d ame e ting ofthe Bihar P lante rs ’ As soc iation .

Mr. Barne s in March went t o Sabour to examine thed iploma candidate s in Chemistry and also Vis it e d Cal

cut ta to discus s with the Profe s sor ofChemistry in the


Gove rnment Pre s idency College the que s ti on ofattrac tingstudents t o Pusaforre s earch work .

In April Mr. Barne s made a tour in the Punjab, vis iting Lyallpur and Lahore . At Lyallpur he s e ttle d the

de tails ofthe work to be done oncanal se epage and at

Lahore attende d two confe renc e s, one onthe problem ofcanal s e epage and wate r - logging in the Punjab and the

o the r onthe re c lamation ofsaline barren land onthe Lowe rBari Doab Canal .

II . METEOROLOGY AND DRAIN - GAUGE S .The work re fe rre d t o in las t year ’s report has be en c on

t inued . Wate rs and c rops from the Cawnpore draingauge s are also be ing analys e d as usual forthe Unite dProvinc e s Department ofAgriculture .

III . GENERAL ANALYTICAL WORK AND AS SI STANCE GIVENTo

OTHER SECTIONS .Eighty - s ix so ils have be en analys e d this year from

d iffe rent sourc e s , 19 sample s 01manure ormate rials Eropos e d as manure s , 75 sample s offe e ding stuffs and 34

sample s ofwat e r . Amongst. the mate rials propos e d as

manure we re spent mohua (Bas s ia lat ifolia) flowerand theash obtaine d by burning the was te tobac co butts fromtobac co fac torie s .Two sample s ofshafted (Trifolium re sup inatum) hay

which had be en reporte d as giving ris e to cas e s ofpo isoning w e re examine d forthe Imp e rial Ec onomic Botanis t,no p oisonous alkaloi d orcyanogene tic glucos ide c ould bede te c te d .

A sample ofolive fruit from a Me dite rranean varie tygrown at Taru was analys e d and found t o c ontain a highcontent ofoil. A sample ofajwan(Carum c op t icum) re s idue , obtaine d in the manu fac ture ofthymol, was analys e d,the re sults po inte d to the poss ibility ofthis re s idue be ingus e d e ithe r as a cattle food ormanure . Ac tual trials toutilize this subs tanc e are in progre s s .

2 4 SCIENTIF IC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHIn addition to the above work as s istanc e has be en ren

de re d to the following Se c tions(1) Ind igo Re s earch Se c t ion. A large numbe r of

soils taken from fields on indigo e state s inBihar, Unite d Provinc e s and As sam have be enanalys e d in conne c tion with the manurial requirement s ofthe se e s tate s (s e e unde r Soils

be low) e spe c ially as regards the defic iency ofavailable phosphate .

(2) Bac t eriological Se c t ion. Sample s ofnitrate s andnitrate liquors we re analyse d and analyse smade ofthe gas e s evolve d during fe rmentation ofindigo .

Entomological Se c tion. Sample s of mulbe rryleave s, e tc .,we re analyse d.

Agricultural Se c t ion. Analys e s we re made ofs tanding c rops ofcane in the various fields ,manure s, e t c .

(5) BotanicalSe c t ion. Sample s offe e ding stuffs andsoi ls we re analyse d.

M e thod s of analys is . Seve ral newly propos e dme thods ofanalys is have be en te ste d during the year . The

me thod propos e d by Ajon ofe s timating potas s ium volumetrically by pre c ip itating as bitartrate and subsequentlytitrating with alkali was found to give unre liable re sults ,the e rror be ing. about 2 p erc ent ., the pe rchlorate me thodas modifie d by Davis s till remaining the most convenientand most ac curate me thod .

The Bertrand me thod ofe s timating sugars, us ing p ermanganate has be en te s te d and found to give re sults often35 p erc ent . in e rror as re c ently s tate d by Davis and Daish ;it s us e at Pusa has the re fore be en dis continue d, Brownand Morris ’ me thod s as modifie d by Davis and Daish be ingintroduc e d .

IV . SOIL S AND NUTRITIVEVALUE orCROP S .A systematic s e rie s ofanalys e s is be ing made ofthe

s o ils ofthe indigo e state s in Bihar . The re sults so far


26 SCIENTIF IC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHme thod . The c itric ac id s till give s good diagnostic ind ications in such case s be cause the pre s enc e ofcalc ium carbonate which lowe rs the value s ofavailable phosphate andpotash in the analys is, also inte rfe re s with the ac tion ofthe so il ac ids 111 bringing insoluble phosphate and potashinto a soluble form suitable to se rve as plant food . InBihar the large inc rease s ofc rop s obtaine d by phosphatemanuring whe reve r ac tual large s cale trials have be e n made ,agre e with the view that the re is a serious d efic iency ofavailable phosphate in the se so ils which greatly limits oroduc tion .

Arrangements have be en made forprac tical trials thisyear at se ve ral indigo fac torie s ofthe efficacy ofmanuringwith supe rphosphate .

Some ve ry inte re sting sample s oftypical hangarandt hat so ils we re s ent forinve s tigation by Mr. C . A. Sil

berrad, B.A., Colle c tor ofGorakhpur. The inferiority ofthe hangarso ils was found to be due to the

pre s enc e ofa large amount ofsand in it and the abs enc eofa prop e r amount oflime in the form ofcarbonate . Noharmful usarsalts we re pre sent. Bhat so ils c ontain mores ilt and le s s sand than bangers and are the re fore more ret ent ive ofmoisture .

The Chemical Advis e r to the Fore s t Re s earch InstituteV i s it e d Pusa in Sept embe r t o s tudy

'

the me thods ofsoil gasanalys is in c onne c tion with the work unde rtaken by the

Fore st Botanist . Apparatus was lent t o him in this conne c t ion.

V. FEEDING STUF F s .

A Bulle tin (No . 70) has be en prepare d summariz ing theanalys e s ofthe nume rous fe e ding stuffs re c e ive d in the

laborato ry ofthe Impe rial Agricultural Chemis t. It‘

is

hope d that th is bulle tin will be us e ful t o those maintainingcattle and horse s as it give s dataforthe fe e ding value s ofmost ofthe Indian fe e ding stuffs .


VI . STARCH .

The expe riments onswe e t potatoe s (Ip omoea batatas )re fe rre d to inlas t year’s report have bee n c ontinue d . Fivevarie tie s we re grown onmanure d and unmanure d soils .The effe c t ofmanuring was c learly marke d in all the plotsand it would appear that the application ofmanure wouldp ay in the cultivation ofswe e t potatoe s .

Las t year’s re sult, that the be s t time ofharve s ting thec rop is the middle ofFebruary, was confirme d this year.The

“

analys e s made show that the pe rc entage ofstarch inthe tube rs c ontinue s to rise till about this t ime ,after whichi t remains prac tically c ons tant . The re was, howeve r, thisyear a we ll - define d inc reas e in the yield oftube rs afterFebruary, probably owing t o rains which fe ll during thefirs t we e k ofFebruary. I t is poss ible that irrigation ofthe c rop during the latte r s tage s ofgrowth would inc reasethe output.A point ofprac tical importanc e is that if the manu

fac ture ofs tarch be taken up onane s tate , i t might be inadvisable to re s tric t manufac ture sole ly to the swee t potatoas the latt e r would be available only during a short pe riod,name ly, about two orthre e months . In Bihar the re is .

anothe r roo t c rop which is also ve ry suitable forthe manufac ture ofstarch and come s onto the marke t at a diffe renttime ofyear. This is the sutlmi (Dios c oreafas c iculata)mentione d in las t year’s report . I f both c rops are utilize dthe manufac ture ofstarch would be continuous fromNovembe r, when the harve s t ofsu thm

' begins, until the end ofJanuary orearly Fe bruary when the c rop ofswe e t potatowould be come available and enable manufac ture to be c ontinne d until March . In July and Augus t a se cond c rop,

ofswe e t potatoe s would be obtaine d and could be utilize d .

A sample ofs tarch manufac ture d from swe e t potato(Ip omaea batatas ) he re has be en ve ry favourably reporte donby M e ss rs . Re ckitt Sons,Lt d ,Hull,who s tate that atthe pre sent time such a produc t would se ll ve ry readily inG reat Britain forindustrial purpose s provide d that the

C

28 SCIENTIF IC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHFoo d Controlle r would allow it to be use d . Me s srs .

Re ckitt s tate that it is d ifficult to expre s s a pre c ise opinionas to it s s e lling value , but i t s e ems probable that it wouldfe tch about £20 p erton.

VII . OCCURRENCE OF INFERTILITY UNDER TREES .I t is we ll known that tre e s often give rise to infe rtile

patche s in the ir ne ighbourhood . Seve ral caus e s may c o

ope rate in this and the que s tion has be en di scuss e d byMr. J N Senin some de tail, and a colle c tion ofdata hasbe en obtaine d in Pusa which throw light onthe que stion.

It is shown that seve ral tre e s, e spe c ially the bamboo andtamarind, bring about a c onc entrat ion ofsoluble salts inthe uppe r laye rs ofthe soil in the ir ne ighbourhood, probably large ly owing to transpiration. Anexamination of

good and bad so i ls ’ in the ne ighbourhoo d oftre e s growingin diffe re nt areas showe d that the good soils gene rally containe d le s s than 03 p erc ent. ofsoluble salts but that badso ils often containe d more than 0-5 p erc ent. The natureofthe soluble salts, howeve r, greatly modifie s the ir effe c t inlimiting fe rtil ity.

VIII . TOBACCO AND TRANSPIRATIONRATIO EXPERIMENT S .Pot and field expe riments we re s tarte d last c old

weathe r t o asc e rtain the e ffe c t ofdiffe rent manures onthe

yie ld,quality and nico tine content oftobac co plants andto asc e rtain the effe c t ofae ration onthe se . The work iss till in progre s s .

The expe riments re fe rre d to in las t year’s report onthere lat ion be twe en transpiration by a plant and the as s imilation ofplant mate rial have be en continue d but not ye tc omple te d .

IX . PROGRAMME orWORK .

Majorsubj e c ts .

1. Continuation ofthe inve s tigations into the amountand nature ofdrainage wate r from fallow land and landbearing c rops .


2 . Continuation ofthe work ontobac co and starch upt o the point ne c e s sary to comple te the pre sent inve s tigation.

3 . Expe riments onthe ham soils ofthe Punjab inconne c t ionwith re c lamation scheme s . This work had be enpropose d by the late Mr. JH. Barnes and i t is liop e d canbe continue d in co llaboration with Mr.Wilsdon, Agricultural Chemis t to the Punjab Gove rnment.

4. Continuat ion ofa survey ofindigo soils .M inorsubj e c ts .

1. Che cking analytical me thods at pre s ent us e d at Pusaagricultural analys is .

X . LIST OF PUBLICATIONS .(1)W. A. Davis The Phosp hat e D e p le t ion ofthe Soils of

Bihar, and it s Cont ingent R isks ofMalnutrit ionand Endem ic Diseas e : AWarning . Agri . Jour. ofIndia,Vol. XII,PartII .

( 2)WA. Davis The Phosphat e De p le t ion ofthe Soils ofBihar: It s Effe c t on the Quality andY ie ld ofCrop s and the Cont ingent R isksofMalnutrit ionand Endemic Dis eas e inCat t le and Man. Agri . Jour. ofIndia,IndianSc ienc e Congre s s Numb er,1917 .

The Influenc e ofthe pre senc e ofCalc iumCarbonat e onthe De t erminat ionofAvailable Phosp horic Ac id inSoils by Dyer

’s

Me thod . Agri . Jour. ofInd ia,Vol. XII,Part II .

(4) J. N. Sen Comp os it ionofsome Ind ianF e e d ing Stufi s .Bulle t in70,AgriculturalR e s earch Ins t itu t e ,Pu sa.

J. N. Sen Some Obs ervat ions on the Oc currenc e ofInfert ility und erTre e s . Agri . Jour. ofInd ia,Vol. XII, Part 111.R e p ort on Agricultural Chemis try forBoard ofSc ient ific Advic e ,


REPORT OF THE IMPERIAL ECONOMICBOTANISTS.

(A. HOWARD, AND GABRIELLEL. C . HOWARD,I . INTRODUCTION.

The Impe rial Economic Botanis t he ld charge ofthese c tion during the year.The work ofthe s taffc ontinue s to be satis fac tory

During ourabsenc e from Pusa, the current work ofthe s e c

tion was carrie d out by the Se cond As s istant, MaulviAbdur Rahman Khan, exc ept fortwo months during the

monsoon of1916when he was onprivilege leave . Duringthis pe riod, his plac e was taken by the Third As s is tant,Choudhry Ram Dhan Singh . Both the se as s istants carrie dout suc c e s s fully a large amount ofre spons ible work . The

Fourth As s is tant,Babu Kashi Ram,has made h imse lf ve ryuse ful in conne c tion with the expe riments onthe drying ofve ge table s .Mr. Jat indraNath Sen, Offic iat ing Impe rial Agricul

tural Chemis t, carrie d out a good many analyse s forthese c tion which have prove d ofcons ide rable use in ourinve s t igat ions .

II . INVESTIGATIONS AT PU SA .

1.Wh eat .Pusa, 12 . The popularity ofPusa 12 c ontinue s to in

c reas e and the d emand fors e e d is s tillmuch greate r thanthe supply. At anearly pe riod ofthe las t harve s t,a largequantity ofthe s e e d ofthis varie ty, grown onthe indigoe s tate s in Bihar, was taken up by Mr. Burt forgene raldis tribution in the Central C irc le ofthe Unite d P rovinc e s .The remainde r was s e cure d by the D ire c tor ofAgricultureforuse in South Bihar .


The demand forbotanically pure s e le c te d se ed ofPusa"

12 forthe purpose ofre s tocking existing see d farms andforopening new c entre s was again ve ry great but i t wasp os s ible to deal with only aportion ofthe indents rec e ive d.In the previous report, the replacement ofthe country

w heats by Pusa12 in the Unite d P rovinc e s was de sc ribe d ind e tail and some re fe renc e was made to the various meanse mploye d . This work was again vigorous ly prose cutedd uring the year particularly in the Central C i rc le and intOudh whe re large compac t blocks ofPusa12 are now to be

s e en at harve s t t ime . Onthe s e e d farms ofthe Ame th i Raj,.anareaoffifty—four ac res yie lde d at the rate of24 maundsto the ac re . Now that the wheat profit s have be en devote dt o the extens ion ofs e e d farms, future progre ss in the Unite dP rovinc e s is like ly to be s till more rapid.

Onthe Chenab Colony ofthe Punjab, the advantage of

g rowing Pusa 12 is beginning to be reali zed . At Gungap ur, one ofthe large private e s tate s in the Colony manage dby Rai Sewak Ram Sahib,Pusa12 is now the main c rop andat harve s t time this year this e s tate alone produc e d ove r

maunds ofthis varie ty . Comparative trials ofPusa12 and Punjab 11onthis e state las t year gave the followingre sults

m S

19 32 p eracre16 18

The plots in each case we re 3 88 ac re s in area. The re is«one drawback, howeve r, to the spread ofthis varie ty onthec anal colonie s, name ly, the fac t that at pre sent the wheatc rop is greatly ove rwate re d . Pusa12 is ade ep—roote d wheatwhich doe s not like too much wate r. At Gungapurthisyear, this wheat gave ove r 12 maunds to the acre onthepre liminary irrigation only. When the Cultivators in this“region prac tise wate r - saving me thods, i t is more thanprobable that the potential supe riority ofthis wheat willbe come more evident.

32 SCIENTIF IC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHPusa12 is now be ing systematically distribute d by the

‘

Agricultural Department in South Bihar whe re it s superiority ove r the local wheat has be en e stablishe d as the

re sult ofnume rous trials . A large amount ofs e e d wassupplie d this year to the D ire c tor ofAgriculture from the

Dholi e state .

One s e t - back to the spread ofPusa12 has to be re c orde d,name ly, the damage done by the lat e rains when the wheatwas onthe thre shing floor. This was mos t s eve re in t heWe s te rn D is tric ts ofthe Unite d P rovinc e s . In Bihar andOudh, thre shing at the se e d farms was fortunate ly com

p le t e d be fore the rains came .

Pusa. 4.Whe re a rapidly maturing wheat is re quire d,Pusa4 is in great demand. In Bunde lkhand,Mr. Burt hasbe en dis tributing this wheat forsome years and afte r las tharve s t it came into the marke t forthe firs t time in bulk.

The avai lable supply was bought up at a subs tantialpremium by Me s s rs . ShawWallac e Co .,foruse in the irmills at Calcutta.

In the Central India State s,a beginning has be en madein the trial ofPusa 4. Ve ry good c rops we re obtaine d,particularly unde r irrigation,and a large r quantity ofs e edis be ing given out forsowing next Octobe r .

The quality ofPusa wheat . In c onne c tion with some

milling and baking trials carrie d out by Mr.Humphrie s atWeybridge , the opportunity was taken ofre - te s ting the

original s to ck ofPusa 4, Pusa 6, and Pusa 12 afte r an.inte rval ofnine gene rations . No change in the milling an(1baking qualitie s could be de te c te d. All thes e thre e wheatsyie lde d exc e llent bread, the loave s from Pusa 6 be ing p er~haps the be s t. This is fortunate as two ve ry promis ingse rie s ofc ross e s onthis varie ty have now be en fixe d and areready forfield trials .

Wheat - bre ed ing. While the Pusa wheats now be inggrown onlarge areas in Indiaare marke dly supe riorto thecountry wheats in yie ld and quality, neve rthe le ss they areby no means the las t word in plant - bre e ding in this c rop


3 4, SCIENTIF IC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHadopte d onthe Dhol i e s tate onthe large s cale , and hasprove d ofthe greate s t us e . P re vious ly, this e state often los tlarge areas ofwheat from a hot s e e d - be d .

2. Tobac c o.

Thei

increasing popularity ofType 28 forc igare tte s inmany ofthe tobac co - produc ing dis tric ts ofIndiaandBurmamentione d in the las t report has become s till more marke dd uring the las t twe lve months . Not only forc igare ttemanufac ture but also forgene ral use , the cultivat ion ofthist ype continue s to spread. The indents fors e e d are increasing both in numbe rs and in the total we ight require d . Fromall s ide s favourable re sults are reporte d. The princ ipalagent ofdis tribution is the branch ofthe P eninsularTobac co Company at Dals ing Se rai inNorth Bihar whe rethe s e e d given out to ryots in the pre sent year was muchgreate r than in 1916. Nume rous indents from South Bihar,the Unite d P rovinc e s, Punjab, Bengal and Burma we realso re c e ive d. To me e t the inc reas ing demand fors ee d, itwas ne c e s sary to pos tpone the plant- bre e ding work in thisc rop las t year and to devote the area s e t as ide forthis inve s t igat ionto the growth ofse e d fordis tribution.

3 . F ibre s .Cons ide rable progre s s has to be reporte d onthe Mende

lian work in conne c tion with the varie tie s ofRose lle(Hthisoa-

s Sabdarifia). The game tic cons titution ofthe

four varie tie s de sc ribe d in the Botanical Se rie s ofthe

M emo irs ofthe D ep artment ofAgriculture in Ind ia,(Vol. IV,No . 2) has prove d to be exc e e dingly complex and ave ry large numbe r ofunit spe c ie s has now be en isolate d inpure culture . The unrave lling ofthe various problemsinvolve d in this work will shortly reach a s tage when it willbe pos s ible to commi t the re sults to pape r.In the case ofp atwa (Hibis cus cannabinus ),animprove d

varie ty ofwhich was brought out some years ago unde r thed e s ignation ofType 3 , furthe r promis ing reports have be enre c e ive d from various parts ofIndia. The s e reports, how


e ve r, we re almos t invariably ac companie d by reque s ts forlarge r quantitie s ofs e e d true to type . A large indent camefrom the Gove rnment ofJava. Only a frac tion ofthe s e e daske d forcould, howeve r, be supplie d in spite ofa fairlysatis fac tory yie ld las t harve s t . Ane itort is be ing made thisyear

”

to inc rease the area unde r Type 3 so as to me e t themore important indents which have had to be postpone d.

4. Ind igo.

The re sults so farobtaine d onthe improvement ofindigoin Bihar and the work in progre s s onthis c rop we re summe dup in the Third R ep ort onthe Improvement ofInd igo inBiharwhich was publishe d as Bulle tinNo . 67. Sinc e thisappeare d, some furthe r re sults we re de sc ribe d in a pape ron the e c onomic s ignificanc e 0fthe root - d evelopment ofagricultural crop s read at the Indian Sc ienc e Congre s s atBangalore las t January.

One ofthe problems re lating to the indigo indus try,name ly, the se e d supply, has c ontinue d to re c e ive attentionat Pusa. The conditions found to be ne c e s saryfors e e d produc tion unde r Bihar conditions are the following : (1) thetype ofplant se le c te d mus t be a rapidly - growing, earlyflowering, bushy form with a large proportion ofthe late ralroots c omparative ly near the surfac e , (2) the se e d mus t bes own in early Augus t onhigh - lying, we ll - draine d land ingood c ondition, (3) the surfac e so il mus t be c ons tantly cultiyate d during the monsoon phas e to promote abundant ae rat ion ofthe roots ofthe young c rop, (4) afte r the hathia, thec rop mus t be de eply cultivate d and till se e d formation isc omple te ,any rain c rus ts forme d mus t be broken up , (5) theplants mus t be we ll spac e d from the beginning so that theycanbranch fre e ly and the flowers forme d canbe vis ite d bybe e s, (6) the cultivation should be so conduc te d that flowering take s plac e be twe en the middle ofOc tobe r and the endofNovembe r by which date the plants should be fully loade dw ith pods . P roc ee ding onthe se princ iple s, a s ee d c rop ofove r s ixte en maunds to the ac re was obtaine d las t s eason,t he highe st yie ld so farobtaine d at Pusa.

36 SCIENTIF IC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHThe effe c t ofimprove d soil ae ration onthe produc tion of

s e e d in Java indigo (which has be en notic e d at Pusa) isbe coming evident e lsewhe re . At Dehra Dun, whe re ourse le c ted indigo s are be ing grown fors e e d ondraine d land,the favourable effe c t ofthe drains onthe growth of

_

the plantis ve ry marke d . At Ranchi,Mr. G . M ilne , D ire c torofAgriculture , Bihar and Oris sa, reporte d aninte res tingcas e whe re a field cfs e e d indigo faile d exc ept whe re largequantitie s ofbroken bricks had be en adde d to the so il.A s tudy ofthe botanical cons titution ofthe Java c rop

yie ld e d some inte re s ting information particularly withregard to the root- system ofthe various type s . All thetype s examine d we re found to pos se s s the de ep anchoringroot. In addition, a gene ral corre spondenc e be twee n the

mode s ofbranching ofthe roo t and ofthe s temwas obse rve d.In the bush type s,which branch at right angle s to the axis,the late ral roots are also given offat right angle s to the

main tap root. In the ve rtical type s,whose branche s ariseat anacute angle from the s tem, the late ral roots arise atanangle ve ry s imilar to that ofthe branche s .The following type s ofroot deve lopment have up to the

pre sent be en found

(1) Early bush typ e s in which nearly all the late ralroots are at right angle s and are conc entrate dnear the surfac e .

(2) Early typ e s with a vert ical habit in'

which nearlyall the late ral roots are conc entrate d near thesurfac e but allpo int downwards .

Lat e bushyforms in which the re 1s a deve lopmentoflate ral roots from the surfac e to a greatdis tanc e down the main root.

(4) Lat e typ e s ofvert ical habit with late ral roots ,

pointing downwards aris ing at regular inte rvalsdown the long main root .

(5) Tgp e s with hardly any s id e branches but a de e ptap root. The s e type s s carc e ly branch at all

e ithe r above orbe low ground .


It will be obvious that i f ae ration is ofany importanc e ,the type which will thrive be s t in the monsoon in Bihar istype 1and that type 2 will be the next be st . Even ifthelowe r portion ofthe root - sys tem in the se type s is asp hyxiate d, the uppe r portion would be suffic ient to carry ongrowth . P lants be longing to type s 3 and 4 would lose alarge portion ofthe ir root - sys tem and e ven i f they coulds truggle onwouldno t thrive . P lants ofthe fifth type would.

be kille d out . Expe rienc e shows that this is the case .

Rapidly—growing, bushy indigos with mos t ofthe rootsys tem near the sur fac e , have suc c e s s fully withs tood themonsoon, while de ep - rooting type s be longing to c las s e s 3,4and 5 have die d out .

5 . Gram.

Afte r the heavy monsoon of1916, the land at sowingtime at Pusa was much too we t forgram cultivation. As .

was expe c te d, the growth was ve ry luxuriant but the yie ldofs e e d was farbe low the ave rage . It is only oc cas ionallythat the highe s t and drie s t plots at Pusa are in the rightcondition forte s ting gram varie tie s . This c ircumstanc ehas greatly hinde re d the work onthis c rop . A large numbe rofvarie tie s have be en isolate d, some ofwhich are ve ry promis ing, but it is exc e e dingly d ifficult to carry out the finaltrials foryie ld and to e liminate the le s s effi c ient type s . Asthis Work has now be en hung?up fors eve ral years , it ishope d to make suitable arrangements forthe trials in theUnite d P rovinc e s .

6.Oil- s e ed s .It appears from the lite rature that up to the pre s entno

arrangements have be en made ona prac tical s cale to havethe s e e d ofsafflower(Carthamus t inc torius ) examine d withaView to it s utili zation in the arts . The se e d is rich in oil

which at pre s ent is sai d to be large ly use d foradulte ratingghi. As it is probable that the oilmay be ofus e in wate rproofing c loth, a cons ignment

‘

ofabout a tonhas be en sentto England forfull te s ts unde r fac tory conditions . I f thes e e ds prove ofvalue in Great Britain, it will not be a dith

38 SCIENTIF IC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHcult matte r to work up anexport trade and to make use ofsome ofthe improve d type s ofthis c rop isolate d at Pusa.

Cons i de rable progre s s was made during the year in thepre liminary clas s ificat ionofthe various type s ofIndianlins e e d so as to furnish suitable mate rial forthe furthe rs tudy ofthis c rop . It is hope d to comple te this introduc torywork during the next m bi s eason . A large numbe r offormshave be en isolate d, and as was expe c te d, the range in root(deve lopment is ve ry great.

7 . Sc il-aeration.During the year unde r review,a large body ofevidenc e

insupport ofourpublishe d Views onso il - ae ration has ac cumulat e d . Confirmatory re sults from the cultural andanat omical s tandpo ints have be en publishe d in GreatBritain by one ofP ro fe s sor Potte r’s s tudents . In India, thed ependenc e ofquality onsoil - ae ration has be en confirme dby Mr. Cl'cms ton’s expe riments oncotton, sugarcane , and;ground - nuts at Chandkhuri near Raipur onthe bhata soilsofthe Central Provinc e s . At Pusa, a s tudy ofthe rootsys tems ofthe type s oflins e e d,Rose lle , patwa, wheat andJava indigo has shown that all the varie tie s which reallyd o we ll onthe Bihar alluvium are surfac e - roote d kinds,while onthe othe r hand the forms which do not thrive arede ep roote d. The fac ts so farbrought to light indicate theall importanc e ofsoil aerafilonduring the monsoon phaseand also confirm ouri deas onthe gene ral imp ortanc e ofthi sfac tor. The addition ofone inch ofpotshe rds (thikra) tothe heavy soils ofthe Botanical areahas led to a c ons ide rable inc rease inthe yie ld ofgrain p erac re— inthe cas e ofc ats the inc rement was 366lh. p erac re , in wheat 269 lb. p erac re .

III . THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE AGRICULTURE OFBALUCHISTAN.

Thanks to the inc reas e d fac ilitie s provide d by the

Baluchistan Administration and the effe c tive cc - ope ration

INSTITUTE , PUSA, FOR 191617

ofthe Army, the agricultural work carrie d out at the Frui t.Expe riment Station at Que tta has bee n extende d ve ry cons iderably during the year . The distric t work among thecultivators has ne c e s s itate d the appo intment ofa Trave lling Ins truc tor in Agriculture while the fodde r expe rimentsin progre s s with the Army have involve d extra expenditureonpre s se s and s e e d . The cos t ofthe expe riments ony egetable drying has be en me t by a grant from ArmyHeadquarte rs , Simla, while the fodde r trials have be en financ e dfrom anadvanc e offive thousand rupe e s from the As s istantD ire c tor ofSupplie s and Transport, Fourth (Que tta) D ivis ion . The supply offruit boxe s to the public has be en madeposs ible by means oftemporary loans from the Treasury.

1. Th e saving ofirrigat ionwat er.The princ iple s unde rlying wate r - saving we re re fe rre d

to in de tail in the las t Annual Report as we ll as the re sultofa trial ofthe new sys tem onthe fields ofa z amindar.During the pas t year, the demonstration work has be enextende d cons i de rably near Que ttaand trials have also be encarrie d out by the Political Agent at P ishin and by the

Irrigation Offic erat Khushdil Khan . In spite ofthe fac tthat the winte r rains las t season we re le ss than half theave rage , none ofthe demons tration c rops faile d and in allcas e s the wheat reache d maturity and good yie lds we reobtaine d, in some case s ove r 20maunds to the ac re . The suc

c e s s ofthe new me thods,when carrie d out unde r cultivators ’condit ions, is now as sure d and the i r gene ral adoption isonly a que s tion oftime . In conne c tion with the se trials i tis satis fac tory to note that the people are taking to the leve rharrows forc rus t - breaking and are favourably impre s s e dby the rate at which irrigate d land canbe dealt with by thecombine d us e ofthe five tine spring - tooth cultivator and theleve lling beam. Forthe ope rations c onne c te d with tilthproduc tion and wate r saving prior to sowing, the springtooth cultivator is e s sential and it s use in areas like t heP ish in Valley will multiply the available cattle powe r by a

40 SCIENTIF IC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHfac tor lying be twe en 2 and 3 . The Irrigation Departmenti s co ope rating in the work ofbringing the new me thods tot he notic e ofthe people and in teaching them the prope r use:ofthe leve r - harrow and spring - tooth cultivator.In addition to the discove ryofthe be s t means ofutilizing

t he pre liminary irrigation; othe r aspe c ts ofwate r savinghave be en inve s tigate d at Que tta. The re sults we re p ublishe d in a bulle tin entitle d The irrigat ionofalluvial 3 0213which was afte rwards reprinte d in the AgriculturalJourhal ofInd ia. In this pape r, the pre sent me thods ofirrigation in Baluchistan and the plains ofIndiawe re cons idere d as we ll as the c onditions unde rlying any suc c e s sfulmodificat ionofexis ting prac tic e s . What is wante d is a

s ys tem which fulfills the following conditions :(1) The amount ofwate r use d mus t be as small as

poss ible and the losse s in the channe ls must bere duc e d to the lowe s t point.

(2) The me thod ofdis tribution mus t be s imple andinexpens ive and mus t be de s igne d to admit ofthe use oflabour—savmg devic e s such as harrowsand reape rs .

(3) The sys tem mus t admi t ofsurfac e - dm inage foreach field during the rains,and i t mus t be suchas to prevent the produc tion ofalkali salts .

The me thod mus t be such as to as s is t the proc e s s ofgre en -manuring in those areas whe re this isposs ible .

A me thod ofirrigation bas e d onthe se princ iple s hasbe en worke d out at Que tta‘ which appears to be a c ons ide rable improvement onpre sent prac tic e s . The chie f pointsin the me thod are the be tte r grading ofthe land to be i rrigate d, the us e oflong c ompartments wate re d from one end,the provis ion ofsurfac e drainage whe re ne c e s sary, the

improvement ofthe field channe ls and the control ofthewate r by means ofthe canvas dam. This pap e r has re c e ive da good deal offavourable notic e in the pre s s and applicat ions fora c ons ide rable numbe r ofcopie s have be en re c e ive d


42 SCIENTIF IC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHR e sult s ofwat ersaving exp eriment s on wheat (Pu sa 12) at

Gangap ur,Harip urand Sargodha in1916- Z7— c ontd .

Y ie ld p eracre Average y ie ld p eracreStat ion

Gram Bhusa Bbusa

Gungapur 18 O 25 8

Haripur 15 21 23 16 16 ll 25 5

Sargodha 15 123 26 32; J

Gungapur Thre e 14 25 18 O

Haripur 16 8 26 4

Similar re sults we re obtaine d during the las t cold weathe r at Mirp urkhas in Sind by Mr. T. F . Main, DeputyD i re c tor ofAgriculture in Sind.

In the ordinary way, the Punjabi cultivator irrigate sfour time s forwheat— onc e forthe pre liminary preparation and thre e time s afte rwards . So inexpe rt are his

me thods that the firs t wate ring doe s little more than germinate the c rop and carry it through the s e e dling s tage .

At anearly pe riod ofdeve lopment, a s e cond wate ring isne c e s sary often followe d by two mca e afte r the NewYear and the las t to c omple te the ripening proc e ss . Whenwate r is short, only two wate rings are given afte r sowing.At Gungap ur,ayie ld ofove r twe lve maunds to the ac re wasobtained onthe rawam’

only, a re sult which one ofus wasinforme d in 1916was quite impos s ible . Ve ry good wheatc rops canbe obtaine d onthe Canal Colonie s with two irrigat ions and it is pos s ible to save one - third to half the waternow us e d. Similar re sults are pos s ible onthe re s t ofth ealluvium and to a cons ide rable extent also onthe soils oftheP eninsula. Trans late d into money, this re sult runs intolarge figure s . The annual revenue de rive d from Gove rnment irrigation works in India is about s te rling.

INSTITUTE , PUSA , FOR '

1916-17

In addition, the re are nume rous private irrigation works aswe ll as a large numbe r in the Native State s . Taking theIndian Empire as awhole , the re canbe no que s tion that thewate r was te d e ve ry year would, i f us e d to the be s t advantage , bring in a ve ry large dire c t revenue to the State . Thisofcours e is only one aspe c t ofthe cas e . Inc rease d produc ~tion means more s e e d to be move d by rail,more due s at theports and a great s timulation oftrade following the

inc reas e d spending powe r ofthe pe ople . A good deal ofwork will be ne c e s sary be fore India canreap the full re sultsofthe se expe riments . Proposals forthe furthe r deve lopment ofthe work have be en submitte d to the Gove rnment ofIndia.

2 . Th e improvement offod d erproduc tion.In the las t report, a de tai le d ac c ount was given ofthe

pre liminary trials with bale d shafted (Trifoliumre sup inatum) which had be en carrie d out by various units oft heFourth D ivis ion. D uring the year, the s e trials we re cons id erably extende d and 645 maunds ofshaftal hay we resupplie d fortrials to various units , the de tails re lating tothe te s ts be ing supe rvis e d by Brigadie r - G ene ral Cook,E.G .A. The re sults ofthe s e large scale e xpe riments we reexc e e dingly satis fac tory . The Revenue Commis s ione r hasarrange d fora hundre d ac re s ofshaftal to be sown nearHarnai which will be drie d and bale d next year fortheQue tta Garrison . The introduc t ionofthis fodde r intotheHarnai Valley is expe c te d to provide a us e ful rotationc rop and to inc rease the yie ld ofthe c e reals now almos t exclus ively grown in this trac t . In othe r re spe c ts,Harnai isa ve ry su itable plac e forthis work . Wate r is abundantand it is s ituate d at the rail - head ofthe Loralai FortSandeman road . The mil itary advantage obtaine d by theuse ofsuch fodde rs is a re duc tion ofabout thirty p erc ent.in the total we ight offorage carrie d onac tive se rvic e .

With awide r expe rienc e ofthe cultivation ofleguminous

’ fodde r c rops unde r Que tta conditions , the dependenc eofthe yie ld on so il ae ration has become more and more

D

44 SCIENTIF IC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHmarke d. In the cas e ofluc e rne , the withholding ofirrigationd uring the re s ting pe riod marke dly inc reas e s the yie ld thefollowing year . The re s t from surfac e —fiooding during thewinte r enable s the so il to regain it s tilth in a remarkableway. The re s toration ofthe tilth is shown by the leve lgrowth all ove r the area and the small e dge e ffe c ts . P lot swhich have be en irrigate d during the winte r, onthe othe rhand, always show pronounc e d e dge e ffe c ts and only growWe ll next to the earth bunds s eparating the irrigation c om

partment s . In the cas e ofshafted , soil - ae ration has be enfound to be exc e e dingly important at sowing time and thec rop e s tablishe s its e lf farmore readily ona re c ently cult iyate d surfac e than unde r a c rop ofmaize orjuar, the so ilOfwhich has be en consolidate d by s eve ral wate rings . The

pre s enc e ofae rating agents in the soil also inc rease s the li feofthe c rop and the total yie ld offodde r and s e e d . A goodd eal ofwork is in progre s s onthe se matte rs which promise sinte re s ting re sults .

During the las t five years , cons ide rable quantitie s ofgre en fodde r,mos tly sha/tal, have be en sold to the MilitaryDairy at Que tta. Shaftalis much appre c iate d at this Dairyonac c ount ofit s value in milk produc tion . The Manage rofthe Dairy, Mr. JH. R i ddick,’ re ferre d to this matte r inhis report for1916as follows

Mr. Albert Howard , M .A,, Imp erial Ec onomic

Botanis t , has ass is t e d the Dairy by d isp os ing ofthe whole ofthe

gre enfodd ergrownat the Fru it Exp eriment Stat iont o the Dairyauthorit ie s , whic h re sulte d ina mos t sat isfac tory increase in the

milk yie ld ofthe animals at the Que t ta Dairy. His advic e onimprove d irrigationme thod s and with regard t o otheragriculturalimprovement s has be enofmuch as s is tanc e to the management .

3 . Th e sun- drying ofvege table s .One ofthe d ifficult ie s encounte re d inconne c tion with t he

supplie s ne e de d by the Army ofM e sopotamia has be en theprovis ion ofvege table s forthe troops . In the fre sh cond ition, transport is d ifficult and expens ive and involve s the useofcold s torage at s ea and at the bas e . In 1916, the Bota


nicalSe c tion ofthe PusaIns titute was aske d by the Quarte rMas te r G ene ral to sugge st means ofove rcoming this dithculty. The sugge s tion was made that the ve ge table s shouldbe drie d in the sunat suitable plac e s ontheWe ste rn Frontie rbe fore de spatch toMe sopotamia. We unde rtook to work outthe de tails ofthe proc e ss at Que tta,whe re the airis exc e e dingly dry,and to as s is t the Army in the work in the event ofthe me thod be ing taken up onthe large s cale . Afte r aninte rview with Gene ral Vaughan,D ire c tor ofSupplie s andTransport,at De lhi in March,this was agre e d to and agrantto cove r the cos t ofthe expe riments was plac e d at ourdisposal by the Army . While arrangements forthe work we reunde r discus s ion,Baghdad was taken and the Army oc c u

pie d a fe rtile“ region from which supplie s offre sh ve ge table scould be obtaine d . The ope rations onthe large scale ,whichhad be en de c ide d upon at Que tta,we re ac c ordingly revise d .

It was dec i de d to cont inue the work but ona smalle r s caleand to dry suffic ient produc e forthe Aden garrison forayear . A portion ofthe vege table s ne c e s sary we re grown atQue ttaby the Army, the remainde r at Dhadar and Mus tungby the Kalat State .

The firs t s tep in the proc e s s was the working out ofasuitable me thod ofdrying ve ge table s in the sun. This wastaken in hand early in the s eason in April and May. The

work was prac tically comple te d by the middle ofJune andfull de tails we re supplie d to the Army be fore the ve ge table sat Que tta and Mus tung we re ready. A large numbe r ofvege table s, both European and Indian, we re suc c e s s fullyd rie d, the cooke d produc t in nearly e ve ry cas e be ing almos tindis tingu ishable from fre sh .

As drie d vege table s are ve ry bulky, i t was ne ce s sary tofind some cheap me thod ofs t oring and transporting the produc e . This was ac compli she d by s teaming and pre s s ing intobricks , one pound in we ight and ofsuch a s ize that theycould be packe d into ke ros ine tins which c ould then be

solde re d . Forth is purpose , a su itable pre s s had to be

de s igne d . The re sult ofthis portion ofthe inve s tigationwas a great suc c e s s and re duc e d the spac e taken up by the

D 2

46 SCIENTIF IC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHproduc t to about one s eventh . Packe d in this manne r, it ispos s ible to compre s s the we ekly supply ofvege table s ne c e ssary fora battalion onac tive s e rvic e into twe lve ke ros inetins which canbe transporte d by two mule s . At the time ofwriting

, the proc e s s is in full ope ration in the Que tta Cantonment s whe re a large drying ground has be en arrange dby the Army.

The vege table drying expe riments have arous e d a greatdeal ofinte re s t among the z amindars , a large numbe r ofwhom have vis ite d the drying ground. A de taile d report ofthe proc e s s is now in the pre s s and it is propose d to hathis trans late d into Urdu forlocal c i rculation . The re ise very prospe c t that the work will lead to the foundation ofanew local indus try .

4. Fruit—pack ing.

The sale ofimprove d frui t boxe s to the public during theyear exc e e de d all expe c tations . It was s tate d in the las tre port that a large supply had be en procure d for1916morethan suffic ient to me e t any demand that was like ly to aris e .

Early in the s eason, howeve r, the sale s inc reas e d so rapidlythat it was d ifficult forthe s taff available to plac e the boxe s .

onthe marke t fast enough . The Indian trade rs bought upall the c rate s and punne ts be fore the s eason was hal f ove rand only a few peach boxe s we re carrie d ove r for1917 .

During the s eason, boxe s and 366 punne ts we re sold,the proc e e ds amounting to Rs . Had the s tock be enlarge r, boxe s to the value ofat leas t Rs . would havebe en sold. The Indian deale rs have now realize d the valueofthe

'

two —pound punne t, su itably arrange d in c rate s, forthe transport ofgrape s . By means ofthe s e c rate s,Baluchis tangrape s reach d is tant c itie s ofIndia like Madras,Bombay and Calcutta without damage . In consequenc e ,the demand from Indiahas inc reas e d and is l ikely to inc reas es till furthe r . The only thing ne e de d fors timulating the

grape trade was a su itable me thod ofpacking fortransportand this hasnow be en provide d . The valleys ofBaluchistanare eminently suitable forthe cultivation ofgrape s . The


c rop e s cape s the early fros ts and l ittle i rrigation wate r isne e de d as the plants are grown in de ep trenche s prote c te dfrom the drying w inds . Ve ry rare ly is the c rop damage dby rain during the ripening pe riod . As re gards the marke t,t his is provide d by the te eming population ofIndia,a largeproportion ofwhom are vege tarians who are willing to payg ood pric e s forthis fruit .Baluchistan labours unde r one disadvantage as a fruit

produc ing area. This is the abs enc e ofa supply ofcheapwood forthe fruit boxe s . The wood has e ithe r to be broughtby s ea fromNorway ore ls e haule d ac ros s the Punjab fromt heValleys oftheHimalayas . The cos t offre ight onthe

box boards will always mi litate agains t the use ofthe light,

non- re turnable package which is only us e d onc e . A me thodofge tting ove r the d ifficulty is to us e s tronge r c rate s and toarrange forthe ir re turn to Que tta so that they canbe us edo ve r and ove r again . I f ac rate would las tfor20 to 30 doublejourneys to and from Que tta,the cos t ofthe package p ertripwouldnot be ve ry great. It might then eas ily pay the mores ubstantial me rchants to p ut a c e rtain amount ofthe irc apital into we ll made c rate s . A suitable re turnable c ratehas be en de s igne d and has be en onthe marke t forthe las ttwo orthre e years . It s exte ns ive adoption, howeve r, washampe re d by the rule s inforce onthe railways re lating tot he we ighing ofc ons ignments and to the re turn ofemptie s .

Through the good offic e s ofthe P re s i dent ofthe RailwayBoard, the se obs tac le s have be en remove d . Two sugge s tedc onc e s s ions forthe frui t trade re c e ive d the support oftheRailway Board at the las t me e ting ofthe Railway Confe re nc e As soc iation at Simla. The se we re that cons ignmentsoffru it should be groupe d forpurpos e s ofcharge and thatre turnable package s ,approve d by the NorthWe ste rn Railway, should be re turne d fre e ofcharge to Que tta, Gul is tanorChaman. This was agre e d to by allthe chie f railways inIndia. During the pre sent year the Agent (SirRobe rtGale s) and the Traffic Manage r (Mr. Boalth) vis ite d the

F rui t Expe riment Station at Que tta and agre e d tore commend to the othe r railways that the cardboard boxe s as we ll

48 SCIENTIF IC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHas the re turnable c rate s should be re turne d fre e . The sec onc e s s ions are greatly appre c iate d by the fruit trade andare c e rtain to he lp mate rially in the improvement oftheindus try.

5 . Th e propagat ionoffruit tre e s .When the deve lopment ofthe fruit indus try in Balu

chis tanwas firs t cons ide re d, the line ofadvanc e appeare d t obe in the dire c tion ofimprove d packing . It was argue dthat i f the fruit at pre s ent produc e d could be s ent to the

more dis tant Indian marke ts and sold to advantage , thed emand forsuch produc e would inc rease and the extens ionofthe area unde r frui t would follow. The se antic ipationshave be en realize d and the demand fornurs e ry s tock is nowve ry great and is like ly to remain so forsome years . To

me e t this , a cons ide rable amount ofattention has be en pai dduring the las t few years to working out the be st me thods ofpropagation unde r Que tta c onditions .

Stocks . The fi rs t po int taken up in 1911was a s tudyofs tocks . Forthis purpos e , all the pos s ible s tocks we rec olle c te d in 1912 and plante d out s i de by s ide in a spe c ials tock plot . The obj e c t ofthis was to compare the ir growthand behaviour unde r field c onditions . To bring out anyd ifferenc e s, a pie c e ofland was s e le c te d which was not in ave ry good condition as regards tilth and fe rtility . Almostfrom the ve ry beginning re sults began to ac cumulate It

was soon evident that the s tocks use d onthe damp s oils ofGreat Britain and the North ofFranc e we re quite unsui table forthe hot , dry soils ofBaluchis tan . Stocks like theBlack Damask and the Mazzard, which are so much use d inGreat Britain, are us e le s s forQue tta. This at onc e ex

plaine d why the peache s , ne c tarine s, plums and apric otsworke d onthe forme r which have be en introduc e d in suchlarge numbe rs from Europe in the past have not done we llinBaluchistan even unde r garden c onditions . Che rr i e sbudde d onthe Mazzard have only done we ll onthe mos tfavoure d spots whe re the roots are leas t affe c te d by the h ightempe rature ofthe soi l . Onthe othe r hand, such s tocks as


50 SCIENTIF IC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH—soil - ae ration and soil - tempe rature . The so il- tempe raturefac tor canbe kept in che ck by sur fac e flooding when the soilis kept cool by evaporation . This, howeve r, de s troys theae ration and leads to poor growth . I f the wate r supply iskep t too low, the so il warms up and the roots ofthe

young tre e s are afie c t e d by tempe rature . A satis fac toryworking compromise be twe en the various conflic t ing fac torshas be en trie d forthe las t two years . To save wate r and topromote so il—ae ration, furrow irrigation has be en adopte d .

To ke ep the ground be twe en the rows cool, the soil is mulche din May be fore the hot weathe r begins with a de ep c ove ringofa leguminous we e d known as busunduh (Sop hom ( de p e

euroid e s ) . This has be en found t o be suc c e s s ful even withs e e dling apricots which are e xc e e dingly sens itive to the

high tempe rature s ofthe so il in June and July.

As the re sults obtaine d in the propagation offruit tre e sat Que tta are like ly to be ofmore than local inte re s t inIndia, a bulle tin dealing with the se matters has be en prepare d forpublication . It might eas ily pay in extend ingfrui t culture in Kumaon,Kulu and Kashmir to import sui table s tocks in bulk and to bud them locally. In this way, theinitial expense in e s tablishing orchards would be greatlyre duc e d .

IV . PROGRAMME AND PUBLICATIONS .Programme ofwork for1917 -18 .

Work will be c ontinue d onthe following c rops onthel ine s indicate d in the annual reports and in the publicationsofthe is e c t ion— wheat, tobac co, gram, fibre plants, indigo,o il- s e e ds , fodde r c rops and fruit .

Publications .

The following pape rs we re publishe d during the year .In orde r to bring the list up to date ,allpape rs lnthe pre s swhich are re fe rre d to in this report have be en inc lude d

1. Third re p ort on the improvement of ind igo in Bihar.Bulle t in67, AgriculturalRe s earch Ins titu t e ,Pu sa, 1916.


2 . The influenc e ofthe weatheronthe yie ld ofwheat. Agri ~cultural Journal ofInd ia,Vol. XI 1916, p . 351.

The e c onomic significanc e ofth e root - d eve lopment ofagric ultural crop s . A pap erread at the Indian Sc ienc eCongre ss, Bangalore , 1917, and p ublishe d inthe Sp e c ialSc ienc e Congre s s Numb erofthe Agricultural Journal ofIndia,1917 .

The agricultural d eve lopment ofNorth -We st India. 4

pap erread at the Ind ianSc ienc e Congre s s,Bangalore ,1917,and publishe d inthe Sp e c ial Sc ienc e Congre ss Numberofthe Agric ultumlJournalofIndia,

‘

1917 .

5 . Leguminous crop s lIl d e s ert agric ulture . Bulle tm 6, Frw t

Exp eriment Station, Qu e t ta, 1916. Re print e d inthe Agric ultural Journal Q)‘ Ind ia,Vol. XII, 1917, p . 27 .

‘6. The irrigat ionofalluvial soils . Bulle tin7, Fruit Exp ertm ent Station, Qu e t ta, 1917 ,

Reprint e d in the Agricultural Journal ofInd ia,Vol. XII, 1917, p . 185 .

The sun- drying ofvege table s . Bulle t in8,Fruit Exp erimentStation, Que t ta, 1917 .

52 SCIENTIF IC-

REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH

REPORT OF THE IMPERIAL MYCOLOGIST.

(E.J. BUTLER, M .E.,

I . CHARGE AND ESTABLISHMENT .I he ld charge ofthe Se c tion throughout the year, and

Dr. F . J. F . Shaw, D .Sc ., remaine d as

Se cond Impe rial Mycologis t . Dr. Shaw was absent onacours e ofmuske try ins truc tion at Pachmarhi, unde r theIndian D e fenc e Forc e Ac t , during April , 1917. BabuN. N Muke rj i was appointe d s e cond c le rk in plac e ofBabuN. C . Sen, from Augus t 2nd . Mr. S. N. Mitra, Se condAs s is tant, and Babu P . C . Kar, Fie ldman, re turne d froms e rvic e unde r the Military D epartment in Me sopotamia onNovembe r l6th and the ir work in the campaignagains t flie swas well reported onby the ir supe rior offic ers . Dr. Shawre c e ive d the degre e ofD .Sc .,forre s earch in Botany, fromthe London Unive rs ity during the year and Mr. J F . Das

tur, Firs t As s istant, that ofM .Sc ., with dis tinc tion, inBotany, from the Bombay Unive rs ity.

11. TRAINING .

Mr. Deoki Nandan, B.A., attende d the Se ction as a private s tudent up to the end ofSeptembe r. Mr.S. C . Bos e ,As s is tant to the Mycologis t, Indian TeaAs soc iat ion, was given a spec ial cours e in laboratory te chniquefrom April 16th to May 16th . Lala Kripa Ram, L.Ag.,

As s is tant to the Economic Botanist,Punjab,has be en unde rgoinga spe c ial c ours e oftraining s inc e April 18th, 1917.

Mr. G . S. Che ema,M .s c ., Re s earch Scholar ofthe PunjabUnivers ity, was pe rmitte d by the Unive rs ity to c ommenc ere s earch work onplant dis ease s in the Mycological Se c tionat Pusa during the vacation . He remaine d from June 1s tto 27th, 1917.

III . MYCOLOGICAL CONFERENCE.

A combine d confe renc e ofMycologis ts and Entomologis ts was he ld at Pusa in Fe bruary. The re we re jo int


me e tings onthe 5 th, when the proc e e dings we re opene d bythe Agricultural Advis e r, and onthe 9th, to dis cus s theRome Phytopathological Convention of1914; onthe othe rdays the Myc ologis ts me t s eparate ly, and the s ittings t erminat e d onthe l0th . P rac tically all those inte re s te d inEconomic Mycology in India attende d and much us e fulwork was got through . This was the firs t oc cas ion onwhichanattempt was made to bring toge the r all the worke rs inthe sc ienc e in this country ; the re sponse and inte re st takenin the proc e e dings we re mos t grati fying ; and it is hope dto arrange s imilar mee tings at pe ri odical inte rvals, as partofa large r s cheme fors e c tional me e tings to be dis cus s e d atthe next me e ting ofthe Board ofAgriculture . A report ofthe proc e e dings is in the pre ss .

IV. D ISEASES OF PLANT S .The inve s tigation and the demons tration ofme thods of

control ofplant diseas e s forme d, as usual, t he major partofthe work ofthe Se c tion . CrOp paras ite s we re c olle c te dand id ent ified and advic e given to the offic ers ofthe Department and the gene ral publ ic as oc cas ion re quired .

(1) Pad dy d is eas e s . The inve s tigation ofufm , a

d is eas e cause d by ane e lworm, Tylenchus angus tus , Butt ,was continue d, in collaboration with the offic ers ofthe Bengal Department ofAgriculture . During the pas t year, i thas be en trac e d ac ross the Meghna into the dis tric ts ofBackerganj and Faridpur, extending we s twards as farasthe rive r Madhumat i. The areanow known to be infe c te dis , from eas t to we s t, from the Mahari r ive r,near the Chittagong borde r ofNoakhali, to the Backerganj -Khulnaboundary, and, from south to north, from nearNoakhali town, tothe Dac ca-Mymens ingh boundary . Extens ion into Mymens ingh, Khulna and Sylhe t is probably going on. The Col

le c tor ofDac ca reporte d that part ofthe winte r ric e c ropwas so se ve re ly damage d onthe eas te rn s ide ofthe Madhup urJungle and near the Lakhya rive r that it was not worthharve sting .

54 SCIENTIF IC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHExpe riments carrie d onat Pusa have thrown light on

seve ral ofthe anomalie s in the paras itism ofthe e e lwormwhich cause s ufm . I t was previously known that thespring c rop, calle d bore ric e , and also the transplante dautumn and winte r ric e ,ordinarily e scape the diseas e unde rnatural conditions, though they canbe readily inoculat e dart ific ially. As the bore fields are o ften surrounde d by

seve re ly infe c te d field s ofwinte r (amen) ric e , they are c ert ainly frequently c ontaminate d by dis eas e d s tubble fromthe latte r, and i t was not easy to unde rs tand why they arenot attacke d . It has now be en c onc lus ive ly prove d thatthe worm cannot migrate so as to reach the uppe r parts oft he ric e plant, whe re alone it canfe e d, in dry air, but doe ss o readily when the humidity ofthe airapproache s saturation point, even though the re is no film offre e wate r ontheplants . It has also be en found that worms pre s e rve d dryre tain the ir Vitality and are able to renew ac tive motionafte r at leas t e ight months , while those kept in mois t airremain alive forabout four months, and those imme rse d inwate r foronly one to two months . The bore he lds are sub

me rge d in wate r from the time the c rop is transplante dinto them in De c embe r - January,until near harve s t. Wormss et fre e into this wate r from previous ly infe c te d s tubble ,will d ie unle s s they canmigrate from the wate r within ac ouple ofmonths . While the s e e dlings are small,no doubtsome canmigrate to them at ornear the wate r leve l, but theinjury caus e d to ric e plants at this s tage ofgrowth is s light.As the plants ge t bigge r, only c e rtain parts near the top oft he shoot (above the upper jo ints o f

’ the s tem and the younge archiefly) remain sus c eptible to attack,as only the s e partshave unthickene d c e ll walls . But the worm is unable to

reach them, owing to the low airhumidity be twe en Pebruary and April,and so the plants e scape the s e rious damaget hat re sults from anattack onthe shoot while the ears ared eve loping . The c rop is harve s te d in April, be fore the

humidity rise s enough to allow any worms that may s tillremain alive onthe lowe r parts ofthe plants to migrate tothe top ofthe shoot. It has also be en found that the worm


doe s not reproduc e i f imme rs e d in wate r ori f kept dry,but only in mois t air. The re is the re fore no multiplicationofthe paras ite in the floode d fields noramongs t any thatmay ge t carrie d up onthe growing bore plants . If theplants are cove re d with be ll jars , so that the airaroundthem 1s kept nearly saturate d, infe c tion canreadily be ob

taine d from art ific ial inoculations at any time ofthe year .If not c ove re d, suc c e s s ful infe c tions canonly be ‘

got duringthe rains and early cold weathe r, while the natural humid ity is high .

The e s cape ofthe transplante d paddy is due to the fac tthat it is grown onre lative ly high ground. The c rop isharve ste d so that not much s tubble is le ft,and the field s areploughe d early . It has been prove d that worms s e t fre einto the soil do ' not remain alive long, and the new c rop isnot transplante d out until much afte r the pe riod that hasprove d suffic ient to fre e the soi l from infe c tion . I f wormscould reach the transplante d he lds from ne ighbouring ihfe c t ed broadcaste d fields , they would doubtle s s attack th

transplante d paddy ; but as a rule the flood wate r doe s notris e suffic iently to e s tablish dire c t conne c tion until re lat1vely late in the season,and often not at all. That infe ction in this way doe s, howeve r, some time s oc cur is probablefrom the oc cas ional reports that have be en re c e ive d ofinj urvto the transplante d winte r c rop .

In c e rtain parts ofthe infe c t e d area, the ric e bht’

ls arenarrow and de eply c oncave . In the bottom ofthe se , the soi lremains muddy until February and, whe re de ep - wate ramenhas be en grown, a s e cond growth ofsmall shoots andears,aris ing from the long,matte d s tubble , canbe found upto mid - February . In infe c te d bhils this s e cond growth harbours large numbe rs ofac tive ly fe e ding and multiplyingworms . The ground doe s not dry out suffic iently to pe rmitofploughing until February in many cas e s, and the newc rop has to be broadcaste d Ve ry soon inMarch— as the bh zl

bottoms flood early .Henc e the worms have only about amonth to l ive through be fore the new c rop is sown and fre e

*Bas in-like d e pre s s ions which always hold wat erinthe rains .

56 SCIENTIF IC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHwater colle c ts, and about anothe r two months be fore the

humidity ris e s (inMay) enough to pe rmit ofmigrat ion .

Reports are c ommon that the earlie s t attacks ofufm ares e en in the s e low—lying patche s, which is jus t what wouldbe expe c te d . It is not sugge ste d that ufm always , orevenfrequently, aris e s from the s e low - lying patche s, as i t hasbe en c onc lus ive ly prove d that the s tubble in the paddy flat sthat dry out in De cembe r, as the great bulk ofthem do, is

equally able to carry ove r infe c tion to the next c rop . Butwhe reas it is re lative ly easy to remove the infe c te d s tubbleand plough early in the latte r, this cannot readily be doneinthe forme r. So long as the soi l remains muddy, i t isprac tically imposs ible to allow the work—cattle into it , andeven i f the s tubble could be c olle c te d,i t is too we t to burnprope rly inDe c ember. When the s tubble canbe remove dand the land ploughe d, it is so near sowing time that th e .

chance s ofkilling out the worm be fore the new c rop appearsare s canty. The re appear to be only two ways ofdealingwith the s e muddy patche s to drain them so that they dryin time to pe rmit ofe ffe c tive stubble de s truc tion ; ortode epen them so that they cangrow bore paddy. The latte ris only p oss ible in the Vic inity ofpe rmanent wate rways orhhals ,as the bore c rop has to be irrigate d during it s growth,but as the s e khals replac e roads throughout much ofthearea, the re is agene ral demand fornew one s whe reve r praot icable . Expe riments have be en s tarte d to asc e rtain the

be s t way ofdeal ing with this problem.

Anattempt to induc e the paddy cultivators to burn thes tubble and plough early was made . Leafle t s we re d is tribute d throughout the infe c te d areaand s eve ral d emons trations we re arrange d for, partly by the D epartment ofAgriculture and partly by the revenue offic ials . In the SadarSub - d ivis ion ofTippe ra, 12 previous ly diseas e d plots we retreate d, all ofwhich e s cape d ufra; in Chandpur 64, ofwhich 9 got s light attacks . The re was le s s ufm , howeve r,in this dis tric t than forseve ral years . In Dac ca the lands ele c te d was ve ry swampy and the treatment was ine ffe c tive ,probably forthe reasons given in the las t paragraph .


58 SCIENTIFIC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHplants we re infe c te d with s e e d of0 . e em ua colle c te d from0 . c ernua upon tobac c o and with se e d of0 . ind icacollec te dfrom 0 .malic e upon mus tard, from 0 . ind ica upon tobac co,from 0 . ind iea upon cabbage and from 0 . ind icauponturnip. The same treatment was applie d to mus tardand to the othe r hos t plants . The re sults showe d that0 . c ernua was strongly paras itic upon tobac co and did notattack the othe r thre e hos ts,while 0 . ind ica was not paras it ic upon tobac co unle s s the s e e d us e d had be en colle c te dfrom plants which we re paras itic upon this hos t, in whichcase such se e d was not capable ofinfe c ting mus tard plantswith tokra.

”

Se e d of0 . ind iea c olle c te d from plantsparas itic upon e ithe r mus tard, cabbage orturnip, howeve r,would not infe c t tobac co but was strongly paras itic uponall ofthe se hosts . Thus the re appear to be two rac e s ors trains of0 . ind iea, one paras itic upon tobac co and no t infe c t ing mustard and the othe r paras itic upon mustard, orthe allie d cabbage and turnip, and not infe c ting tobacco .

Ce rtain ofthe p ot culture s re c e ive d heavy appl ications ofsodium nitrate , which, howeve r, did not have any marke deffe c t upon the oc currenc e ofthe tokras ; the de tails andre sults ofall the above expe riments are now in the pre ss .

(3) Phytop h thora. inve st igations . Mr. Das tur has

c ontinue d his s tudie s onthis important genus . The BlackThread dis eas e ofPara rubbe r tre e s is fully de s c ribe d in theMemo irs and,as a re sult, the attention ofothe r worke rs hasbe en dire c te d to the s imilar condition prevalent in Ceylonand Java. It se ems c lear that the dis ease is found in mostparts ofthe Eas t whe re rubbe r is grown,but the Javaworkers still hold that it is due to the same paras ite that caus e sthe well - known rubbe r canke r, and is not anew dis ease .

Mr. Dastur has given reasons forbe lieving the paras ite tobe a dis tinc t spe c ie s , amatte r of

'

c ons id erable e conomic importanc e s inc e the canke r fungus is common e spe c ially inthe ne ighbourhood ofinfe c te d cacao tre e s .He has foundthe Black Thread fungus to be much more re s tric te d in it sparas itism than PhytOp hthom Fabem

’

, the canke r fungus,and has quite faile d to ge t it to attack cacaoand othe r hos ts


ofthe latte r. The reme dial measure s re commende d arebe ing te s te d onaplantation s cale in Burma. The chie f arethe fre e admiss ion oflight and airamongst the tre e s byjudic ious thinning,and the c e s sation oftapping during themonsoon months onall dis eas e d tree s . In South India,whe re the same orat leas t a c lose ly allie d dis ease is underinve stigation, good re sults have be en obtaine d by the ap p lication ofantis eptic and wate rproof smears to the cut surfac e le ft afte r tapping. Tarand tallow ; sulphur, cowdungand c lay, have be en us e d, and no doubt othe r more effic ientmixture s will be found . It is not ye t c e rtain whe ther s imilarmeasure s will be re qui re d in the re lative ly drier' part softhe Burma rubbe r dis tric ts and, at the time ofwriting,Mr. Das tur is carrying out furthe r enquirie s in Burma.

A se cond M emoi r c ontains an ac count ofa biologicVarie ty ofPhytop hthora paras it ica,Das tur, found in PusaonVince . It is aweak paras ite , inoculations failing as arule unle s s the atmosphe re is almos t saturate d with mo isture , but suc c e e ding in damp airona cons ide rable numberofgarden plants . The fungus is, the re fore ,ofmore sc ient ific than e conomic inte re s t.In a third pape r, Mr. Das tur dis cus se s the conditions

influenc ing the dis tribution ofPhytop hthora infe s tans , thecause ofthe common potato blight. In India the fungusis ordinarily re s tric te d to theHimalaya,Khas i and poss iblyNilgiriHills, but pe riodical outbreaks have be en obse rve din the Gange tic plain and the valleys ofAs sam and Sylhe t.Ananalys is ofthe conditions leading to the se attacks, indicate s that tempe rature , mois ture and sourc e oforigin ofthe tube rs are all important fac tors in controlling the d istribut ionofthe dis ease . Long exposure to tempe rature sabove 77CT is already known to be fatal to the fungus andsuch tempe rature s are usually found at the time of

23

sowingthe plains ’ c rop . Furthe rmore , damp weathe r at the p er10doffruc t ificat ionofthe fungus (Jannary and February inthe plains) is ne c e s sary to pe rmit fre e reproduc tion and

dis semination. And unle s s the tube rs come from some

already infe c ted area, such as theHimalaya orKhas iHills,E

60 SCIENTIF IC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHthey are not liable to contamination and they will e scapedis eas e in the plains, s inc e the plains ’ c rop is normally fre eand local infe c tionnot usually to be feared . The outbreaksinve stigate d showe d that the s e e d use d was probably infe ct ed, that i t was brought from theHills when the tempe rat tire be low was unde r the normal forsowing time ,and thatthe c rop was expos e d to rain orground fogs as it ripene d.Unle ss all the se conditions are me t , the c rop may be ex

p e c t ed to e scape in the plains and in mos t ofpeninsularIndia.

(4) Rhiz oc tonia and oth ers clerot ial d is ease s . A

s eve re attack ofRhiz oc tonia onjute in the expe rimentalplots onthe Dac ca Farm enable d the inte res ting obs e rvat ion to be made , in July,1916, that plots which had re c e ive dheavy fe rtilizationwe re prac tically immune . As the ex

p eriment did not give any indication ofthe cons tituentswhich le d to this re sult, anew s e rie s was laid down by Mr.F inlow, Fibre Expe rt to the Bengal Gove rnment,and in are c ent report this offic ers tate s that the results s tronglysugge s t that potash defic iency is the main caus e ofthe s everi ty ofthe dis eas e onthe old alluvium north ofDac ca. The

enquiry is be ing followe d up in conne c tion with the ac cumulat ing evidenc e that c e rtain Indian so ils are dange rous lyd efic ient in one oro the r of. the e s s ential consti tuents ofplant - food, and that this d efic iency may be manife ste d ininc reas e d susc eptibility ofthe c rop t o fungus disease s .This point will be furthe r re fe rre d to unde r tikka dis

e as e ofgroundnut.From time to time reports and spe c imens ofa s e rious

rootrot ofcotton in northe rn and we s te rn India have be enre c e ive d. A local inve s tigation in the southe rn Punjab,s upplemente d by are - examination ofthe mate rial in thePusa colle c tions, reveale d a c e rtain d efinit e train ofsympt oms, enabling the diseas e to be re cognize d with c e rtainty.

I t s caus e is ve ry obscure , seve ral fungi be ing pre s ent ontheroots ofmos t spe c imens, but none so extens ive ly norso

regularly as to be the probable caus e . Two have be en isolated forfurthe r work, a Rhiz oe tom

’

a and a s te rile ,non


s c le rotial form. Inoculations with the forme r, wh ich ispre sent onalmos t all diseas e d plants, but often apparentlyinve ry small quanti ty,we re carrie d out at Pusa but unde rs omewhat unsatis fac tory conditions as the s eason was faradvanc e d and the available plants old . They gave negativere sults . Furthe r trials will be made with this and the

s e c ond fungus . During the enqui ry, we we re againc onfronte d with the probability that the re was some conditionc onne c te d with the chemical compos ition ofthe so il in whicht his roo t-rot oc curre d which was the predispos ing fac tor.This condition may be a weak conc entration ofharmfulalkali salts,but the evidenc e is contradic tory in some aspe c tsand furthe r enquiry and e xpe riment will be requ ire d .

Sclerot ial d is eas e s ofsugarcane and p addy. Dr. Shawc ontinue d his inve s tigations onthe s e dis ease s throughoutthe year in the laboratory at Pusa and during a tour toS indewahi Farm, Central P rovinc e s . The spe c imens originally re c e ive d from the Central P rovinc es ultimate lyy ie lde d two s c le rotial fungi in culture . One ofthe se wasRhiz oc tonia d e s truens , Tas s . and the othe r has not at

p re sent bee n ident ified ._This s e cond form poss e s s e s a

myc e lium which is almos t indis tinguishable from that ofR . d e s tru ens but it s s c le rotia are large , irre gular, whitebodie s ve ry difierent from thos e ofR . d e s truens ; both the sefungi prove d to be paras itic upon the leave s ofsugarcane .

At Sindewahi, howeve r, i t was obvious that the mos t s e riousparas ite was the , s ec ond, unid ent ifie d, s c le rotial fungus .This oc curre d allove r the farm ons catte re d c lumps ofcaneand re sulte d in the comple te death ofthe oute r leave s . The

e arly s tage s ofattack appeare d as re d spots onthe leafsheath, the inne r s ide ofthe leaf sheath be ing cove re d witha thick sugary solution containing a fungal growth . As

the spot spreads the myc e l ium forms a thick c rus t ontheinte rior ofthe leaf sheath and the sugary solution drie su p . Finally the leaf is le ft as a dry and withe re d s cale ands c le rotia are produc e d along it s e dge s . Culture s we re oh

taine d at Sindewahi from the myce lium onthe leaf, fromcs clerotla onthe leaf, and from s c le rotia in the so il . In

E 2

62 SCIENTIF IC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHeve ry case the same organism was produc e d in culture andinoculations with the s e culture s have be en suc c es s ful inproduc ing the dis eas e upon cane s at Pusa. The hyphaeappear to ente r the leaf through the s tomataand pene tratethe tis sue s ofthe leaf in all dire c tions ; mic roscopic workonthis subj e c t is proc e e ding . The dis eas e appears to beve ry s imilar to that known in Java unde r the name ofHe t z uurRot .Spe c imens ofa diffe rent s c le rotial dis ease ofsugarcane

we re re c e ive d from Eas te rn Bengal during the year andappeare d to be identical with the disease which is knownin Javaas DjamoerOe pas . In this case ve ry charac t erist ic light brown spots with a dark margin oc curre d ontheblade ofthe leaf toge the r with a fungus having a brownish:myc e lium and irregular brown s clerot1a. Both the paras it ic organism and the re sulting spots onthe leaf we re ve rys imilar to the sc le rotial fungus and the leaf spots de s c ribe dbe low upon paddy.

The fungus Sclerot ium Oryz ce Catt. was ve ry prevalentupon spe c imens ofdis eas e d paddy from the Central ProV inc e s, and assoc iate d with S. Oryz ae onthe s e spe c imens as e cond s c le rotial fungus was found . This latte r form.

pos s e s s e d small brown sphe rical sc le rotia, ve ry regular inshape and s ize . The fungus was obtaine d in culture andit s paras itism upon paddy is be ing inve s tigate d.

Paddy in Pusa some time s suffe rs from the at tack ofanothe r sp e c ie s ofs c le rotial fungus with large , brown, i rregular s c le rotia and hyphae ofthe Rhiz oc tonia type . Thisfungus cause s ve ry dis tinc tive spots upon the leaf sheath ;the s e spots when mature have a light brownish c entral area.

surrounde d by a dark re d brown line , the c entral portioncons is ts ofdrie d and dead leaf tis sue and the darke r marginprobably repre s ents the ac tive zone ofthe fungus . The

exte rnal symptoms re semble ve ry s trongly thos e ofthe s cle

rot ial diseas e ofsugarcane from Dac ca, and it is pos s iblethat the causal organism in the two case s is the same , but ,

the pre sent fungus onpaddy has s eve ral po ints ofagre ement with the spe c ie s Sclerotium irregulare , de sc ribe d by


M iyake as paras i tic onleaf sheaths ofp addy in Jap_an.

This fungus has be en obtaine d in culture and suc c e s s fulinoculations in Pusa have suc c e e de d in produc ing the typ ic alleaf spots . Furthe r re s earch is in progre s s to de te rminet he me thod ofparas itism and the extent ofdamage re sul t~ing to c rops .

Seve ral othe r s c le rotial dis ease s ofminor importanc ewe re obse rve d during the year, among which the mos t s e rious we re anattack ofRhiz oc tonia d e s truens , Tass . uponwheat and lentil (Lens e s eulenta) in Burma, and a c ollarrot oflemon s e e dlings atNagpur cause d by anunid ent ifie ds pe c ie s ofthis genus,which is also paras itic upon chilli andHibis eus in Pusa. All ofthe se fungi have be en obtaine din pure culture and are be ing s tudie d .

(5) Anthracnos e ofch illi and p uls e s . The s e riousd is eas e ofchillie s in Bihar, re fe rre d to Colle totriehumn

’

igrumE. andHals . in las t year’s report,has be en found tob e due to an all ie d but dis tinc t fungus VermiculariaCap s ic i, Syd . The forme r is aNorth Ame rican fungusand was found to be diffe rent from the Bihar spe c ies onc omparison by the mycologists ofthe Unite d State s Department ofAgriculture , who have , as usual, given us e ve ryas s istanc e . Subse quently the true Colle totrichum nigrumwas found in Burme se spe c imens , while a third form,

G lomerella (Gloe osp or-ium) p ip em ta, S. V. 8 . oc curssporadically throughout India. It appears to be be tte r tore s tric t the te rm anthracnose to the se two las t- name d(pos s ibly only diffe rent forms ofthe same fungus) and to

call the diseas e cause d byVermicularia. die - back," from it smos t prominent symptom, the withe ring back ofthe tops hoots ofthe plant. Mr. Das tur has carrie d out a mored e taile d s tudy of die - back,” which it is hope d to publishd uring the coming year . -Meanwhile expe riments in it streatment are in progre ss . The re sults antic ipate d fromthe s e e d s e le c tion re fe rre d to in las t year’s report have notmate rial ise d : dis eas e was almos t as s eve re in the plot grownfrom s e le c te d as in that from nons e le c te d s e e d and i t ise vident that the fungus doe s no t re ly ons ee d - infe c tion to

64. SCIENTIF IC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHs e c iire it s pe rpe tuation. Fortunate ly it s e ems that controtby spraying will be re lative ly easy and ai de tai le d s e rie s ofexpe riments has be en laid down to te s t spraying duringthe pre s ent s eason.

The sameVermieularia has be en found to be one ofthecaus e s ofa dis eas e ofvarious puls e s, such as c owpea andDolichos, and ofSclanac eous plants, such as tomato andbrinjal . As in chillie s, it has be en previous ly confuse d wi t hthe anthracnos e s ofthe s e c r0ps, but it s e ems to be ofre lat ively minor importanc e onthe s e hos ts . It has not ye tbe e n re corde d outs ide India, exc ept in the Philipp ine s .

(6) Tikka d is eas e ofgroundnut . Anoutbreak ofthis dis eas e onthe Ranchi Farm was inve s tigate d. The s oilofthis farm is s ingular in be ing almos t devo id ofsulphur,and is also marke dly defic ient in phosphorus . It. appearsfrom analys e s carrie d out in Bombay that groundnuts .require re lative ly large quantitie s ofthe latte r cons tituent,and as the nuts mature the re would se em to be aheavy drainon the p hosphate s of the so il. It was obs e rve d byMr. Dobbs, Deputy D ire c tor ofAgriculture ,Bihar and.Oris sa, that at this pe riod the dis eas e s e t in and deve lope dwith great intens ity. Expe riments have be en arrange d byMr. Dobbs this s eason to te s t the View provis ionally arrivedat that “tikka d is eas e may be symptomatic ofdefic iency 111available p hosphate s, in othe r words may be a defic iencydisease s imilar to jut e Rhiz oe toniaas de s c ribe d above .

(7) Sal tre e d is eas e . The inve s tigation on the root.rot ofthe sal tre e was continue d by Dr. Shaw during theyear, efforts be ing princ ipally dire c te d towards c omple tingthe life his tory ofthe fungus in art ific ialculture and e s tablishing it s paras itism upon the salby means ofdire c t.infe ctions . With this latte r obj e c t, a s e rie s ofinoculations wascarrie d out in June ,1916,at Rajabhatkhawaand inAugus t,1916, at D ehra Dun. The inoculations at Rajabhatkhawawe re examine d in D e c embe r las t and faile d to yie ld c onc lus ive re sults . In the case ofone ofthe tre e s which had be en.in fe c te d with culture s ofP olyp orus Shore ce , the dis eas eWas found to be we ll e s tablishe d,but it was obvious that this.


66 SCIENTIF IC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHBuxaD ivis ion. Even now, afte r only two years ’ continuous obs e rvation, i t appears that the fungus is spread ingrapidly and that the death rate oftre e s onwhich the fungus oc curs is, in some plots, high this rate howeve r showsc ons i de rable variation from one plot to anothe r . It mus tbe remembe re d that in a slow growing fore s t c rop such assail,alow yearly pe rc entage oflos s,which in the cas e ofanannual agricultural c rop would be negligible , may be ve rys e rious .

(8) P each leafcurl. This diseas e has long be en the

caus e ofs e rious loss in the important frui t - growing dis tric t sofNorth -We s t Indiaand untilre cently was not cons ide re dsusc eptible oftreatment by spraying, the re lative ly unsat isfac tory me thods ofpruning and burning disease d branche sb e ing the only reme dial measure s advocate d . Expe rimentsc onduc te d in Ame rica have howe ve r shown that the spreadofthis paras ite — Exoas cus d eformans , (Be rk) Fuckel— byair- borne infe c tion plays ave ry extens ive part in the spreadofthe diseas e and that spraying with Burgundy mixturejus t be fore the buds open is aneffe c tive control agains tt his trouble . In cc - ope ration with the Agricultural Offic er,North -We s t Frontie r Provinc e , anextens ive trial ofthisme thod was carrie d out in the Gove rnment Orchards atTaru during Jannary,1917,with re sults which have prove dve ry encouraging, the re be ing a c ons ide rable diffe renc ebe twe en the spraye d orchard and ne ighbouring privateo rchards . Trials we re made both with lime - sulphur mixture and Burgundy mixture and both prove d satis fac tory.Owing howeve r to the eas e with which it canbe prepare d,t he latte r will be the mos t popular with the cultivator.Spraying is to be continue d at the Gove rnment Orchardsd uring future s easons and it is hope d to introduc e theprac tic e to fruit - growe rs in the dis tric t and to le s senmate rially the damage done by this de struc tive disease .

(9) Oth erd is eas e s ofint ere s t . The powde ry s cab of

p otatoe s cause d by Sp ongosp om subt erranea, (Wall)Jwas re c e ive d from Bombay P re s i dency. This is the firs tre cord ofany paras itic membe r ofthe Myxomyc e te fami ly


inIndia and the firs t time any potato s cabbing organismc ommon though they are in the We s t— has been found inthis country . A c ons ide rable amount oftime was given tot he id ent ificat ionoft ea and coffe e paras i te s s ent in by theoffic ers ofthe P lante rs ’ As soc iations conc e rne d orpe rsonally c olle c te d in previous years . In t ea,Mr. Tuns tall,Mycologis t to the Indian TeaAs soc iation,has taken up the s tudyofthe nume rous root diseas e s , and amongs t the mate rial hes ent in was found Sp hceros t ilberep ens ,B. and Br.,now firs tre corde d as a t ea paras ite , and Ros ellim

’

a bothrina, (B. andBr.) Sac c . not previous ly known in India but found ont eainCeylon . In cofi e e i t was found that the Java spide r’sweb diseas e and the wide ly dis tribute d brown eye

- spot(diseas e (C erc osp om c ofi

’

e ic ola B. and Oke .) both oc cur inIndia, but are ap parently uncommon. The suspe c te d para.s ite Pythium grac ile , Schenk, oc curre d onyoung tobac co,and Babu L. S? Subramanium was able t o ge t it into cul

ture , thus allowing ofanac curate examination ofit s paras itio tendenc ie s . So fari t has be en prove d to attack ginge rrhizome s readily, caus ing the soft rot dis ease which wasde sc ribed in the AgriculturalJourhal ofInd ia (Vol. VI,1911, p . as prevalent in Rangpur and Surat. It isalso paras itic ontobac co and probably othe r c rops . It ishoped to publish anac count ofthis work shortly. Exp eriments with the smut ofbajm (P ennis e tum typ hoid eum)e s tablishe d that this diseas e is not influenc ed by rotation«offields, the reby sugge s ting that i t is s e e d - borne . Attemp tsat s e e d dis infe c tion have , howe ve r, faile d . Anapparentlymew dis ease ofpaddy due to the attack ofa spe c ie s ofC ep halosp om

'

um orVertie illium was rec e ive d from Lyallp ur. The fungus is be ing s tudie d and inoculations haveb e en tried . The damage at Lyallpur was e s timated at 15p erc ent . ofthe Crop and it is pos s ible that anew and s e rious paras ite ofpaddy has be en dis cove re d .

V. MI S CELLANEOUS .The problems conne c te d with inte rnational legis lation

agains t plant disease s, continue d to engage attention . In

68 SCIENTIF IC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHorde r to e s tablish the s c ient ific bas is onwhich legis lationmus t re s t,anexamination ofthe fac to rs controlling the diss emination ofparas i tic fungi has be en c omple te d and published . Two type s ofdis semination should be dis tinguishe d : continuous orshort - range , and dis con t inuous orlong - range . Ferthe forme r, fungi are so we ll e quipp e d

that measure s to che ck it are l ike ly to prove abortive : forthe latte r, onthe othe r hand, a great body ofevidenc e hasbeen got toge the r to show that, i f we exc lude human agency,fungi are not in apos ition to make such c ons ide rable jumpsas to be able to c ros s the s eas or'

spread from one part oftheworld to anothe r at all readily. Mos t ofthe importantplant dis eas e s that have appeare d in rec ent years canbetrac e d to the movement by human agency ofthe living plant.which they attack, from one part ofthe world to anothe r ;they follow trade route s ; and when, one afte r anothe r, themore isolate d parts ofthe world are brought into contac twith we ste rn c ivilization and opene d up to trade and exp loration, each le ts loose it s indigenous pe s ts and dis eas e s .

to infe c t the countrie s with whic h comme rc ial re lationsbe come e s tablishe d . It is not realize d how thoroughly newcountrie s are s earche d fore conomic plants,norhow quicklyattempts are made to introduc e nove ltie s, ore ven varie tie sofalready cultivate d kinds , from them. It is open to que stion whe the r the benefit s gaine d from such sourc e s are notmore than c ounte rbalanc e d by the new disease s that havethus be en introduc e d .

The book onfungi caus ing c rop dis eas e s in India, re fe rre d to in las t year’s report, has be en comple te d and is nowin the pre s s . It deals with the gene ral princ iple s ofplantpathology and give s a de taile d ac count, c rop by c rop, ofthemore important disease s ofc ryptogamic origin found inIndian field and plantation c rops .

VI . SYSTEMATIC WORK.

This has be en large ly in abeyanc e during the year,partlyowing to the d ifficulty ofobtaining fore ign as s is tanc e underpre sent 'c ondit ions . Seve ral colle c tions have be en id ent ified


foroffic ers ofthe Agriculturaland Education Departments .

and forothe rs inte re s te d in Mycology. Seve ral pathogenicspe c ie s ofAsp ergillus have be en s ent in from the Ins tituteofAnalyse s and Vac c ine s at NovaGoa'

(Portugue s e India),and the inte re s ting dis cove ry was made that the fungushabitually found in heart damaged bale s of jute i s

Asp ergillus fumigatus , Fre s , already known to occur inIndian so ils and to be , in othe r countrie s,anot unc ommoncaus e ofearand lung dis eas e in man. The new add itionsto theHe rbarium amounte d to 450 she e ts .

VII . PROGRAMM E orWORK FOR 1917

(1) R e s earch work. New diseas e s ofIndian c rops thatc ome to the notic e ofthe Se c tion will be inve s tigate d asOpportunity pe rmits, but the followmg dis eas e s will re c e ivespe c ial attention and willcons titute main line s ofinve stigat ion.

(a) U fra ofpaddy.

(b) Orobanche oftobac co and mus tard .

(0) Die back and anthracnose ofchilli .(d ) Sc le rotial dis ease ofsugarcane and paddy.

(e ) Rootrot ofsal tre e .

(f)Wilt dis eas e s ofcotton, s e samum and gram.

Minor inve s tigations will inc lude the s tudy ofsome fru itanthracnos e s, ofthe softro t ofginge r and ofthe rootro t ofc otton.

It is hope d to publish a hand book ofdis ease s ofc rops .(2) Sys t emat ic work. This will be in abeyanc e forthe

pre s ent owing to difficult ie s in obtaining ass is tanc e fromabroad onac count ofthe war.(3) Training. This will be continue d onthe line s indi

cat ed in the prospe c tus . Short cours e s may also be given.

as ne c e s sary.

public .

'

7O SCIENTIF IC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH

VIII . PUBLICATIONS .(1) Butler, E. J. Re p ort onMyc ology, 1915 -16,forthe Board

ofSc ient ific Advic e .

Dastur,J. F . Phytop hthom sp . onHevea bras iliensis .M em . D e p t . ofAgrL, Ind ia, Bot . 3 672 ,Vol. VIII,No . 5 .

Das tur,J. F . Phywp hthora onVinc e ros ea. Mem . D e p t .

of219ml, Ind ia, Bo t . Ser.,Vol. VIII,No . 6.

4) Butler, The D is sem inationofParas it ic F ungi andInt ernat ional Legislat ion. Mem . D e p t .

ofAgri ., India, Bo t . Ser., Vol. IX,

No . 1, F ebruary, 1917 .

(5) Das tur,JF . Condit ions influenc ing the d is tribut ion ofPotato Blight in India. Agri . Jour. ofIndia, Sp e c ial Sc ienc e Congre s s Number,1917 .

Shaw F .J. F . Orobanche as a paras it e inBihar. M em .

D e p t . ofAgri ., India,Bot . Ser.,Vol. IX,

No . 3 . 1917 .

Troc e e dings ofthe Myc ological Conferenc e he ld inF ebruary, 191


REPORT orTHE IMPERIALENTOMOLOG IST.

(T. BAINBRIGGE F LETCHER, R .N.,

I . CHARGEAND ESTABLISHMENT .

The Impe rial Entomologis t he ld charge ofthe Se c tionthroughout the year ende d 30th June , 1917 . The pos t ofSupe rnume rary Entomologis t remaine d vacant throughoutthe year owing to the impos s ibility ofobtaining any suitable candidate unde r pre s ent conditions . Mr. Y . Rama

chandra Rao, M .A., Entomological As s i s tant in Madras,was depute d from 16thNovembe r,1916, to work unde r theImpe rial Entomologis t fora pe riod of-

two years in the

firs t ins tanc e , to inve s tigate the inse c ts which oc cur onLantana in India and Burma. Mr. C . S. M is ra, Firs tAs s istant, was onprivilege leave from 1s t to 16th July,1916, and againonprivilege leave combine d with me dicalleave from 24th Jannary,1917, to the c lose ofthe year unde rre view. Mr. C . C . Ghosh was onprivilege leave from12th Oc tobe r t o 15th Novembe r,1916, and Mr. D .Nowrogrfrom 12th Oc tobe r to l6thNovembe r,1916.

D . P . Singh, Fi e ldman, P . Narayanan, Artis t, andT. V.V. Subramani, Typis t, we re lent t o the M ilitaryD epartment forFly Control work with the Expe ditionaryForc e s in M e sopotamia. They le ft Pusaon5 th July,1916,and re turne d in Novembe r .H.H. P rasad, Se ricultural Fieldman,was lent throughout the year to the Impe rial Agricultural Bac t e riologis t to ,

as s is t this offic erin his inve s tigations ofP ebrine .

II . TOURS .The Imp erlalEntomologis t was ontour in Madras from

4th to 20th D e c embe r, in Bengal from 5 th to l0th January,and in the Central P rovinc e s from 20th to 29th March .

Mr. G . R . Dutt was ontour in Bombay from 26th Februaryto 18th March and was ac companie d by SardarHarchanctSingh, a s tudent unde r training, to s tudy c rop - pe s ts . Mr

72 SCIENTIF IC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHM . N. De , Se ricultural Ass is tant, toure d in Madras andBombay from 23rd De c embe r to 9th January. The Fie ldmenwe re s ent ontour as oc cas ion requi re d t hroughout theyear, chiefly in c onne c tion with outbreaks ofpe sts .

III . TRAINING.

Two s tudent s we re unde r training in Entomology at thec ommenc ement ofthe year unde r review. Ofthe se , SardarHarchand Singh, depute d by Patiala State , comple te d thefull cours e , and De oki Nandan, a private s tudent, dis c ontinne d the cours e from De c embe r, 1916, onappo intment tothe Agricultural Department. A short cours e ofprac ticaltraining in colle c ting’ , rearing and c ontrol ofinse c ts wasalso given to Safdar, a Fie ldman, s ent by the North -We s tFront ierP rovinc e .

IV. INSECT PEs 'rs .

Nume rous obs e rvations onInse c t Pe s ts have be en maded uring the year but the s e cannot be given in de tail he rew ithout unduly swe lling this Report. Particular attentionhas be en paid to the pe s ts ofsugarcane and ofs tore d gramand the more important obs e rvations are note d be low1. Cott on. The expe riments, re fe rre d to in las t year’s

R eport,we re c ontinue d and tabulation ofre sults has be entaken in hand . Bre e ding ofparas ite s ofcotton bollworm(Earias sp p .) was c ontinue d and living paras i te s we re de sp atche d to the Punjab in July and Augus t, 1916. Spe c imens ofthe s e paras ite s we re sent to Mr. Brue s,who in formsu s that they be long to the genus M ierobm con,and notRhe ge s as previously suppose d .

2 . Ric e . The li fe —his tory ofNep hot e t t ix bip unc tatuswas worke d out . A Tubific id worm was s ent in fromHmawbi, Burma, as damagmg ric e , but doe s not s e em to

b e ofregular o c currenc e as a pe s t.3 . Sugarcane . Cons ide rable attention has be en pai d

during the year to the important subje c t ofbore rs .Hi the rto s eve ral diffe rent spe c i e s ofbore rs, allsup erfic iallyve ry much alike , have be en mixe d toge the r unde r the name


74. SCIENTIF IC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHac re s ) and Sathi No . 15 (a little le s s than one ac re )The re are also ve ry small plots ofothe r thick varie tie s ,e .g.,Kaludaie Budhan, Dac caCane ,D99and Ashy Mauritius . A li ttle more than one ac re is unde r 21 diffe rentvarie tie s which are c las s e d as thin cane s but some ofthem,

e .g.,M eneria, migh t be de sc ribe d as ofme dium thickne s s “

Ofthe half ac re unde r Purple Mauritius 4ac re was plante din Novembe r 1916 the othe r half ofthe Purple Mauritius.and all the re s t we re plante d in February,1917. The plotofPurple Mauritius has be en spec ially grown forentomological obs e rvation and expe riment and this cane has always

,

be en c ritically examine d while the othe rs have be en supe rfic ially examine d forcomparison ofre sults . All the timethe sugarcane has be en in the field the re have be en maize andjuargrowing somewhe re in the Farm. The progre s s ofthe ins e c ts in sugarcane ,maize and jam has be en care fullywatche d and is briefly de sc ribe d be low . Re d Rot in sugarcane has ne ce s sarily come unde r obse rvation and the re has .

be en a good Oppor tunity ofcomparing the damage caus e dby it with that cause d by ins e c ts .

In the middle ofApril the plants ofthe plot ofPurpleMauritius plante d in Novembe r we re s lightly ahead ingrowth ofthos e ofthe plot plante d in February, but thediffe renc e in growth did not indicate a diffe renc e ofaboutfour months in planting . The damage notic e d about thistime was almos t wholly due to ins e c ts and the damage inthe forme r plot was 63 p erc ent . while in the latte r plot i twas 2 -3 p erc ent. Taking both the plots toge the r, ofthetotal damage :

Séirp op haga xanthogas trellawas re spons ible for1-7 p er'c ent.

Diatrcea sup pre s salis for2 3 p erc ent.Gryllotalpaafricanafor01p erc ent .Re d Rot for0 22 p erc ent .

All the affe c te d plants we re cut out and de s troye d with theinse c ts . All this time Chile s imp lex and Se samiamferenswe re abundant in Rabi maize and in a ve ry small exte nt inRabi juar.


In the s e cond we ek ofMay the plot ofPurple Mauritiusplante d inNovemberwas damage d to the extent of8 9 p erc ent .

Pap ua d epre s s ella be ing re spons ible forabout 5 -8 p erc ent .

"

Re d Rot be ing re spons ible forabout 11 p erc ent .Te rmite s be ing re spons ible forabout 0 8 p erc ent .D iatrcea sup pre s sal

'

is be ing re spons ible forabout 066.

p erc ent .Sc irp op haga e anthogas trelle be ing re spons ible for

about 0-52 p erc ent.The re was one shoot damage d by Gryllotalpaafricanaandtwo shoo ts damage d apparently by Red Ants . At thist ime the re was no diffe renc e notic eable in the growth oftheplants .

In the third we ek ofMay the plot ofPurple Mauritiusplan t e d in February was damage d to the extent ofabout115 p erc ent., the following be ing re spons ible forthe damage

Pap ua. d epre s s ellaabout 8 1p erc ent.Red Rot about 2 27 p erc ent .D iatrcea sup pre s salis about 0-7 p erc entTe rmite s about 0-41p erc ent .Se i7'p 0p haga wanthogas trella about 006 p erc ent .

The re was one shoot apparently damage d by Re d Ants .

All the affe c te d plants we re cut out and de stroye d withthe inse c ts in both the plots .About this time s e c ond and third we eks ofMay) all

the othe r plots ofsugarcane we re also examine d to note thee xtent ofdamage , though the affe c te d plant s we re ne ithe rcut out norc ritically examine d to find out the agent ofdamage as was done with the Purple Mauritius plan t s .

The damage was howeve r s imilar in ‘

all exte rnal appearanc e s and the agents would mos t probably be the same as

obs e rve d in the case ofthe Purple Mauritius .

The damage in SathiNo . 131was 75 p erc ent .The damage in SathiNo . 15 was 96 p erc ent.


The damage in Meneriawas 106p erc ent .The damage in all the othe r 25 varie tie s, mostly thin,

taken toge the r was 9 p erc ent.It would appear that the damage in the s e plots was

about the same as in the Purple Mauritius plots from whichallaffe c te d plants had be en cut out and de s troye d with theins e c ts in April

Throughout May Chile s imp lex and Se samia inferenswe re fe e ding in Rab i ma1ze and to a ve ry small extent inRabi juar.In the latte r part ofJune the damage in the Purple

Mauritius plot was about 25 p erc ent ., the following be ingre spons ible foritRe d Rot about 15 4 p erc ent.Pap ua d epre s s ella about 6 p erc ent.Diatraea, sup pre s satis about 2 2 p erc ent .Sc irp op hagawanthogas trellaabout 1-1p erc ent .Te rmite s about 0 2 p erc ent.Se samia inferens about 0-06 p erc ent .A few Diatrcea venosata we re found at this t ime .

Allaffe c te d plants we re cut out and de s troye d W1th theins e c ts .

About this t ime the damage in SathiNo . 131was about10 p erc ent. As faras could be judge d by exte rnal examination, about 3 -5 p erc ent. was due to Re d Ro t and about6 5 p erc ent. to ins e c ts .

SathiNo . 15 suffe re d to the extent ofabout 8 p erc ent.,damage due to Re d Ro t be ing about 215 p erc ent ., and thatdue

'

to ins e c ts be ing about 5 -5 p erc ent.Damage in M eneriawas about 14 3 p erc ent ., Red Rot

be ing re spons ible forabout 11p erc ent. and the ins e c ts forabout 3 -3

' p erc ent.The damage in the othe r (mostly thin) varie tie s taken

toge the r was about 1 p erc ent., Re d Rot be ing re spons ibleforabout 3 p erc ent . and the inse c ts forabout 4 p erc ent .About this time Chile s imp lex was prac tically ab s ent

from mai ze and jam .

INSTITUTE , PU SA, FOR 1916-17

The p cint s to note are the following(1) The high pe rc entage ofdamage by Red Ro t .(2) In the Purple Mauritius plot all affe c te d plants

had be en cut out onc e inApril and again inMay. Still the amount of damage due to

inse c ts in June was greate r than in any oftheothe r plots . It is probable that Purple Mauritius is more liable to damage by inse c ts thanthe othe r varie tie s . In orde r to te s t the e ffe c tofthis treatment ofcutting out affe c te d shootsfurthe r expe riments will be unde rtaken nextyear with a s ingle Varie ty. This year ’s exp erienc e howeve r leads us to be l ieve that the onlyins e c t which will be amenable to this treatmentis Sc irp op haga.

Now that the othe r bore rs canbe dis tinguishe d andthe re fore the i r habits de finit ely s tudie d,othe rme thods ofc ontrol will have to be found ou t by

furthe r s tudy and expe riment.Othe r inse c ts obs e rve d forthe firs t time to fe e d unde r

ground among sugarcane roots inc ludeAZis s ono tum p ie eum grubs .

Alis sono tum s imile grubs .

Mylloc erus blah dus grubs .

A Me lolonthid grub (probably Anomala s p .) has be enobse rve d definit ely to gnaw into sugarcane s tems from the

s i de , caus ing a dead heart in the case ofvoung shoots orkiliing the shoots and young plants . The grubs are s tillfe e ding and have not ye t be en reare d.

Mylloc erus d is c olorgrubs have be en found commonlyamong sugarcane roots .

The s earch forCole opte rous larvae among sugarcaneroots has be en c ontinue d and s eve ral Chrysome lid andwe evil grubs have be en found which are s till fe e ding at thetime of

.

writing this report .As reporte d las t year, te rmite s have be en obs e rve d to

cause more damage to new shoots than to se tts . Furthe robse rvation confirms the View that it is only in par t icularF «v


s o ils that te rmite s cause damage to sugarcane s e tts and?shoots .Ah expe riment was unde rtaken in anarea which is

known to be ve ry much infe s te d by te rmite s to find out the

s trength ofLead Arsenat e solution which would be su itable fordipping the s e tts in orde r to prote c t them fromte rmite s . Lead Ars enate manufac ture d by the ThomsenChemical Company was us e d . A s trength of1 lb. in 2 ‘

gallons ofwate r has be en found satis fac tory. Even a

s trength of1lb . in 1gallon ofwate r canbe us e d withoutany harmful e ffe c ts onge rmination . Weake r s trengths upto 11b. in 4 gallons wate r are also e ffe c tive .

4. Maiz e . The larvae ofHeliothis obs ole te cause da curious form ofdamage by boring into the tende r top p ortion ofthe s tem.

5 . F ruit F lie s . Large numbe rs ofFruitflie s have be enreare d in the ques t forparas ite s, but with little suc c e s s

At Pusa Chee todaeus cucurbi t ce , forexample , appears tobe almos t fre e ofparas ite s , although in Southe rn India i tis attacke d by Op ius fie t cheri, which has be en introduc e dfrom India intoHawai i with cons ide rable suc c e s s . Carp omyia e e suviana, howeve r, is paras itize d extens ive ly andfurthe r c ons ignments ofliving pupae we re s ent toItaly inthe endeavour to introduc e the s e paras ite s the re . Ahimportant pape r by P rofe s sor Be zzi, onthe Fruitflie s ofthe genus Daeus oc curring in India, Burma and Ceylon,has appeare d during the year, the information c ontaine din it be ing large ly base d onmate rial s ent from Pusa. Profe s sorSilve s tri has also de sc ribe d seve ral Brac onid paras ite s ofIndian Fruitflie s iand has publishe d a note ontheoc currenc e ofDaeus ole ee

" in India and also a de s c riptionofit s paras ite inNorth—We s t India.

6. Life - h'

is torie s ofins e c ts . In the Ins e c tary more.

t han 200 diffe rent lots ofins e c ts we re reare d and obse rvations made onthe ir li fe - his tory and habits as faras p oss ible . Ofthe s e ,many we re new to Sc ienc e and prac ticallynone had be en reare d be fore . Seve ral ofthem may be

ranke d among pe s ts and may be s e rious oc cas ionally, for“


ins tanc e , (1) a Ce rambyc id bore r ofSann—hemp . The

b e e tle gi rdle s the s tem and d epos its the egg ins ide the stemThe apical po rtion ofthe s tem beyond the girdle drie s . The

grub bore s ins ide the plant which die s . (2) A C e rambyc i dbore r ofPhas eolus aconit ifolius . This also s imilarlycaus e s t he plant t o d ief (3) A De rme s tid be e tle whichinfe s te d and de s troye d some s tore d snake skins . (4)Anobium sp . in s tore d Cumin s e e ds and Anis e e ds . Itprove s t o be a s e rious pe s t ofthe s e s e e ds in s tore .Inve stigations into the l i fe - his tory and habits ofthe

pe s ts and othe r ins e c ts we re c ontinue d . The importantp oints obs e rve d with regard to some ofthem are note dbe low :

P ea s t em fly. Thre e diffe rent varie tie s ofpeas we reg rown in the. Inse c tary compound, some m ixe d with barleyand othe rs alone ,forcarrying onobs e rvation with regardto Bruchus aflmis . Inc identally it was obs e rve d that those“which grew alone and thinly we re damage d by the s tem flywhile the ’

othe rs e s cap e d .

Eugnamp tus marginatus was kept unde r obse rvationthroughout the yearin the Ins e c tary as we ll as outs i de onanaffe c te d mango tre e . The grubs have be en obs e rve d tore s t in the s o i l fromabout Septembe r to March -April. The

be e tle s are ac tive mostly in July and Augus t although some

may be obs e rve d be fore and afte r this pe riod ofgreate s tac tivity . Although the grubs we re re s ting in the Ins e ctary, one be e tle was found laying eggs and cutting leave sin March, but unde r the c limatic cond itions in Bihar thegrubs had no opportunity ofdeve loping as the cu t. leave stdried qu ickly some ofthe s e eggs we re colle c te d and reare dinthe Inse c tary, but only two attaine d the adult s tage , oneinApril and one in May,and the othe rs we re re sting at thetime ofwriting the report.Helioe opris bue ep halus . A comple te cyc le was obtaine d

inthe Inshc tary. The be e tle s appear in the months ofJunet o Septembe r but mos tly in July. The grubs take about ayear to grow .

At tagehus p ic eas has be en obse rve d to take one t o thre ey ears to c omp le te it s li fe - cyc le .

80 SCIENTIF IC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHH fieroglyp hus batman. In the Ins e c tary the re is a cage

into which a pair was introduc e d in 1905 . Sinc e then theyhatch out regularly e ve ry year in that cage and are fe dand allowed to ovipos i t . The broods have be en obs e rve dto extend gradually. Las t year (1916) they hatche d inJuneand the las t ofthe adults d ie d on15th February,1917 . Ofcours e diffe rent batche s ofe ggs hatche d at diffe rent inte rvals up to Augus t .

Some individuals ofP olyt ela orientatis have be enobs e rve d to re s t forthe whole year in the pupal s tage ,whils tothe rs eme rge d in the firs t year .M elit t ia euryt ion, which bore s and cause s a swe lling. in

the stem ofTrichosanthe s d ioica and othe r cucurbitac eousplants in the Rains, has be en obs e rve d to re s t forthe remainderofthe year in the larval s tage ins ide a ve ry s tiffcocoon .

Cosm ze teryx manip ularis , a mine r in bean leave s , hasbe en obs e rve d to re s t in the larval s tage from aboutNovemberto July.

The Ce rambyc id bore r oc curring in Phas e olus ac eni t ifeline s tem in the Rains , has be en obs e rve d to re s t fortheremainde r ofthe year in the larval s tage .

Oz’

d e s bip unc te tus has be en obs e rve d to have only onegene ration in the ac tive s easonin the Rains , the re s t oftheyear, as reporte d be fore , be ing pas s e d in the egg s tage .

The Eurytomine Chalc idid grub in apric ot s e e d probably re s ts fortwo years ins ide the s e e ds in some case s,

although mos t come out as adults afterone year . In theInse ctary s ome grubs we re obs e rve d to re s t forabout ayearand ahalf and then d ie .

Agrypnus fus e ip e s . One grub about one —third grownwas c olle c te d inNovembe r 1914. It live d and grew in theIns e c tary s inc e then, be ing fe d wholly onScarabee id andothe r s imi lar grubs . It pupate d and eme rge d in June ,1917,afte r living forabout 24years in the Ins e c tary. The li fecyc le the re fore s e ems to take about thre e t o four years .

Od ontot erme s as smuthi. Colonie s we re e s tablishe d inart ific ial cage s in July but all die d by about Oc tobe r. Ih .


SCIENTIFIC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH

Airand light re tard Calandm oryz ce and i f one cantakethe trouble ofexpos ing the grain to airand light at trequent inte rvals ve ry little damage is done . But thi s is notp rac ticable when large quantitie s have to be s tore d .

Inthe light ofthi s expe rienc e wheat has be en s tore dthis year unde r a me thod ofoutdoor s torage in granarie smade entire ly ofs traw. In this condition the grain willremain expos e d to the natural change s ofc limate and is note xpe c te d to be susc eptible to attack by Rhiz Op ertha. Itremains to be s e en whe the r Calandm erge te also is re tarde d .

I f suc c e s s ful, thi s me thod will be applicable to s torage inbulk as we ll as in small quantitie s . At the same timearrangements have be en made to give a satis fac tory trialto the me thod ofs torage unde r sand.

(i t) R ic e . The lime treatment ofhuske d ric e has be ent

'

ont inue d and it is giving the satis fac tory re sult reporte dlas t year .(iii) Puls e s . Puls e s e e d s have to be prote c te d ins tore

agains t Bruchus chinens is which has be en obs e rve d to bre e din the large r varie tie s ofpeas (Pisum sat ivum), arhar(Cajanus ind ichs ), lentil, khe sam

'

(Lathyrus sat ivus ) mung(Phas e olus 7ad ie tas and P . mango), bora (Vigna catjan

'

g),bahla (Vie ia;faba) and gram, and caus e s e rious damage tothem Ke eping the s e e ds c ove re d with sand, coars e orfine ,has given the be s t re sult, the s e e ds remaining in good condition and pe rfe c tly safe .

A spe c ie s ofBruchus has be en found to damage beans e e ds in s tore in the same way as the above . The same

me thod ofs toring unde r sand is applicable .

The small p ea (P isum am ens e ), as reporte d previous ly,i s not liable to be damaged by Bruchus chinens is in store .

But i t is infe s te d by Bruehus afimis in the field . This wasdeal t with in the las t year’s report . A sys tem ofsunningt he harve ste d se e ds has be en trie d this year and the re sultremains to be s e en .

(7311) Be s i de s the ins e c ts mentione d above , ofthe othe rswhich are found in store d wheat and ric e , (1) Triboliumeas taneum and (2) Tene broid e s mauri tanieus are ve ry com


mon, but they are always found in company with Calandmoryz ee and Rhiz op ertha d ominica.

Tribolium has be en obs e rve d to oc cur with Rhiz op erthamore than with Calandm and some expe riments have be enunde rtaken to find out it s s tatus d efinitely.

This year the re was anopportunity offollowing Tenebro z’d e s mauritanieus throughout the year and offindingo ut it s true status . It is found commonly with Calandmerge te . It take s about ayear to comple te the li fe —cyc le , theadult be e tle s appearing and laying eggs inJuly -Aug

'

us tand the re s t ofthe year be ing pas s e d in larval s tage . The

adult be e tle s live fors e ve ral months and prey upon Calandm erg/e te we evils . The grubs do not attack the we e vilsbut bore wheat and ric e grains .

In the report forthe year1914- 15, i t was s tate d thatTenebroid e s mauritanieus onthe whole playe d a benefic ialpart and it s pre s enc e in afie c t e d wheat and ric e would bebenefic ial. Fur the r s tudy has shown that the good the

adult be e tle s do by preying upon the we evils is prac ticallyofno h e lp . The real damage to wheat is done by the

we evils from July onwards and Tene bre id e s mauri z’anicusis pre s ent at this t ime only in the larval s tage and doe s notattain the adult stage till the next year . Also the be e tle sdo not appear in suffic iently large numbe rs to be 01us e inche cking the we evils .

8 . Ins e c t ic id e s . Two ins e c t ic ide s we re re c e ive d fortrial, (1) Orr

’

sWood P re s e rvative agains t te rmi te s and (2)Incos0p ol, a preparation from co tton s e e d oil, manufacture d by the Indian Cotton O il Company ofNavsari,Bombay P re s idency,fortrial agains t plant lic e and such othe rinse c ts. The trials have be en unde rtaken .

Belgrad e p ie ta appeare d in an expe rimental plot ofmus tard and spraying with F ishoilRe s in soap at a strengthof1lb. in 4gallons ofwate r che cke d it entire ly,killing eventhe adul ts .

9. Lantana work . This work was taken up oninstruc tions from G ove rnment and has forit s obje c t thecolle c tion ofinformation regarding the oc currenc e w1th1n

81. SCIENTIF IC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH

the IndianEmpire ofany ins e c ts which may be util ize d aseffic ient che cks on the growth ofLantana. With thisobje c t Mr. Y . Ramachandra Rao, Entomological As s is tant111Madras, has be en plac e d onspe c ial deputation unde r theImpe rial Entomologis t, fora pe riod oftwo years in the

firs t ins tanc e , from 16th Novembe r, 1916. He has com

menc e d work in Southe rn India and has made a study ofthe inse c ts affe c ting Lantana in Madras ,Mysore and Coorg.

A large numbe r ofinse c ts has be en found to oc cur onLantana bu t mos t ofthe s e appear to be e ithe r casuals ,not confine d to Lante wa. but usually Ve ry polyphagous inthe irhabits , orofno importanc e as che cks onLantana. The

ins e c ts found hithe rto and which appear like ly to be ofus eare (1) Platyp tilia p us illidac tyla,Wlk ., (2) a Eucosmi dmot h, apparently a nove lty, and (3) a C e c idomyiad fly ; ofthe s e , Platyp t ilta p us iltidae tyla, which was one ofthe

ins e c ts importe d from M exico intoHawai i to che ck Lantana, is already wide ly dis tribute d in India and Burma,and of the othe r two inse c t s furthe r inve s tigation is

requi re d regarding the ir ac tual value and dis tribution .

V. BEES,LAC AND SILK .

1. Be e s . The expe riments with the Indian Be e (Ap isind ica) — we re continue d . The re is, howeve r, nothing ofparticular inte re s t to re cord .

2 . Lac . Eme rge nc e ofLac larVae took plac e at. Pusaon20th Septembe r, 1916, and 23rd June ,1917 . Nume rousinquirie s forBrood - lac , e t c ., we re dealt with during the

year . ‘No s tudent attende d the short courses in Lac —culture .

3 . Silk . Thre e s tud ents comple te d short cours e s inEri and Mulbe rry s ilk and s ix remaine d unde r training ; ofthe s e nine menone was depute d by the Indore State andone by Travancore , one each came from Bombay, Mysore ,Bengal, and the Unite d P rovinc e s and thre e came fromBihar.Mr. Le froy, the Impe rial Silk Spe c ialist, “

MnM cNamara, the D ire c tor ofSe riculture , Kashmi r Stateand Mr. Gopal Krishnan,ofthe Mysore Se riculture Depart


ment, Vis ite d the SilkHouse . The membe rs ofthe ‘

Industrial Commis s ion, who Vis ite d the SilkHous e , we re muchinte re s te d in the re e ling and weaving work .

Mulbe rry s ilkworm eggs we re s ent to the Travancore ,Mysore , Banganapalle , Bhopal, Rewah, Indore , Gwalior,Poonch (Kashmir) and Jodhp urState s , to the D eputyD i re c tor ofAgriculture and Land R e c ords , Coorg, to thediffe rent s ilk c entre s ofthe Salvation Army and to the TifiisSe ricultural Station (Caucasus ). Eri eggs we re supplie dto one hundre d applicants and mulbe rry eggs to nine ty - oneapplicants . Eri and Mulbe rry s e e d cocoons we re sent tothe D i re c tor, Entomological Se c tion, Cairo (Egypt) . Mul

be rry cuttings and s e e d s we re supplie d to the D ire c tor ofAgriculture ,Burma,and to the Agricultural Offic er,NorthWe s t Front ierP rovinc e , re sp e c tive ly . Cas tor and Mul

be rry s e e ds, Mulbe rry cuttings and sample s ofdiffe rentkinds ofs i lk we re di s tribute d to many inquire rs . Ins truotions forrearing, re e ling, dye ing, bleaching and spinningwe re given by c orre spondenc e . Univoltine Mulbe rry s ilkworm e ggs we re s ent to Shillong, Mukt e sarand Guindy(Madras) forcold storage and gave satis fac tory re sults onrearing inNovembe r and March .

We at las t s e em to have suc c e e de d in e s tablishing a

nult ivolt ine hybrid rac e , the yie ld ofs ilk ofwhich is about75 p erc ent. more than the multivoltine rac e s generally reare d in Bengal . Allthe e ggs ofthe las t thre e generations ofthis rac e have hatche d like the eggs ofmultivolt'ine rac e s and i t is hope d that t hey will c ontinue to doso in future . The time has pe rhaps c ome to introduc e therac e in the various rearing c entre s .About 19 diffe rent varie tie s ofMulbe rry tre e s have be en

plante d and cons ignments ofleave s , flowers and fru its ofsome 01

" them have be e n s ent forid ent ificat i onto the Ec onomic Botanis t ofthe Botanical Survey ofIndia, Calcutta.

Silk Exhibits we re s ent to the Bengal Art Exhibition,Darj iling, the Mysore DasaraExhibition,and to the BurmaExhibition he ld in Rangoon in conne c tion with the

V'

c eroy’

s vis i t. A Silve r M e dal was awarde d from the

Darj iling Exhibition and honourable mention was made


by the Mysore DasaraExhibition Committe e . Two re e le rswe re sent to the Burma Exhibition to demons trate the

Bengal me thod ofre e ling.

Silk p1e c e s to the value ofRs . 644we re sold and the proc e e ds c re dited to Gove rnment.Ah improve d Silk Twi s ting Machine has be enmad e

re c ently, onwhich'

about hal f- a- pound ofMulbe rry,Muqa

orTasar re e le d s ilk canbe twis te d by aboy orgi rl in e ighthours . A twis ting machine has be en lent to the D eputyD ire c tor ofAgriculture ,As sam. Mulbe rry,Eri,MugaandTasar show. cas e s we re supplie d to the D i re c tor ofSericulture , Kashmi r State , and to the Agricultural Inspe c tor,Muz aflerp ur. Some ve ry fine s ilk guts we re e spe c ially madeforGalvanome te r magne t at the reque s t ofthe Offic er- ihCharge ,No . 18 Party (Magne tic ), Survey ofInd ia.

Various expe riments to improve the Mulbe rry s i lkwormrac e s we re carrie d oh , and the Se cond Report On the s eExpe riments is now in the pre s s . Bulle tinNo . 39 onMul

be rry Silkworm rearing, the s e cond e dition ofwhi ch hascome out , has be c ome ve ry popular .

VI . ILLU STRATIONS .Coloure d plate s illus trating the li fe —historie s ofthe

following ins e c ts we re prepare d during the year, viz :

Xylo tre c hus guadrtp e s , Lasp eyre s ict p s eudone c t is , Ancylmlomia ehrys ogrctp hella, Scirp op haga xanthogas trella (auriflua), Argina cribraria and Amsae ta moore i 8am . Linedrawings ofabout s ixty ins e c ts, showing li fe - his torie s inmore orle s s d e tai l, and about one hundre d drawings ofothe r ins e c ts, we re also prepare d .

The is sue ofc oloure d plate s and lante rn sl ide s has be enc ontinue d, thirtynew plate s (inc luding e leven ofmosquitos )be ing printe d and is sue d during the year.

VII. MI S CELLANEOU S .C orre szyond enc e . A total of110 parc e ls ofspe c imens,

mostly ofcr0p - pe s ts , was re c e ive d during the year forid ent ificat ionand advic e ,whils t le tte rs we re re c e ive dand is sue d, but all the s e numbe rs are exc lus ive ofa


large amount of‘ routine c orre spondenc e , which eve ry year '

be c ome s more and more one rous and take s up time whichshould be de vote d to more produc tive work .

VIII . INSECT SURVEY .

Steady progre s s has be en made in additions to, andarrangement of, the c olle c tion . The whole ofthe c olle c t ionofLepidopte ra (inc luding the Mic ro - lepidopte ra) has be enove rhaule d, rearrange d and plac e d in one s e rie s, so that allthe information onany spe c ie s orgroup is now available inone plac e . The work ofrearranging the Coleopte ra has .

be en prac tically finishe d, and the same has be en done in thecas e ofthe Orthopte raand part ofRhynchota. The id ent ificat ionofthe colle c tion ofD ipte ra was unde rtaken byMr. Brune tti during the year and is now in progre s s .

The colle c tions continue in good orde r,but the d ifficultyofmaintaining them, in boxe s in open racks in a c limatesuch as that ofPusa, is ve ry great.The following colle c t ions have be en s ent out to Spe c ial

is t s in the groups name d and ourthanks are ‘due to themthe he lp afforde d

(i) Carabidae to Mr.H. L. Andrewe s . Partlyname d and re turne d .

(it) Curculionidae to Dr. G . A. K. Marshall.Partly name d and re turne d .

(iii) Anthribidae to Dr. K. Jordan . Not ye t

re turne d .

Rut elidae to Mr. G . J Arrow. Name d andre turne d .

M e lolonthidae to Mr. G . J Arrow. Partlyname d and re turne d .

(1173) Ce rambyc i dae to Mr. C . J Gahan. Not ye tre turne d .

(vii)His t eridae to Mr. G . Lewis . Not ye t re turne d .

(viii) Sphegidae to Mr. Rowland E. Turne r .Re turne d name d .

(ix) Formic idae to Dr. C . M . Whe e le r . Rc turnedname d .


(x) The Apidae name d by the late Mr. G . MeadeWaldo have been re turne d .

(xi) Braconid paras ite s ofEarth s to P rofe s sor 0 . T

Brue s . Not ye t re turne d .

(xii) Tenthre dinidae to Mr. Rohwe r . Re turne dname d.

(xiii) Daeus ote ce and it s paras ite to P ro fe s sor Silve stri . Name d and de s c riptions publishe d .

(xiv) Tubific id worms infe s ting paddy to LieutenantColone l J Stephenson. Examine d and ih

formation communicate d .

Ah Ichneumonid reare d from c e ll ofP s eudagenie blanda to Mr. C . Morley. Name d andwill be re turne d .

(xvi)Hispinae and Cas s id in% to Mr. S. Maulik . Notye t name d and re turne d.

(xvii) M ic ro -Lepidopte ra to Mr. E. M eyrick, F .R .S.

Name d and re turne d .

Various colle c tions ofIndian inse c ts have be en re c e ive dand name d and re turne d as faras poss ible . The s e inc lude dcolle c tions s ent by the P rovinc ial Agricultural Departmentsand by nume rous c orre spondents .

IX . ENTOM OLOGICAL MEETING .

A Se cond Me e ting ofthe Entomological Staffs o i Pusa

and the Agricultural Departments ofthe P rovinc e s andNative State s was he ld at Pusa from 5 th to 12th February,1917, and was attende d by twenty—five membe rs and two“vis itors . All Indian c rops and the ir inse c t pe s ts , and theli fe - his torie s and me thods ofc ontrol ofthe s e latte r, we regone ove r and dis cuss e d, and the M e e ting prove d ve ry valuable to allwho attende d it . A full report ofthe Me e tinghas be en prepare d and is now in the pre s s .

X . PROGRAMME orWORK FOR 1917 - 18 .

Major.This will follow gene rally onthe line s ofwork ofthe

c urrent year and will inc lude gene ral inve stigations ofc rop


90 SCIENTIF IC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHR e p ort on Agricultural Ent01nology,.1915 -16. (Board ofSc ient ific Ad vic eAnnualR e p ort .)Holmgren Karinand Re p ort 011 a Colle c t ion ofTermit e s from

Nils Ind ia, Translat e d by T. BainbriggeF le t cher. (M enu , D e p t . ofAgri ., Ind ia,Ent , Serie s ,Vol.V,No .

Marshall, G . A. K. Oh new sp e c ie s ofInd ian Curculionidae ,Part III, (Ann. Mag . Nat . E t é t .

XIX, 188

Marshall, G . A. K. RhynchOp hora— Curc ulionidae , Part 1.

(F auna ofBrit ish India Series . Page s

xi + 367, 108 figs .)Marshall, G . A. K. Oh new we evils ofthe genu s M e cysmodere s

from India. (Ann. Mag . Nat .His t .XIX , 395

Meyrick, E. Exot ic Microle p idop t era,Vol. I, Part 20,Vol. II, Part 1.

Misra, C . S. Ind ian Sugarcane Leaf—h0p p er (Pyrillaaberrans ,Kirby) . (Mem .,D e p t . ofAgri .,Ind ia,Ent . Serie s ,Vol.V.No .

Silve stri, F . Sulle sp e c ie di Trypane idae d el genere Carp omyia dannos e ai frut t i d i Z iz yp hu s .(Boll. Lab . Z ool. Portic i XI, 170-182,

figs .)

Silve stri, F . D e s criz ione di alcuni Imenot t eri Brac onidiparas s it i di Dit t eri Tripane idi ne ll India.

160-169, figs .)

Silve stri, F . Prima not iz ia sulla pre senz a d e lla mosca

d e lle olive e di uh p arass ita di e s sa in

India. (R eale Ac cad . d e i Linc e i

XXV, 424-427, figs ) .

Turner, R . E. Not e s onthe Wasp s ofthe genus P is on_

and

some allie d genera. (Proc . Z ool. Soon,1916, p p . 591

Turner, R . E. Ona Colle c t ionofSphe c oidea s ent by the

Agric ultural R e s earch Ins t itut e , Pusa,

Bihar. (Mem ., D e p t .' ofAgri ., Ind z e ,

Ent . Serie s ,Vol.V,No .

INSTITUTE , PU SA, FOR 1916-17

REPORT OF THE IMPERIAL PATHOLOGICAL{ENTOMOLOGIST

(T. BAINBRIGGE F LETCHER,R .N.,

I . CHARGE AND ESTABLISHMENT .I was in charge ofthis s e c tion in addit ion to my own

dutie s as Impe rial Entomologis t, during the whole year(1s t July, 1916, to 30th June ,M e s s rs . Pate l and Sharma, Entomological As s is tants,

we re abs ent from 5 th July to 5 thNovembe r, 1916, onmilitary duty, be ing employed onFly Control work in M e so

potamia.

Mr. P . G . Pate l was absent onprivilege leave from l0th

March to 5 th April, 1917, and Mr. S. K . Senfrom 12 th

Oc tobe r to 23rd D e c embe r,1916.

Tours . Me s srs . , 8harma and SenVis ite d Calcutta inD e c embe r and April re spe c tive ly, to take down sp e c imensofD ipte ra to be name d up by Mr. Brune tti, who has be enemploye d dur1ug the year onthe id ent ificat ionofthe Pusac olle c tion ofth is Orde r .

II . WORK DONE . DISEASE—CARRYING INSECTS .

Saproz oic Flie s .The obse rvations, commenc e d thre e years ago by

Me s srs .Howle tt and Pate l, onthe attrac tion exe rc ise d onfle sh h ie s and othe r ins e c ts by dead animal matte r indiffe rent s tage s ofputre fac tion have bee n continue d andthe obse rvations up to date are partially summarize d be low .

Pucnos oma flavie ep s . Flie s ofthis spe c ie s are mosts trongly attrac te d to putre fying meat ord ead animals .

The l ife - cyc le from egg to egg is abou t 38 days . LikeSarc oyehage; this fly is capable ofinfe c ting meat by dropping it s eggs through wire gauze . The s e flie s have late ly

92 SCIENTIF IC REPORTS OF THE'

AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH

be en notic e d to be s trongly attrac te d to ove r - ripe cut mangofruit. A plant (p robably a Jus t ic ia), when in flowe r,attrac ts flie s ofthis spe c ie s (and many otherD ipte ra) inlarge numbe rs . Maggots extrac te d from human nos trils,from tumours , and from the foot ofa c ow suffe ring fromfoot -and -mouth dis eas e we re bre d out as flie s which areapparently Pycnos oma flam

’

e ep s .

A Calliphorine Musc id, probably a spe c ie s ofChrys omyia, is always obse rve d to follow Pyenos oma. I tis s e en attrac te d to putre fying meat in the same way as

Pyenosoma. The chie f points ofinte re st ofthis spe c ie sare — (i) the form and pre dac e ous habits ofQhe larvae , (ii)female s ofthis spe c ie s are in the habit ofproduc ing progeny ofone s ex only.The larvae ofthis spe c ie s are hard - bodie d and sp inifer

ous , each spine be ing finger- shape d, the apex again split upinto hook - like bris tle s . They are pre dac eous in habit e sp e c ially at time s ofs carc ity,which is not uncommon as thenumbe r oflarvae found upon a dead animal orpie c e ofmeatis gene rally in exc e s s ofthe ir food - supply . Expe rimentsconduc te d onthe pre dac e ous habits ofthe se larvae showthat they pre fe r SarCOp haga and Pyenos oma to othe rlarvae ,as the larvae ofboth the s e gene raare fle sby, smooth,and apparently harmle s s . Phorid larvae , excepting onespinife rous spe c ie s,are also liable to be attacke d and, in theabs enc e ofany such larvae , the Chrysomyia larvae fightamongs t thems e lve s and devour each othe r.The habit ofproduc ing progeny ofonly one s ex is curi

ous . Ins tanc e s ofproduc ing progeny ofone s ex amongs tinse c ts, such as be e s and Aphids , are we ll known but suchare usually the e ffe c t ofAgamogene s is , t .e ., a female without s exual inte rc ours e produc e s progeny. Seve ral exp eriments we re carrie d out to s e e i f Agamogene s is is c ommonamongs t the se flie s . Batche s ofbre d Virgin female s we reconfined onse ve ral oc cas ions with food, humidity, and ‘

allothe r ne c e ssary conditions in a fly cage to s e e i f they couldproduc e progeny without having any inte rcours e with male s .Side by s ide both male s and female s we re alsoconfined in a


94 SCIENTIF IC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHtion . They bre e d in such mate rial . The l i fe - cyc le pe riodis about 11days . The larvae are capable ofjumping, andthis i s a charac te ris tic trait in them. They are paras itize dby a smallHymenopte rous paras ite . This paras ite is notc onfined to this spe c ie s but will attack any fle sh fly pupae,pre fe rably those ofPhorid s .

Ap hioehce taferruginea (Phoridm) . Flie s ofthis spe c ie sare attrac te d both to fre sh and fe rmenting meat. Theysuck fre sh meat and ovipos it in the rotten meat. The

mature larvae , contrary to the habit ofyoung larvae , leavethe plac e offe e ding and go to anopen plac e to pupate .

The larvamature s within t endays but the pupa take s theunusually long pe riod ofabout four weeks .

Anothe r spe c ie s ofPhoridae , probably ofthe genusEc itomyia, frequents de compos ing meat ordead

“

animal .Female s ofthis spe c ie s have much re duc e d wings . The

male s are darke r and have we ll—deve lope d wings . The

larvae are spinife rous , compre s se d dorso—ventrally, with apair ofconspicuous s lightly protrude d re ddish hind spirac le s , head tape ring with re ddish ye llow tinge onthe c ep ha

lic region . The pupal pe riod was note d to be 15 days . The

larva pupate s whe re it has fe d .

A large spe c ie s ofPhorid ofthe genus Phom was s e enattrac te d ve ry often to putre fying meat. Seve ral flie scaught while inthe ac t ofovipos ition we re notic e d to be iht e s te d wi th anacarine mite . The infe c tion was c onfine donly to the abdominal s egments . The larvae are sp iniferous, the thorac ic s egments with irregular re ddish spots ;they take from s even to e ight days to be come full grown.

Flie s ofa spe c ie s ofOp hym (Anthomyiadae) we re ve ryo ften notic e d spe c ially when the tin containing meat wasexpose d unde r shady plac e s . The se flie s are conspicuousby the ir dull me tallic c olour. They frequent such plac e smore forfood than forovipos ition . Onone oc cas ion maggot s ofthe s e flie s we re found and reare d in ave s s e l containing ve ry old meat mixe d with loose earth . They do nots e em to bre e d in fre sh orputre fying meat .


A spe c ie s ofDrosop hilawas bre d out from ve ry old fle shwhich had los t all sme ll ofde compos ition . The l ife - cyc lewas found to be nine days from egg to adult. The pupaeremaine d firmly fixe d at the plac e ofthe ir bre e ding.

Be s ide s the flie s mentione d above , s e ve ral spe c ie s ofCole opte raare commonly attrac te d to putre fying fle sh.

Ne crobiarufip e s (Cle ridae ), a small me tallic dark gre enbe e tle ,not in fre quently Vis its dead carcase s and old meat.They have be en found to exhibit a pre ferenc e foreatingdead maggots and animal matte r. They bre e d fre e ly inold meat . The larvae are soft, e longate d and s lightly dilatedpos te riorly ; the head portion is a l ittle narrowe r, flat , andbrownish . They we re obs e rve d to eat dead ordamage dfle sh fly pupae in confinement .

Four spe c ie s ofHis t eridae we re found to be readilyattrac te d to putre fying meat. The adult ins e c ts we re ob

s e rve d to prey upon fle sh fly maggots ofany spec ie s but preferably ofbig spe c ie s . None ofthe se be e tle s have as ye tbe en found bre e ding in fe rmenting meat ordead an imalmatte r .

D erme s t e s vulp inas (De rme s tidae ) Vis its de compos ingmeat ordead animals, p e rhaps with the obj e c t ofbre e ding.A s ingle be e tle was s e en laying a dozen eggs . The larvaeare e longate d with leathe ry plate s onthe dorsum ofthebody which is c lothe d with long hairs . A s ingle larvamoults more than five time s . The adult be e tle s counte rfe itdeath on be ing alarme d . The larvae fe e d u pon animalmatte r but we re not found to prey upon any living fle sh flymaggots .

Adult flie s ofMus cane bulo,M angus tifrons ,M mgm

thomw, Ulid ia cenea and ofa small spec ie s ofBorboridaewe re trappe d whils t attempting to fe e d onexpos e d meat,but none ofthem we re eve r s e en to bre e d in such mate rial .

Spe c ie s ofCallip horinae and Sarc op haga bree ding infle sh are subj e c t to the attack ofthre e kinds ofparas ite stwo ofwhich be long to the family Chalc i didae . Ofthe s eone spe c ie s with re ddish hind legs attacks fle sh fly maggots


in the i r larval s tage . It was obs e rve d to hibe rnate in thelarval s tate ins ide the fle sh fly pupae during the cold ofwint er. The othe r spe c ie s is conspicuous by it s wide ly opene dmonth ; this spe c ie s attacks fle sh fly pupae as also full - grownlarvae . The third paras ite is ve ry minute and confine s it sattention chiefly to the maggots ofsmall spe c ie s offle shflie s, such as Phorid s, Sep s ids, e t c . I t has also be en bre dout

'from the pupae ofSarc op haga and Pycnosoma. Eventhe paras itize d pupae ofSarc op haga and the Callip horinaewe re obs e rve d to be attacke d by this small paras ite , whichapparently ac ts as a hype rp aras ite to the true Chalc ididparas ite s ofSarc ogahaga and Callip horince .

Tabanidae .

Obse rvations regarding the gregarious egg—laying habit

ofTabanus nemoeallosus we re coh t inue d .

Tabanidae in gene ral are in the habit ofdepos iting the ireggs in the Vic inity ofwate r but a great deal ofdifferenc ein the s e le c tion ofpos itions has be en marke d amongst the seflie s . Small Tabanids such as Tabanus bieallosus ,T. vireo,two spe c ie s ofHaematop ota, and Chrys op s s timulans , arein the habit ofovipos iting onthe leave s ofaquatic plantssuch as P olygonum glabrum and Phragmi te s kurka,whichgrow in shallow wate r . The time ofegg- laying diffe rs ind iffe rent spe c ie s ; forins tanc e , Chrys op s s t imulans was

obs e rve d onalmos t all oc cas ions to ovipos it be tween noonand 2 P .M . ; Tabanus bicallosus will lay throughout the daybut pre fe rably be twe en 9 and 10 A.M . ;Hcematop ota, sp p .

were '

se ento ovipos it mos tly during morning and eveninghours but neve r during the s trong heat ofthe day.

Eggs ofall the se small Tabanids are always arrange din a s ingle laye r and they are fre e from egg paras ite s .

Amongs t the large r spe c ie s, Tabanus albimed ius doe snot se em to be particular about s ituation ; it has be en ob

se rve d to lay eggs onany aquatic plants grown e i ther inde ep orshallow wate r ormud . Any small ac cumulation ofwate r e ithe r casual orpe rmanent, will attrac t the s e flie s



we re obs e rve d to wriggle to Come up to the wate r surfac ewhen kept in a big aquarium ; the majority ofthem l ive din s eparate batche s ofmas s e s at the bottom and neve r trie dto wriggle up . They we re obse rve d to live unde r such c ond it ions from 16th June to 26th June ,1917, but graduallybegan to de compose afte r this . A few survive d under subme rge d conditions till 29th June ,1917, and almos t allwe refound dead on2nd July,1917. Even when the wate r wasrendere d more orle ss air- fre e by boil ing, the s e larvae showe dc ons ide rable re s is tanc e to death from drowning. This ob

s e rvation may throw a little furthe r light onthe pos s ibilityofthe util ization ofdis solve d airby aquatic larvae .

Fre shly laid eggs , when subme rge d in wate r, faile d tohatch out , but they could s tand subme rgenc e for72 hours .

Fourt e enflie s , both male s and female s , eme rged in July,1917, from the lot oflarvae ofT.nemoeallosus taken duringthe month ofDe c embe r,1916.

Fre shly eme rge d flie s o i. this spe c ie s would not suckblood forsome time (unde r laboratory conditions) . Theyare capable ofre s is ting s tarvation fora full pe riod offivedays i f they are kept in humid surroundings . The starve dflie s when allowe d to bite a goat readily fille d thems e lve swith blood within five minute s . They show amarke d t endeney to drink wate r in captivity. Newly eme rge d flie swhen they have onc e acquire d a habit ofsucking sugaryfood are always found to be ve ry re luc tant to suck bloodafte rwards .

T nemocallosus in allprobability has one brood in ayear.Larvae ofthis spe c ie s c olle c te d during D e c embe r,1916,we refound about as long as a full - grown one . It is ourcommonexpe rienc e that Tabanidae disappear during winte r . Nofly ofthis spe c ie s norofany othe r Tabanidae was bre dduring cold s eason . Tabanidae in gene ral hibe rnate duringthe winte r in the ir larval stage . 80 the larvae ofT.nemeeallosus taken during De c embe r mus t be the outcome ofeggs depos ite d in Septembe r orOc tobe r. Some larvae fromthe above batch have s till to pupate . From the s e data the


maximum larval pe riod s e ems to be 9 to 10months . As therate ofdeve lopment amongs t the s e larvae is ve ry irregularw e ve ry o ften come ac ros s flie s ofthis spe c ie s at mos t time softhe year exc ept the winte r .

The eggs ofT. nemocallosus were found attacke d by aChalc idid paras ite which is c onspicuous ly smalle r than thep aras ite s ofthe large r spe c ie s ofTabanus . Ah apparently .

s imilar paras i te was bre d out from the eggs ofa spe c ie s ofAcalyptrate fly which we re c olle c te d in the Vic inity ofTabanid eggs .

Culicoid e s sp .

Seve ral flie s ofa spe c i e s ofCulie oid e s we re bre d out

from the gre en y ege table subs tanc e s (algae ) taken from neart he e dge s ofa we ll re s e rvoi r . The larvae as also adultsd iffe r from Culie oid e s kiefi

‘em

’

. The larvae ofthe Pusa

Culic e ide s are in habit ofremaining half burie d ins ide theg re en vege table substanc e . Many larvae we re se en congregate d in this way at one spotforac ons i de rable time . Oc cas ionally they come up to the water surfac e and move he reand the re with a charac te ris tic Vibratile motion . Theyo ften re s t onthe e dge s ofa ve s s e l containing wate r by ke eping the ir heads orbodie s expos e d . Moulting and pupationtake plac e unde r wate r, the pupa remaining float ing onthewate r surfac e . Thos e which are not able to float apparentlyd o no t suc c e e d in hatching out . A full - grown larva measure s a little more than 3 mm. in length and diffe rs from the

larvae ofCulic oid e s hiefieri in having apair ofve ry minutehai rs one oneach s ide ofthe prothorac ic s egments . The

same sort ofhairs we re s e en onmes o and me ta—thorac ics egments ofs eve ral larvae . The pupameasure s about half.t he length ofthe full - grown larva. The las t s egment ofthepupa te rminate s in two tooth—like spine s which are longe rthan those onthe re s t '

ofthe pupal body. The breathingtrumpe ts are dark in c olour, e spe c ially at the apical portion .

The ir s talks are lighte r and thin and are supplie d withthre e ve ry small dark protuberanc e s . The pupa take sabout 60 hours to hatch out . The fre shly eme rge d flie s have

100 SCIENTIF IC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHthe i r abdomen ofa gre enish colour which gradually turnsdarke r .

Dung-Flie s .

Obs e rvations we re made onthe flie s found bre e ding inthe dung ofvarious animals at Pusa and the followingspe c ie s we re bre d out

Bt e ed tng material Sp eme s eme i ged REMARKS

Cow dung t’

laematomyia ins z’

gm’

s .

Bdellolurynz sanguz’

nolentus .

Lyp eros iaminute .

Sep s z'

cl sp

Anthomyz'

adw, 4 spp .

Mus cat c orvina. Viviparous (flie s extrudelarvae instead ofeggs).

M us ca sp .

Pyrellz’

a s p . Full-grownlarvae ofthis

sp e c ie s are bluish gre en.t’upariumreddish.

Sarc op haga sp .

P horid sp .

M . angus tif’rons .

F annie sp . Flie s ofthis were bred out

during last year.

She ep dung M us ca sp . (d ome s t z’

ca typ e‘

A4- strip e d M us cabut ao

cording t o Awat i it isUlid ia c mea. otherthan d ome s tica or

nebula.m orid sp .

Horse dung M us canebulo.

Borborz’d sp .

Litt erfrom old man Ulid iami ca. The smellofthe bre edingui e heap mat erialwas s ome thing

llke v1negar.

Mosquitos .

Inve s tigations we re made in the viability ofSt egomyiaeggs obtaine d in a des ic cate d condition in rubbish in hol



Cut pie c e s ofbamboo, which are fille d with wate r andplac e d out at Pusa as bre e ding - traps forsome mosquitos ,attrac t mos t ofthe mosqu itos which bre e d in hollows intre e s . The following spe c i e s have be en found bre e ding inthe s e bamboos and reare d, vie , S t egomyia s cu t ellaris , S . w

album, Cyathomyia bre e ipalp is , Armigere s magnus andA. obturbans ; ofthe s e S. s cu t ellaris is attrac ted in the large s t numbe rs and,next to that,S w—album, the othe r spe c ie sbe ing found only oc cas ionally in such situations .

The Mosquito Campaign onthe Pusa Es tate was c ont inue d onthe line s note d in last year’s report. Cons ide rablesuc c e s s was attaine d,the re duc tion ofStegomyiasp p . duringthe rains be ing particularly marke d .

Expe riments onthe r6le ofblood in the development ofthe eggs ofmosquitos we re continue d and the re sults publishe d in the Ind ianJournal0fM ed icalR e s earch .

Eleven c oloure d plate s , showmg li fe —historie s ofmosquitos , were is sue d during the year .

III . PUBLICATIONS .Sen, S. K A pre liminary note onthe r61e ofblood in

ovulation in the Culic i dae (Ind ianJournal ofMed ieal

Re s earch,April

IV. PROGRAMME orWORK FOR 1917 - 18 .

Work will be c ontinue d onthe li fe —historie s and controlofthe ins e c ts and allie d organisms which are conc e rne d inthe transmis s ion ofdis eas e to manand animals in India


REPORT OF THE IMPERIALAGRICULTURALBA‘CTERIOLOG IST.

(C . M . HUTCHINSON,BA.)

1. ADM INISTRATIONAND TOURS .Charge . I he ld charge ofthe Se c tion throughout the

year .Es tablishment . Mr. Umrao Bahadur Mathur,Labora

tory As s is tant,was onprivilege leave fortwe lve days from10th to 2ls t April,1917 .

Tours . The following tours we re made by me duringthe year unde r report

July, 1916. To Motipur fac tory in c onne c tion withind igo expe riments .

Septembe r and Oc tobe r,1916. To Kashmir to inve s tigate c onditions ofs ilkworm s e e d s e le c tion inKashmirand to Shillong to enqu ire into the

c ondition ofs ilkworm rearing in Shillong withspe c ial re fe renc e to inc i denc e ofpebrine .

Novembe r, 1916. To Be rhampore and Ramnaggerinc onne c tion with pebrine expe riment and to

Muzaffarpur to give evidenc e be fore the IndianIndus trial Commis s ion .

January, 1917 . To Muzaffarpur,Dals ing - Se rai ,P embe randa, Mot ipur and P e e prah to obtaininformation as to expe rimental indigo vats .

February,1917 . To Muzaffarpur to addre s s the BiharP lante rs ’ As soc iation in c onne c tion with indigomanufac ture and to Jallaha in the ChamparanD is tric t to obtain information as to the 1de s ignofindigo vats .

March, 1917 . Inthe Champ aranD is tric t in c onne ction with the indigo fac tory enqu iry.

April,1917 . To Muzaffarpur, Mohammadp ur, andDholi in c onnec tion with the expe rimentalindigo fac tory .

7

104 SCIENTIF IC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHMay, 1917. To Muzaffarpur, Se raiah, Motipur,

Dooriah,Belsund and Taboa in c onne c tion withthe indigo expe riments .

June , 1917. To Muktapur, Muzaffarpur,Motipurand Bara in conne c tion with the indigo exp eriments .

Mr.HariharPrasad,one ofthe Fie ldmen attache d to theEntomological Se c tion, whose s erVic e s we re kindly lentto this Se c tion by the Impe rial Entomologis t in conne c tionwith the pebrine diseas e expe riment, was sent to Be rhampore s ilk nurs e rie s to demons trate the improve d me thod ofexamination ofmoths forpebrine as devise d in thislaboratory.

II . TRAINING .

Mr. S. NBos e , Bac te ri ological As s is tant to the Agricultural Chemis t to the Gove rnment ofBengal, is unde rtraining in this laboratory.

III . 8011. BACTERIOLOGY.

Soil fert ility inits relat ionto bac terialac tivit ie s .This inc lude d furthe r work upon nitrificat ionwith spe c ialre fe renc e to the inte r fe renc e with this proc e s s re sultingfrom(1) The abse nc e ofthe ne c e s sary sp e c ific organisms in

some soils .(2) The inhibiting ac tion oftoxins produce d in soils

unde r s emi—anae robic conditions .

The apparently comple te abs e nc e of nitri fyingorganisms in c e rtain so ils was c ert ifie d and confirme d byc ontinue d examination offurthe r sample s in which nitrification ofadde d organic matte r was s e cure d only afte rinoculation with ni tri fying organisms de rive d from othe rsoils . The princ ipal feature ofsuch so ils probably re sp ons ible forthe abs enc e ofnitri fying organisms, is the badtexture making good tilth difficult to obtain ; adde d to thisis a d efic iency oflime . Both the s e obj e c tionable feature s


106 SCIENTIF IC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHnitrogen ; this substanc e has a dec ide d re tarding e ffe c t uponnitrificat ion. Ac idificat ionofthe filtrat e from the aboveyie lde d awhite c rys talline subs tanc e soluble in dilute ac idsand containing rathe r more than 4 p erc ent . ofnitrogen ;this subs tanc e was found to inc reas e the rate ofnitrificat ioninOmelianski solution .

Phosp hat e requirement s ofsoil bac t eria and th e irrelat iont o p lant growth . A s e rie s ofexpe riments dealing with this subj e c t was initiate d ; the re sults so farobtaine d do not sugge st that solubilization oftricalc ic soilphos phate s by bac te rial ac tion is suffic ient in amount to produc e a surplus supply ofsoluble phosphate forthe dire c t us eofhighe r plants , but rathe r that the bac te ria dis solve onlysuffic ient forthe i r ownrequirements . It s e ems c lear, howeve r, that such impor tant fe rtilizing bac te rial ac tions asnitrificat ion depend forthe ir oc currenc e in any us e fuldegre e upon prope r supplie s ofphosphatic bac te rial food,and i t is also c lear that carbonic ac id re sulting from bac ~

t erial ac tion in the soi l will incours e oftime solubilizes ens ible quantitie s ofmine ral phosphate .

Biologicalanalys is ofs oils . Nume rous sample s ofso ilwe re analys e d by the me thod e laborate d in this laboratorymuch use ful information has be en obtaine d in this way as tothe c lose re lation be twe en bac te rial ac tivity and soi l fert ility. Application ofthe me thod to reh soils in the Punjab was found ofgreat value by the Agricultural Chemis tto the Gove rnment ofthe Punjab,whos e ass is tant had be entraine d in it s us e in this laboratory . It is to be hope d thatthe untime ly death ofMr. Barne s, whos e c ritic ism andadvi c e in conne c tion with the chemical me thods involve dwe re ofgreat value to me , will not prevent a c ontinuationofthis enquiry.

Familiarization with the use ofthe me thod forms aus efulpre liminary training forstudents in this Se c tion .

Gre en-manuring. Fie ld expe riments onthe mod ifie d

me thod ofgre en - manuring devise d in this laboratory, havebe en continue d in collaboration with the Impe rial Agriculturis t onthe farm, and also in the bac te riological area,


w he re a ve ry large c rop ofJava indigo was obtaine d by itsus e ; this c rop was not only heavie r than thos e obtaine d oncontrol plots manure d with cake , but onanalys is by theIndigo Re s earch Chemis t was found to contain a highe rpe rc entage ofindican .

Leguminous root nodule organisms . Expe rimentalwork upon cross inoculation with diffe rent s trains ofP3 .rad ie icolawas carrie d out by Mr.Joshi, Firs t Ass is tant int his Se c tion . It was found that in s eve ral instanc e s ve rysubs tantial inc reas e in growth both ofroots and ofthewhole plant re sulte d from inoculation, although charact eriz e d by comple te abs enc e ofnodule formation. This

“

was e spe c ially the cas e when culture s from one spe c ie s ofplant we re us e d to inoculate a diffe rent spe c ie s ; i t is sugge s te d that this forms a case ofinc omple te ly deve lope dsymbiotic re lationship due e ithe r to greater'

re s is tanc e to

invas ion onthe part ofthe hos t plant, to le s s paras iticability onthe part ofthe invading organism, orme rely toa lowe r degre e e ithe r ofs timulation by the paras ite orofreac tion to stimulus by the plant. The re sults ofthisenquiry will be publishe d shortly.

Plant d is eas e s . Bac te rial dis ease s ofwheat, poppy,and c i trus tre e s we re unde r inve s tigation during the year .A Memoir onthe firs t ofthe s e is now in the pre s s .

Pc p p y. Blackening and s limy de cay ofthe s tem andleave s ofthe opium poppy and o the rVarie tie s was found tobe due to bac te rial rot ; a de s c ription ofthe d i s eas e and ofthe causative organism is in hand forpublication .

Citrus cank er. This diseas e has be en known in Indiaforseve ral years some forms ofi t we re found to be due tothe ac tion ofPS. C itri we ll known as the caus e ofth is dise as e in Africaand Ame rica’ where i t has caus e d ve ry widespread and se rious damage . Furthe r inve s tigation will bemade during the next year.

IV. INDIGO .Work onthis subje c t has be en continue d in c ollabora

tion with the Indigo Re s earch Chemis t and has afforde dH


furthe r confirmat ionofthe importanc e ofbac te rial ac tion.

in ind igo manu fac ture .

It has be en shown that the fai lure in fac tory prac tic eto obtain neare r approximation to the the ore tic yie ld ofindigo from the plant is due to s eve ral fac tors ofwhich thefollowing have now be en found to be ofimportanc e

(1) D e s truc t ionofind icaninthe leafduring fermentat ionors t e ep ing. This appears to be due to '

s eve ral caus e s all pre venting the de s i rablechange ofindican by hydrolys is into indoxyl.The s e probably inc lude the ac tion ofplantenzyme s and bac te riaothe r than those produc ingindoxyl from indican . With this sourc e oflos smay be as soc iate d

Incomp le t e extrac tionofthe ind ican, as althoughno re s idual indican may be found remaining inthe plant afte r ste eping, ye t inve s tigation hasshown the ve ry s trong probability that it sabs enc e is due not to removal into solution inthe s te eping wate r but to ac tual de s truc tion orde compos ition ins ite . This de s truc tion appears .

to be due partly to enzymic and partly to »

bac te rial ac tivity othe r than that re sulting inproduc tion ofindoxyl .

Control ofthe fe rmentation tak ing plac e in the s te epingvats mus t the re fore take the form ofintroduc ing conditionswhich will minimize such loss e s , probably onthe followingline s

(1) P romote rapid extrac tion and so remove the

indican from de le te rious surroundings in the

leaf tis sue .

(2) P romote rapid hydrolys is and so le s s en the pe riodoftime during which the indican in solution isliable to c onve rs ion into produc ts othe r thanindoxyl .

Extrac t ion. Until the hot wate r extrac tion previous lysugge s te d as the mos t satis fac tory me thod has be en shownto be prac ticable ona fac tory scale , i t s e ems ne c e ssary to


110 SCIENTIF IC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHhot wate r extrac tion, but the e conomic s ofthis me thod

‘Would have to be worke d out be fore re commending it s adoption as a fac tory proc e dure .

I t be came c lear ve ry early in this enquiry thatno advanc ec ould be made in the abs enc e ofanexpe rimental fac tory .

D e s igns we re ac cordingly made and sanc tion obtaine d forthe ne c e s sary expenditure ; i t is unfortunate that owing tovarious and nume rous sourc e s ofde lay it has not be en foundpos s ible to c omple te the e re c tion and e quipment ofthe fact ory in time formanufac ture ofJavaplant at the time whenit was ready forcutting ; it is hope d that even with ove rmature plant some re sults ofvalue may be obtaine d . The

fac tory c ons is ts ofone range ofs ix vats . with s ix corres p ond ing s eparate khaz cmas and blowing vats . Four vatsare of100 cubic fe e t capac i ty and two of50 cubic fee t .Blowing was pre fe rre d to beat ing onac c ount ofthe me chanical difficult ie s ofthe latte r in s eve ral small vats,and ofthegreate r poss ibility ofc ontrolling the oxidation and ensuring comparable conditions in all the vats .Apart from the ac tual indigo produc e d the Indigo

Re search Chemis t has kindly unde rtaken to arrange forcomple te analytical c ontrol ofthe whole s e rie s ofope rationsineach expe riment which will naturally afford more ins igh tinto the caus e s unde rlying diffe renc e s in the re sults obtaine dby variations in the me thod ofmanufac ture than c ould bes e cure d me re ly by we ighment ofthe indigo produc e d .

The line s ofenquiry which will be adopte d will aim at

d e t ermining(1) The poss ib ility ofinc reas ing the yie ld ofindigo by

introduc ing sp e c ific bac te ria into the s te epingvats .

(2) The be st way ofdoing this on'

a fac tory s cale andunde r fac tory conditions .

The re are indications that the s e cond part ofthise nquiry will form the major problem and may require acons ide rable amount oftime and labour to bring to a suc

c e ssful is sue . It is also evident that should hot wate re xtrac tion prove e conomically feas ible the d ifficult ie s


conne c te d with its solution would be greatly re duc e d innumbe r .

V. PEBRINE .Furthe r work on this subj e c t was carrie d

.

out and a

Bulle tin de s c ribing a revise d me thod ofexamination ofmoths was publishe d .

The rearing ofworms (mulbe rry) was c ont inue d underc ontrolle d conditions with aview to de te rmining the following po ints in conne c tion with the inc idenc e ofpebrine .

Some 90 lots we re reare d unde r controlle d c onditionsbe s ide s many large r broods in a s eparate ku t cha house .Hered itary infe c tion. Broods we re reare d throughout the year to che ck the value ofthe improve d me thod ofs e e d s e le c t ion and to compare it with the one which hasbe en unsuc c e s s fully use d inBengal during the pas t t enyears . The results ofthe expe riments c onfirme d the preVious c onc lus ion t hat many cas e s ofpebrine in the mothmay e scape de te c tion by the ordinary me thod,which wouldnot do so i f examine d by the revi s e d one .

Furtherconfirmat ionwas also obtaine d ofthe c onc lus ion that a cons iderable pe rc entage ofp ebriniz ed s e e d mayrproduc e worms Which canbe suc c e s s fully carrie d throughto the cocoon s tage i f afforde d suffic ient spac e and suitablefood, whe reas comparative ly un favourable conditions ofli fe such as are fre quently found in rearing hous e s as acons equenc e of ignoranc e orcare le s sne s s , would haveensure d the ir failure t o spin. Such worms, howeve r, canno t be use d fors e e d produc tion, the re s istanc e to the disease conse quent upon the favourable conditions ofli fese ldom be ing suffic ient to do more than prevent the rap idmultiplication and spread ofthe paras i t e in the body ofit s hos t which charac te rize s the disease in le ss sui table surroundings .

One ofthe inhe rent difficult ie s ofthis work is the nuavoidable length oftime requ ire d forthe expe riments ; thisis due to the imposs ibility ofas ce rtaining e ithe r the suc c e s sofanart ific ial infe c tion, ore ven whe the r the Vitality ofthe pebrine paras ite has be en afie c te d by treatment, unti l

112 SCIENTIF IC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHanobvious ly dis eas e d condition has be en produc e d in theWorms as a re sult ofthe us e ofsuch infe c tive mate rial .This may re quire s e ve ral we eks ’ incubation during whichthe difficulty ofensuring the abs enc e ofothe r sourc e s ofinfe c tion and the poss ibility ofadventitious diseas e in thec ontrols,add unc e rtaintie s to the re sults and make nume rous duplicate s ne c e s sary.

Infe c tion through contagion oringe s t ionofth eparasit e . The ne c e s s ity ofwork upon this s e cond sourc eofthe disease will be realize d when it is pointe d out thatp e rfe c tly healthy s e e d i f reare d in infe c te d surroundingsw i ll give ris e to worms which may die whils t s till in thelarval s tage , be fore spinning ; i t is the los s oftime and themoney thrown away upon fe e ding such worms fors e ve ralwe eks that has cause d many thousands ofs ilkworm reare rst o forsake this avocation in favour ofsome le ss pre cariousmode of earning a live lihood . Nume rous exp e rimentsunde r controlle d conditions have confirme d my pre vious lye xpre s se d c onc lus ion that the princ ipal, i f not the only,means ofinfe c tion othe r than by he re ditary transmis s ionis by inge s tion ofthe spore form ofthe Earas it e w ith thefood . In this c oun try at any rate , the re s e ems to be none e d at pre sent to as sume that any othe r me thod is ofse rious c ons eque nc e ; the prime importanc e ofavo iding this onealone , and the great inhe rent d ifficult ie s ofdo ing so, willsuffic iently engage the attention ofreare rs forsome yearst o come .

y

Expe riment he re has not only shown the infe c tive natureofthe pe brine spore , in Indiaas in Europe , but has demons trat e d it s pre s enc e in great numbe rs in the dus t ofrearinghouse s and What is s till more important in that ofs e e ds e le c tion bu ildings . Mos t ofthe s e loose spore s are thrownou t ofthe gut ofthe infe c te d but s till fe e d ing worm, alongwith the fae c e s ,and be ing pre sent in the latte r in enormousnumbe rs remain to some extent uponthe leave s upon Whichthe diseas e d and healthy worms alike are fe e ding . Thisnaturally

t

re sult s in the ir pas s ing With the food into the

gut ofthe hithe rto uninfe c te d worms to ac t as sourc e s ofdisease . Thus he re ditary infec tion ofa small pe rc entage


114 SCIENTIF IC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHofthe pebrine spore unde r varying natural conditions ; thispoint s e ems to re quire e luc idation as a ne c e s sary pre liminary to such enquirie s as the one above re fe rre d to, and thesucc e ss ofantis eptic meas ure s would large ly depend uponthe ir having be en devis e d with due knowle dge ofthe re s is tanc e ofthe re sting stage orspore form ofthe paras ite tonatural antagonis tic orde struc tive agenc ie s such as de s iccation orheat .

P rogre s s in exp e riment onthis subje c t is ne c e s sarilys low forvarious reasons . Firs tly mus t be taken into :

ac count the fac t thatno means is at pre s ent known ofde termining e ithe r the vitality orthe infe c tive powe r ofthis :protozoal paras ite exc ep t by the suc ces s orothe rwise of

'

expe rimental infe c tion ofit s natural hos t ; this at be stre qui re s s eve ral we eks t o show any pos i tive result , and inany cas e may fai l to do so from cause s othe r than los s ofinfe c tive powe r orVitality by the paras ite , such as unduly "

high re s is tanc e ofindividual hos ts,making it ne c e s sary to ‘

use large numbe rs ofthe latte r to e liminate this sourc e ofe rror as faras pos s ible . Nume rous othe r dis turbing factors have to be allowe d forsuch as the pos s ibility ofac c idental infe c tion from adventitious caus e s e ithe r in the

worms unde r expe rime ntal infe c tion orin the c ontrols .Furthe r work onthe pure ly protozoological s ide ofthe que stion is requi re d be fore absolute knowle dge ofthis part ofthe problem canbe obtaine d, and this in my op inion mus tbe carrie d out , and carrie d out in India, be fore it will beposs ible to advanc e in ac tual prac tic e much beyond the pres ent empirical s tage oftreatment.

So farI have be en able to as c e rtain with some c e rtaintya few important po ints with regard to the pe rs is tenc e of

'

Vitality ofthe in fe c tive organism, amongs t which may be '

mentione d the inte re s ting fac t that de s ic cation foras muclras s ix months did not de stroy the infe c tive powe r ofthe

pebrine spore ,whe reas mode rate mo isture at the same t em

p erature rende re d it innocuous in one month . It“ will be

obvious'

that more comple te knowle dge ofthis sort wouldbe invaluable in introduc ing any modificat ions in existing:prac tic e , e spe c ially thos e depending upon avoiding c e rtain


c limatic conditions e ithe r by c onfining‘ rearing to c e rtain

s easons orto c ertain dis tric ts . It might be pos sible to

make us e ofthis line ofenqui ry to e luc idate what appearsto me to be a problem ofgreat importanc e in deal ing withpreventive measure s,not only forthis but formany othe rparas itic in fe c tions , e spe c ially those ofcultivate d c rops ,

Many paras ite s , both animal and plant , go through a re s ting stage in the i r life - cyc le ,fre quently in the spore form,.

as in the case ofNos ema and ofmany bac te ria and fungi ;this re s ting c ondition usually se rve s the purpose ofcarrying the

’

organism through a pe riod ofe xis tenc e duringwhich it s surround ings are unfavourable forcontinue d:vege tative ac tivity, e ithe r by reason offailure offoodsup p ly orofseasonal orc limatic change s . Eme rgenc efrom the spore c ondition normally take s plac e when conditions onc e more be c ome favourable forac tive growth, andthe time ofsuch eme rgenc e is gene rally de te rmine d bVthec o inc i dence ofsome natural s timulus with such favourablesurroundings . In the cas e ofthe pebrine spore the ordinary s timulus s e ems to be the combination ofmo is ture andsu itable tempe rature found in the gut ofthe s ilkworm,

Which initiat e s the s e rie s ofinte rnal change s in the spore ,culminating,unde r the adde d influenc e ofac id found in thegut , in the protrus ion ofthe flagellum and the eme rgenc e ofthe amoebula. I t se ems probable that the de le te riouse ffe c ts ofc ontinue d mo is ture upon the vitality ofthe s p oremay be due to p remature ly induc e d re sumption ofVitalac tivity in the latte r,not inde e d carrie d so faras ge rmination, in the abs enc e ofothe r ne c e s sary s timuli, but re sulting

,in the abs enc e ofappropriate environme nt forit s con

t inuat ion, in e ithe r partial ortotal los s ofVitali ty. Others imilar case s ofabortive ge rmination are common in nature ,and i t would appear to be worth while to make a care fuls tudy ofthe pos s ibility ofart ific ially induc ing it insucha way as to de s troy various paras itic organisms, in cas e s

whe re the us e ofantiseptic s orheat is not prac ticable . Itmight,forins tanc e , be found pos s ible to induc e prematureac tivity in the pebrine spore s infe s ting rearing house s,s imply by mo istening the walls and floorat a time ofyear

116 SCIENTIF IC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHwhen they would othe rwise be comple te ly dry,and althoughin the cas e ofs ilkworm rearing the use ofposs ibly morec e rtain antis eptic me thods is not gene rally prohibite d bycons ide rations ofc os t, in many othe r ins tanc e s , such as

o c cur in c onne c tion with agricultural ope rations , thisprinc iple might be worke d out and app lie d whe re wat e r,e ithe r natural orart ific ial, is available . Irrigation, forins tanc e , might be utilize d at the prope r time to ensurepremature ge rmination ofparas itic so il organisms , such asbac te ria and fungi in the re sting spore s tage , ore ve n to

induc e such uns easonable multiplication ofthe vege tativeforms as t o re sult in the i r exhaus tion orauto - int'oxication .

This princ iple i s ac tually made us e ofin the e liminationofwe e ds from arable soil. It seems probable that s imilarpremature orunduly rapid s timulation of embryonicac tivity may be re spons ible fort he failure ofc rops in t hese e dbe d orin the field, e spe c ially whe re ge rmination haspe rhaps be en inhibite d by inte rfe renc e With the orde rlysequenc e ofenzymic ac tivi tie s charac te ris tic ofembryonicme tabolism, such inte rfe rence be ing due to abnormalt empe rature ormois ture .

In orde r to combine such k nowle dge with furthe rinformation ofa diffe rent kind such as the effe c t ofc limateormanurial treatment upon the nutritional value ofthemulbe rry leaf, and the re sulting ac tion upon the re s istanc eofthe s ilkworm to infe c tion, much more inve s tigation - is

ne c e s sary, but inview ofthe undoubte d fac t that the produc tion ofraw s ilk in India depends primarily, jus t as itdoe s in Europe , upon the pos s ibility ofavoiding diseas e samongs t the s ilkworms thems e lve s , ofwhich dis ease s byfarthe mos t de s truc tive is pebrine , it s e ems c lear that suchinve s tigation is a ne c e s sary ante c e dent to any suc c e s s fulattemp t to re susc itate the s ilk indus try in India.

It may be said, the re fore , that although animportants tep in advanc e has be en made in the provis ion ofaneffect ive adaptation ofPas teur’s c las s ical me thod ofs e e d se le ction to Indian c onditions, ye t the e limination ofany unduep e rc entage ofhe re ditary infe c tion by this means mus t be


118 SCIENTIFIC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH

Minorsubj e c ts .5 . Biologi cal analys is ofsoils .6. Bac te rial diseas e s ofplants .’

VIII . PUBLICATIONS .

1.Hutchinson, M . The Pebrine Diseas e ofSilkworms inIndiaBulle tin No . 75 ofthe Agric ulturalRe search Ins titu t e, Pu sa.

2 .Hut chinson, C . M . Re p ort on Soil Bac t eriology forBoard ofSc ient ific Advic e , 1915 -16.

3 .Hutchinson, C . M . The Imp ortanc e ofBac t erial Ac tion inIndigo Manufac ture .

4.Hut chinson, C. M . A Bac t erial Dis eas e ofWheat inthe Punjab . M emoirs ofthe D e partm ent ofAgric ulture in India, Bac temologioal

Serie s ,Vol. I,No . 7 .


REPORT OF THE IMPERIAL COTTONSPECIALIST.

(G . A. GAMM IE,

I. CHARGE AND TOUR S .Charge . I was in charge ofth e Se c tion throughout the

year .Tours . In Oc tobe r I toure d in Khande sh, Gujarat,

Be lgaum and Sholapur dis tric ts ; in De c embe r, in Be rar andthe Central P rovinc e s ; in January, Gujarat, the Southe rnMahratta Country and Khande sh ; in February, Gujaratand the Southe rn MahrattaCountry,and in March,SataraD istric t and Gujarat .

II . COTTONs INTHE PROVINCES .Bombay Pre s id ency

Khand e sh . Exc epting fora s light admixture ofUpland G eorgianc otton which has pe rs is ted formanyyears afte r -

it s cultivation was abandone d in this trac t, thewhole ofthe c rop cons is ts ofa varie ty offorms which arebotanically aggre gate d unde r the spe c ie s Gossyp ium

negle c tum ofTodaro. Comme rc ially they c ome unde r thehead of Bengals,” which pre vails ove r the greate r proportion ofthe whole area de vote d t o cotton .

The varie tie s compris e d within this spe c ie s are in orde rofvalue ; Malvens is , in mos t re spe c ts e qual in quality ands taple to Broach but failing to maintain a dominant ’

p osi

t ion he re onac count ofit s low yie ld and ginning pe rc entage ; oera, sligh tly infe rior to the above and failing onthesame po ints ; andros eum,aWhite - flowere d varie ty, which,although produc ing a c otton ofprac tically no s taple , leadsthe field by it s produc tivene s s, hardine s s and high ginningp e rc entage so that, at pre sent, it re turns to the cultivator

120 SCIENTIF IC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHabout Rs . 15 p erac re more than any othe r varie ty ofthe '

mixture . Afte r long expe riment the D epartment dec idedthat this was the mos t profitable type to grow and the farme rs themse lve s have independently arrive d at a like conclus ion. A large se e d farm, as s is te d by c ert ified cultivators , is e s tablished at Jalgaonand great quantitie s ofse e dofthis low grade type have be en d is tribute d throughout thetrac t. It appears probable that at no fardistant futurethis will replac e the old e s tabl ishe d mixture which, afterall, had it s good po ints and many me rchants now bewailwhat they call the de te rioration ofKhande sh cotton . The reare already indications ofthe se tting in ofamore ins is tentdemand forfinercottons and i t would be we ll forthe Department to be prepare d to p ut out a highe r c lass cottonWhen the demand forit reache s this trac t. Poss ibly thelowe s t grade varie ty will always be the mos t remune rativebut the Department mus t remembe r that the re is a riskofa great fall in pric e ofsuch cotton onac count ofove rproduc tion .

I am ofopinion that the time will soon come When theDepartmen t cansafe ly leave the white - flowered cotton to '

look afte r its e lf and meanwhile attention should be c entredonthe improvement ofthe finervarie tie s .In the adjoining dis tric ts ofthe De c can, e spe c ially p er

haps in Sholapur whe re a large expans ion ofthe cottonc rop has oc curre d in rec ent years , the re is the same tendencyto replace the old negle c tum mixture with a pure s trainof

‘

white - flowere d cotton. Trials have be en initiate d to te s tthe value s ofthe othe r membe rs ofthe mixture . This t ractabuts onthe part ofthe Niz am’

s Dominions whe re a particularly fine cotton is grown, probably the be s t ofthe Indianc ottons, the G . ind icum ofTodaro,and Bani,Hinganghat,e tc ., ofthe trade . It would amount to a calami ty i f thisfine s train was Vitiate d with the low grade cotton fromKhande sh and Be rar although the re are dis tinc t indications that the contamination has commenc e d, as will bes e en from the fac t that Bars i c ottonhas de te riorat e d .

Along the Godavari Valley inHyde rabad Te rritory this ,


122 SCIENTIFIC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHFarm gave Rs . 132, a s e cond, Rs . 130, a third,Rs . 114, anda fourth, Rs . 110. Ou the Gokak Farm, with the localKumptaat Rs . 120, one s e le c tion was value d at Rs .135 andanothe r at Rs . 136.

The se re sults from Kumpta are valuable as they go toshow that a great advanc e canbe at onc e effe c te d by se lection and that the advanc e even in furthe r s e le c tion is reallyc ontinuous .

By care ful analys is we have realize d that the DharwarAmericanreally c ons is ts oftwo spe c ie s ,a hairy plant, thetrue Upland G e orgian,and a smooth one , the New Orleans .We have also as c e rtaine d as the re sult ofte s ts that the

forme r poss e s se s qualitie s denie d to the latte r, vie , hardine s s,greate r immunity from ins e c t attack,and be tte r co ttonac companie d by a highe r produc tion . Steps mus t be takengradually to e liminate New Orleans from the fields . A

sample ofpure Upland G eorgian was value d at Rs . 505

p ercandy while one ofNew Orleans at the same time was"value d at Rs . 490— a diffe renc e ofRs . 15 p ercandy.

Although the s e Ame rican cottons we re introduc e d intothe dis tric t so many years ago, they have not ye t be comethoroughly ac c l imatize d,and i t is the prac tic e ofthe people

“

who cultivate the s e to grow always a mixture ofKumptaplants in the i r fields . The Dharwar -Ame rican entire lyfails in some years, but Kumpta is c e rtain to give some

re turn e ven in the wors t ofs easons . The Dharwar -Ame ric anmature s mos t ofit s cotton in advanc e ofKumpta so

that a fair part ofthe forme r is picke d pure ,but anenquiryis to be unde rtaken to find out whe the r the ine vitable mixture is amatte r ofany conc e rn, the gene ral i deabe ing thati t is not . Anyhow as the growing ofthe two sorts toge the ris done to minimi ze the ri sk ofloss i t will be difficult tope rsuade the farme rs to give up the prac tic e and, fortunat ely, it maynot be ne c e s sary to do so.

Cambodiac otton was introduc e d into the dist ric t afewyears ago, but it is s till more unc e rtain than Dharwar


Ame rican,and owing to it s s1milarity in exte rnal charac te rsto that varie ty it is ve ry difficult to de te c t admixture in thefields although this has gone onve ry rapidly .

Broach cotton has done we ll ona strip ofcountry onthe eas te rn s ide ofthe dis tric t Whe re the south -we st monsoonse ts in early, but the re is little chanc e ofit s eve r extendingbeyond this trac t.The price s realize d in the years 1913 -1916forBroach

s e e d cotton ofthe spe c ial c las s, which ginne d 34 onanave rage , have be en 20 to 25 p erc ent. highe r than those of:the local cotton,and the lowe s t c lass ofBroach cotton,Withaginning pe rc entage ofabout 295 ,has fe tche d about Rs . 20

more than the local Kumpta.

The Manage r ofthe cotton mill at Gokak supplie d thefollowing note ona te s t made with se le c te d KumptaoftheDharwar Farm and compare d with local Kumpta ofmanyparts ofthe Kumpta trac t

The c ott onwas c onsid erably sup eriorto any ofthe Kump tac ot tons as sup p lie d e itherd ire c t by the ryot s orwhich we have oh

taine d from the nearmarke t s it is bright, c lean, long instap le anduniform and ofmiddling strength ;from it we spun3 c ount s,m

’

e

20’

s, 30’

s, 40’

s . The yarnransmoothly and demande d very littleat t entionfromthe workp e op le , and we would no doubt have re c e ive dbe t t erre sult s had we had suffic ient c ot tonto make it worth ourwhile to alt erourmachinery so that it should be spuninto yarnunderthe be st c ond it ions .

The loss inthe blowroom amounted to 8 p erc ent .The yarngave the following t e st s

Count s Actual average c ount Ac tual average s trength

124 SCIENTIFIC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHAgainst this we give you the re sult of20’s spunfrom Kump ta

and otherc ot tonfrom the p lac e s name d

Name Blowroom los s Average count Strength

p ercent .

Kudchi 20'

4’

s

Athani

Shedbal 20°

6’

s

J ‘

amkhindi

Mudhol 19‘6’

s

Bagalkot

The c ot tonyou supp lie d is be t t erthanthe Cambod ia we haves e enthis yearand fully R s . 20p ercand y be t t erthanKump tas fromthe surrounding d istric t s . We s end you a samp le knot of20’

s spunfrom Dharwars e le c t e d and ordinary Kump tas .

Dharwar -Ame rican has s tood the te s t oftime fai rly we lland , i f it s weake r c ompanion,New Orleans, is c leare d out,

it may be amore c e rtain c rop than it is at pre sent.This type is grown late in parts which enjoy the advan

tage oftwo rainy seasons, and the north - east monsoonis absolute ly e s sential to it . It is found mixe d to agreate rorle ss extent With the local JowariHatti orKumpta andalso le s s evidently so with Cambodia round Ranibennur . Ihave already s tate d that the mixture with Kumptamaynotbe taken as fraudulent.As regards re sults from the s eparate t e sts with Upland

G eorgian andNew Orleans during thre e suc c e ss ive seasons,the Upland type gave 50 lb: more se e d cotton p erac re thanthe ordinary field mixture , i t gins 3 to 4 p erc ent .more andinvalue it commands Rs . 10 to 15 more p ercandy oflint.The New Orleans not only give s a lowe r pe rcentage andpoore r qualitybut it is behind in out - turn . It has also been


126 SCIENTIF IC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHlate r) and Surti Broach.He re also in the trac t calledthe Kahnam a varie ty calle d kanvi exists . It apparentlycannot c laim to be cons ide re d a dis tinc t rac e but is probably in no way diffe rent from Surti Broach orevenNavasari .The only remaining form ofherbac eum which reache s

furthe r north than this is the Lalio,which us e d to be dist inguishe d by the ve ry pendulous nature ofit s cotton whenripe . A great deal ofthe cotton which goe s unde r thisname is poss ibly Broach anyhow Lalio,as we use d to knowit , has almos t gone out ofexistenc e . Onthe lighte r soilsofNorth Gujarat diffe rent spe c ie s ofcotton appear andthis mixture is in it s greates t intens ity in the Kai ra andAhme dabad dis trict s . A p e rennial varie ty, G . obtus i

folium, Todaro, the Rozi ofGujarat, is grown in fields,always as amixture .

In Kathiawar the re are the same cottons as in Gujarat,onthe othe r hand wage d, a form ofherbaceum in Whichvalve s ofthe bolls remain c lose d in the ripe bolls, is a prevalent spe c ie s as is also aform ofnegle c tum, calle d mathiawhich is sai d to have be en int roduc e d into Kathiawarabout 1891and gaine d ground af te r the famine year of1899when the local cottons we re wipe d out with drought.The de c reas ing value s ofcottons as we go up from the

southward undoubte dly depend onthe ac companying diffe renc e s ofc l imate and soil .Thus, i f we take the value ofBroach at Rs . 300 p er

candy of784lb. as the bas is,we have

Broach north ofBroach


The quality ofthe Broach cotton is already so good thatit has be en d ifficult to efle c t anything tangible in its improvement, but at the Surat Farm whe re expe riments w iththis end inview have be en carrie d onuninte rrupte dly formany years , c e rtain s trains have be en e stablishe d,and the seare dis tinc tly more profitable than the local uns e le c te dcotton. Thus While ordinary Surti Broach, onthe farm,

give s a gross re turn ofRs . 89 p erac re , Se le c tion 1A give sRs . 106, and Se le c tion 11, Rs . 98.

Taking the ave rage offive years, local cotton has aginning pe rc entage of33 2 ; Se le c tion 1A, 366; Se le c tion 11,35 -2 . The s e improve d cottons are now grown onanex

tende d s cale by village rs unde r departmental supe rvis ionand a premium of5 p erc ent . ove r local rate s is paid bytrade rs forthe produc e , but the re are indications to showthat this is cons ide rably be low the ir intrins ic value .

Inthe Broach D is tric t the local cotton is be ing mixe dwith aninfe rior type calle d ghogari as it brings in moremoney at pre s ent to the cultivator. From the re sults ofthe Broach plot forthre e years ghogari yie lds onanave rage15 lh. more hapas p erac re than the Breach D e shi . Th istoge the r With the high ginning Will pay about Rs . 3 morep erac re to a cultivator .Reali z ing that the people are de te rmine d to have gho

gam’

the Depar tment has s tarte d a farm at Broach to s ee

what canbe done e i the r to improve it orto deve lop uniforms trains . Four more orle s s dis tinc t type s have be en separate d, but the te s t has not be en in ope ration long enoughto furnish any re sults ofa de c is ive nature . The fibre isreporte d onin Bombay as be ing short and weak and the

change ofquality in the Broach cotton gene rally i s notapproved of. In valuations ofsuc c e s s ive years before 1908,the diffe rence in pric e be twe en Fine Broach and Fine Suratwas ordinarily Rs . 10 p ercandy,but oflate years the marke thas be en paying Rs . 30 p ercandy more forFine Surat,andthis fac t supports ourcontention that Broach cotton hasde te riorate d s imply by reason ofthe s teadily inc reas ingghogari mixture . In Broach as in Khandesh and Be rar

its SCIENTIF IC REPORTS orTHEAGRICULTURAL RESEARCHit is plain that the de te rioration in quality is not due tonatural caus e s but has be en brought about by the de libe rates e le c tion ofthe mos t infe rior type in the prevalent mixtureGhogam

’

is spreading southwards and it is not looking ve ryfarin advanc e to fore se e that the whole ofthe SouthGujarat cotton country Will be come contaminated with it'.In the northe rn part ofGujarat,with the exc eption of

wage d which cove rs large areas to the we s t ofAhme dabadand which is also a cotton ofgood type ,we have a he te rogeneous as s emblage ofvarie tie s which are grown capric iously throughout the area. Forins tanc e , in Ahme dabadD is tric t, Zalio, wage d , mathio, ghogari and roz i arefound not in the same fields ofcourse but scatte re d indis criminately.

CentralProvinc e s .In the Central Provinc e s the mixture ofcottons in the

fields 1s exac tly as de s c ribe d forKhande sh in the BombayPre s1d ent y, with the addition that a sort ofacc limatize dUpland Georgian from Chhut ia Nagpur calle d Bhum’

has be en introduc e d into wilt - infes te d areas onac count ofit s re s istance to the disease . Bani orHinganghat whichspreads in from the dire c tion oftheHyderabad Te rritoryhas rap idly gone out offavour onac count ofit s low yie ldand low ginning pe rc entage .

As in Khande sh, the white - flowere d negle c tum orroseum is be ing dis tribut e d lavishly to the exc lus ion ofallothe rvarie tie s . That the re is abundant jus tificat ionforthisc ourse is prove d by the following figure s : ros eum andSangerjari, both White flowere d, give a gros s re turn p erac re ofRs 57 ; the ye llow-flowere d varie tie s, Berarjm i,Rs 41; bani Rs . 39; Malvens z

’

s Rs . 33 and were Rs . 31

re spec tive ly . Two Cawnpore Se le c tions K22 and K7 giveRs . 43 and Rs . 3 3 . Bhuri is worth Rs . 51p erac re .

At Sindewahi in the Chanda D istric t, whe re attentionis be ing pai d to the pos sibility ofgrowing be tte r cottonunde r irrigation, a ve ry promis ing c ros s be twe en bani andd e shi Lahore has be en te ste d but in yie ld it still holds aminor pos ition. Cambod ia,unde r the same conditions,give s


130 SCIENTIFIC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHthe be s t and Indore came las t. The cottons ofMalva arenaturally exce llent and good re sults are antic ipate d fromthe trials which have now be en put in hand throughout thet rac t .

0 ,

United Provinces .From the Unite d Provinc e s, s e e ds ofK22 we re procured

from Cawnpore fortrial throughout the negle c tum area.

The te s t is be ing repeate d and in the las t s eason the following comparative re sults we re re corde d . Taking the priceofFine Khandesh at Rs . 100 we have it at Cawnpore atRs . 101; in Khande sh, at Jalgaon Rs . 97 and at DhuliaRs . 104; at Indore in Central Indiaat Rs . 103 ; at Dohadin Panch Mahals at Rs . 85 . The trials mus t ofcourse becontinue d to obtain de c is ive re sults but so farwe may takeit as be ing only s lightly in advanc e ofFine Khande sh .

Fourte en sample sr/ofUpland G eorgian cotton (the so

calle d Cawnp ore -American) we re rec e ive d, forvaluationand opinion, from the Unite d Provinc e s . Two sample s we regood forspinning 24’s ,4 from 20’s to l6’s ,5 from12’s to 14’sand 3 forl0’

s and the re is anextreme range ofvalue p ercandy— ofRs . 70. This c learly shows the amount ofvariation which may exis t in one orany spe c ie s ofcotton and theme thod ofse le c tion will depend onthe aim ofthe growe rwhich may be as s is te d orfrus trate d by the many variationsin exte rnal conditions .Achnowledgments . I have again to thank Me s srs . TataSons ofBombay who have as s isted me foryears in e s t i

mating the value s ofmany sample s I have submitte d tothem. My thanks are also due to the Se c re tary oftheBombay Chambe r ofComme rc e forthe gift ofs tandardtrade sample s ofIndian cottons .

III . PROGRAMME orWORK FOR THE YEAR 1917-18.

Major.To Vis i t and advise onpoints regard ing cotton andit s cultivation wheneve r reque ste d to do so bythe Provinc ial Departments ofAgriculture,

INSTITUTE , PUSA, E E 1916-17

Minor.The s tudy ofthe behaviour ofBhuri, Cambodiaand othe r such cottons in non- cotton - produc ingtrac ts as de taile d in the las t year’s programme ,will be continue d .

An enquiry into the manurial requirements ofcotton will be continue d .

Re searche s onthe botany ofcotton will be cont inue d.

CALCUTTASUPER INTENDENT GOVERNM ENT PR INTING, INDIA

8,HASTING S STR EET


SCIENTIFIC REPORTS,

OF THE

riculturalResearch Institute,Pusa

(Including the Report ofthe Imperial Specialist)

1917 - 18

CALCUTTASUPERINTENDENT GOVERNMENT PRINTING, INDIA

1918


TABLE orCONTENTS”.PAGE

I . Re p ort ofthe D ire c tor,Agricultural Re s earch Ins t itute ,Pusa

C harge and s tafi

Work ofthe Inst itut eSc ientific workTraining

PublicationsGeneral adminis trationAc c ount sVis itors

Re p ort ofthe Imp erial Agric ulturis tF orenot eI . Charge and s tafi

II . Pusa farmThe seasonExp erimental workBuild ings and machinerySt eam p lough tackle

III . Cat tle bre e dingIV. Publicat ionsV. Programm e for1918 -19

Re p ort ofthe Imp erial Agric ultural Chemis tI . Administrat ionEducat ion

III . Me te orology anddrain~gauge sIV. General analytical work and as s istanc e givento

otherSe c t ionsV. Me thods ofanalys isVI. Soils and soil c onditions

(a) Paddy soils(b) Bara ”

soils(0) Mod e ofac t ion of sup erphosphat e in

caxlcareous soils

VII. Crop s(a) Paddy(b) Tobacc o

(c ) Sugarcane

VIII . Programme ofworkIX . List ofp ublications

R e p ort ofthe Imp erial Ec onomic Botanis t sI . Introduc t ionII . Inve st igat ions at Pusa

1.WheatPusa 12

Pusa 4

Punab 11-Wheat bre e ding

2 .

‘

Indigo8 . Tobac c o

4. F ibre s5 . Oil s e e ds and gram6. Root d eve lopment

III . Inve st igat ions in‘

the Nat ive Stat e s1. Central India Stat e s

2 . Kapurthala Stat eIV. The d eve lopment of the '

agricultureBaluchis tan1. Soil aerat ion2 . The improvement offodd erproduc t ion3 . Sun- drying ofvege table s4. The improvement offruit culture5 . Fruit packingV. Programme and publications1. Programme ofwork for1918 -19

2 . List ofpublicat ions

ofthe Imp erial Myc ologistCharge and e stablishmentTrainingDisease s ofElant s(1) Ufra ofrlc e(2) Black band disease ofjut e(3) Root rot ofthe sai l t1e e(4) Black thread d is ease ofrubber(5) Chillie s(6) Fruit dis ease s(7) Tikka dis eas e ofgroundnut(8) Otherd isease s


Soil biologyNitrificat ionNitrogenfixat ionGre en-manuringPhosp hat e re quirement s ofsoil bac teria

Ind igoInoculat ionwith sp e c ial bac terial c ulture sHot wat ere xtrac t ion

PebrineProgramm e ofwyirk for1918-19

Lis t ofpublicat ions

Re p ort ofthe Imp erial CottonSp e c ialis tI. Charge

.

I I. Cottons inthe provinc e sBombay Pre sidencyThe Central Provinc e s and BerarBurma

I‘

II . Programm e ofwork fort he year1918 -19


(Including the Rep ort ofthe Imp erial Cot tonSp e c ialis t)

REPORT orTHEDIRECTOR.

(J. MACKENNA,

I . CHARGE AND STAF F .

Charge . I he ld charge ofthe c ihoe ofthe AgriculturalAdvis e r to the Gove rnment ofIndiaand Direc tor,Agricultural Re s earch Ins titute ,Pusa, throughout the year. Fromthe 8th ofOc tobe r, 1917, I also ac te d as Pre s ident oftheIndian C otton Committe e in addi tion to my ownduties .

Mr.Wynne Saye r he ld the post ofAs s is tant to the AgriculturalAdvise r during the year except foramonth from the

3rd Septembe r,1917,when he was onprivilege leave .Staff. Dr.W.H.Harrison was appoint e d Impe rial

Agricultural Chemis t from the 11th Novembe r,1917, insuc c e ss ion to the late Dr. JH.Barne s .

Mr. F . M .Howle tt, Impe rial Pathological Entomologis t, onre turn from leave , re sume d charge ofhis dutie s onthe 28th August,1917.

Mr. G . S.Hende rson,Offic iating Impe rial Agriculturis t,was appo inte d amembe r ofthe Indian CottonCommitte e ,and ac te d as such in addition to his owndut ie s . From 6thFebruary, 1918, he was deputed to Me sopotamia to advisethe Gene ral Offic erCommanding as to the me thods to be

SCIENTIF IC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHadopte d to ensure the deve lopment oflocal re sourc e s, andhas now be en appo inte d Controlle r (Agricultural Requirements, Me sopotamia) unde r the Munitions Board . Mr.Wynne Saye r, As s is tant to the Agricultural Advis e r, hasbe en placed temporari ly in charge ofthe work ofthe Impe rial Agriculturis t in addition to his owndutie s .

II . WORK orTHE INSTITUTE.Sc ientifi cWork . The more important enquirie s ofthe

year we re the followingOnthe Pusa farm pe rmanent manurial and rotational

expe riments form animportant pie c e ofwork. But themos t important work is the bre e ding ofpe digree he rds ofcat tle : (i) apure - bre d p e digre e he rd ofMontgome ry cattleand (ii) a c ross - bre d he rd (Montgome ry Ayrshire ) . Theresult s ofc ros s ing are so farve ry favourable . Alibi, the firs tc rossbre d he i fe r to comple te herlac tation pe riod, has givenove r lb. in a lac tation pe riod of10 months fi nearlydouble the quan t ity yie lde d by a geod Montgome ry cow.

The Ayrshire -Montgome ry c ross bullocks have also prove dgood worke rs . Pusa is now able . to supply good stock tocattle breede rs and z amindars . A sale

'

ofsurplus s tock washe ld in March when the 53 head offe re d we re ve ry ke enlybid forand realize d ve ry handsome pric es . Anothe r saleis to be he ld early in De c embe r.The results of

_

the cross - bree ding work at Pusaare ofve ry great importanc e in View ofthe known shortage ofcattle in this country and the ir lowmilk yie ld.In the Se c tion ofChemis try the utility ofDye r’s me thod

ofe stimating the available plantfood in highly calcareoussoils is be ing inve s tigate d and the re lationship ofthe gaseous p roduc ts ofde compos ition to the paddy soils,p art icularly with re fe renc e to carbon dioxide and hydrogen, isbe ing s tudie d . The

i

que s t ionwhe the r ornot the use ofammoniacal manure s canbe advantageous ly c ombine d withgre en-manuring in the case ofthe paddy c rop is also unde rexamination. As regards sugarcane , inve s t igations intothe effe c t ofs toring cane s by c lamping and ofwindrowingare in hand .

“

The importanc e ofthe se inves t igations lie s


SCIENTIFIC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHattacking came ls and so he lp to che ck the spread ofsurraamong transport and othe r animals .

In the Bac teriological Se c tion the following que s tionsunde r soil biology are be ing s tudie d .

— conditions de te rmining maximumnitrificat ionin various type s ofIndiansoils, the formation ofbac te rio toxins in soils, nitrogenfixat ion, gre en manuring and phosphate requ irements ofsoil bac te ria. The mos t important work, howeve r, oftheSe c tion is in conne c tion with the bac te rial aspe c t ofthefe rmentation taking plac e in the indigo s te eping vats .Great variat ions are known to occur in the yie ld ofdiffe rent fac tories from plants grown unde r s imilar conditionsofsoil and climate and the se canbe corre late d with thediffe renc e s in the bac te rial content ofthe ir wate r supply.

The enquiry has shown that it is pos s ible to avoid loss e s of1ndigo by alte ring the charac te r ofthe bac te rial fermentat ionin the s te eping vat so as to se cure more comple tehydrolys is ofthe indican containe d in the leaf . But ,as the Impe rial Agricultural Bac te riologist points out, somefurthe r work is ne c e s sary be fore it is pos s ible to e laboratearoutine me thod suitable forus e in a fac tory without immediate sc ient ific control.Equally important is the work which Mr.Hutchinson is

doing in conne c tion with pebrine, a disease which has be enlarge ly re spons ible forthe de c line ofthe s ilk indus try inIndia.

The work done by the Indigo Re search Chemis t, whoseheadquarte rs are ,at Pusa, has be en publishe d in the AgriculturalJournal 0fIndia, and in a s e rie s ofIndigo Publications . No mention ofthat offic er’s work is the re fore madehe re .

Training. A numbe r ofpos t - graduate students attende d the Institute during the year and short c ours e s we regiven in se riculture . De tails are given in the Se c tionalReports . The following is anabstrac tAgricultural ChemistryMycologyGeneral Agriculture

INSTITUTE, PUSA, FOR 1917-18

Agricultural Bac t eriology (inc luding bac t eriologicalt e chnique ins ilkworm d isease )

EntomologySericulture (short c ours e )Be s ide s the regular students,Mr. B.N. Vakil,B.Sc ., of

St . Xavie r’s College , Bombay, worke d in the MycologicalLahoratoryfora short pe riod .

III . PUBLICATION S .During the year unde r report, 8 Memoirs, 11Bulle tins

and 2 Indigo Publications (a spec ial s e rie s starte d to embodythe work ofthe re cent ly c reate d Indigo Se c tion oftheInst itute) We re issue d .

Twe lve publications we re in the pre ss at the end oftheyear .During the year the proc e e d ings ofthree cohference s

were publishe d, viz , the Board ofAgriculture , the Se condEntomological Me et ing, and the F irst Myco logical Me e ting .

Aneffort , wh ich it is be lieve d has been appre c iate d, hasbe en made to make the form ofthe proc ee dings ofthe seconfe renc e s more at trac tive .

The Repor t ofthe Proc e e dings ofthe Se cond EntomologicalMe e ting he ld at Pusa in February, 1917, is sue din anoc tavo volume of340 page s , forms prac tically anabs trac t ofourcurrent knowle dge ofIndian c rop - pe s ts .The re has be en a sat isfac tory demand forit from the publ ic .

It is grati fying to re cord that the public demand fortheBulle tins ofthe Ins titute is inc reas ing eve ry. year . A

s econd e dition oftwo bulle t ins had to be brought out duringthe year ; the first e dition ofthe bulle tin on New Agricultural Implements forIndia ranout ofs tock withinthre e months ofits issue . The re we re also many applicantsforthe bulle tin onWate rHyac inth— that se rious pe s t

;

inBengal

,and Burma. This bulle tin shows how a definit e

re turn canbe obtaine d in the proc e ss ofexte rminating Whatwas previously cons ide re d aus e le ss and harmful we e d - pe s t.A large numbe r ofc opie s ofthe thre e bulle tins regarding

SCIENTIFIC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHthe disease s and fe e ding ofcamels issue d during the yearwe re supplie d to the Army Department.The AgriculturalJournal ofInd ia in its new form is

inc reas ing in popularity among those int e re ste d in the agricultural, co - ope rative, ve te rinary and such like problemsin this country. As in the previous two years, a Spe c ialNumberofthe Journal containing a se le c tion ofpap ersi pnagricultural and allie d subj e c ts read at the annual se ss ionofthe Indian Sc ienc e Congre ss,was publishe d .

a

The grant forpublications has remaine dat the figure ofRs . previously sanct ione d, but with the continuousrise in the pric e ofpape r and oth e r mate rials it is be comingmore and more difficult to ke ep the expenditure downWithin the sanc tione d amount.

IV. GENERAL ADM INISTRATION.

Buildings and Works . During the year,

unde rreport a bungalow forthe Ele c trical Engine e r was sanct ione d by the Gove rnment ofIndiaand the work has be entaken in hand . Sanc tion has also been rec e ive d for

,

the

const ruc tion ofquarte rs,

forthe First Ass istant to the

Impe rial Myc ologis t and also ofquarte rs forthe s talt’

oftheHigh English School at Pusa. The condition oftheroad s and drainage ou the e state has been much improve dduring the year .Library. In addition to the bulle tins, memoirs,

reports, e t c ., re c e ive d in exchange , about 375 new volume swe re purchase dforthe library . The Unite d State s Department ofAgriculture supplie d during the year printe dsubjec t cards ofthe ir bulle tins ,and the se have be en arrange dac cording to the ir subje c ts . The preparation ofa newcat alogue ofthe books in the library is in hand .

Pusa. School. The total numbe r ofpupils attendingthe PusaHigh School onthe 30th June , 1918. was 160,inc luding one girl

'

s tudent , as agains t 198 last year onthesame date .

G eneralHealth ofth e Station. The outbreak ofavirulent epidemic ofchole ra in April, 1918, and the uh


SCIENTIFIC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEAR‘311tural Advise r to the Gove rnment ofIndiaforspe c ial agricultural expe riments we re as

'

follows

Exp erimental c ot ton c ult ivat ion by the Imp erialCot tonSp e c ialist

Grant - ln-aid to the Dairy Educat ionAs soc iation,IndianBranch, forthe Quarterly Journal ofDairying

F itt ings and ap palatus forthe fi eld laborato1y ofthe Imp erial AgriculturalBac t eriologis t

Storage ,

exp eriment s by the Imp erial EntomologistPurchas e ofsilk yarnGrant to the F ibre Exp ert, for‘

p urchas e offlaxs e e d

Pay

‘

ofa Ve t erinary As s istant inc onne c t ionwithcattle bre e ding, a F ie ldmanformosquito exp eriment s, and anAss is tant forp ebrine work

The gross re c e ipts during the year from the sale offarmproduc e , milk, publicat ions ofthe Department and othe rartic le s amounted to Rs . as agains t Rs . in theprevious year.

VI . VI S ITOR S .Fifty - four gentlemen vis ite d the Institute during the

year unde r report. Among them we re the followingThe Bom

’ble Mr.H. Le Me surie r, Membe r ofthe

Exe cutive Counc il, Bihar and Oris sa; SirFrank Sly,

Pre s ident of_

the ChamparanAgrarian Committee ; theHon’ble Mr.HJ. Maynard, Financ ial ,Commis s ione r,Punjab ; Dr.J.W. Gregory, P rofe ssor ofG eology at theUnive rs ity ofG lasgow and Membe r of the CalcuttaUnive rs ity Commis s ion ; Colone l G . JH. Be ll, Inspe c torGene ral ofCivilHospitals,Bihar and Oris sa; LieutenantColone l SirJame s Robe rts, Mr. G . E. Fawcus,Di re c tor ofPublic Ins truc tion,Bihar and Orissa; Profe ssorH. Stanley Jevons, Allahabad Unive rs i ty ; the Reve rendFathe rE.Blatte r,Erofe s sorofBotany,St .Xavie r’s College ,Bombay ; and Mr. Frank B.Hill,aplante r in British EastAfrica. Among the othe r Vis itors we re offic ers ofthe

various Provinc ial Departments of Agriculture and


p lanters and zamindars ofe state s surrounding Pusa. A

party ofmembe rs ofthe Chanakya (Economic ) Soc ie ty ofthe Patna College , unde r Profe ssor Sammadar,also vis ite dthe Institute during the year.

10 SCIENTIF IC REPORTS orTHE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH

REPORT OF THE IMPERIAL AGRICULTURIST.

(WYNNE SAYER,FORENOTE.

Mr. G . S.Hende rson was in charge ofthe post ofImpe rial Agriculturist till the 6th ofFebruary,when he wass ent onspec ial duty to Me sopotamia. Onre turn he wasput onspe c ial duty to purchase agricultural requirementsforthat country . From the 6th February, Mr. Saye r,As s is tant to the Agricultural Advis erto the Gove rnmentofInd ia, took ove r charge in add it ion to his owndutie s .From Augus t Mr.Hendersofi ’ toure d extens ive ly along

with the Dep uty Dire c tor,Dairy Farms,Southe rn D ivis ion,to ge t into touch with the extens ive dairy organizationwhich has be en forme d by the military authoritie s . FromOct obe r till the end ofJanuary he was amembe r oftheIndian Cotton Committe e .

Mr.Hende rson has now be en made a membe r ofthere c ently c reate d Central Foodstuffs and Transport Boardand appointe d aControlle r ofthe Munitions Board to dealwith agricultural equipment forMe sopotamia.

I. CHARGE AND STAFF .

Mr.Wynne Saye r was in charge ofthe Pusa farm fromthe 6th February,1918, in addition to his owndut ie s .

’

Mr. ImdadHusain Khan,Fie ldman, le ft on4thNovember, 1917, forMe sopotamia to work unde r the MilitaryDepartment .Training. Mr. S.N. De ,a stipendiary from the Bengal

Agricultural Department, joine d on9th August, 1917,fora cours e in agriculture but le ft on21s t January,1918.

Mr. Kalyan Mal‘ Banthia, a s tipendiary sent by the

Ajme r and M erwaraAdministration, was admitte d to thégene ral cours e in agriculture from 8th June ,1918


INSTITUTE,PUSA, FOR 1917-18

II . PUSA FARM .

The Season. The monsoon broke early in June andsowings we re comple te d by the middle ofthat month . The

totalrainfall throughout the year (June ,1917 to May,1918)was 45 -54 inche s as agains t inche s in the corre sponding pe riod of1916-17, the normal rainfall be ing about 50inche s . The totalfailure ofthe cold weathe r rain made theoat c rop a ve ry short one and also affe c te d the yield ofpeasadve rse ly.

The arable'

p ort ionofthe farm is worke d underthefollowingrotat ion

3 tayear

Kharif

Rabi t

The obje c t of_ this rotation is to ke ep the land clean andingood h eart wh ile providing grain and fodde r forthehe rds .

By soiling the cattle onthe hharifpuls e s it is hope d todo the land even be tte r than unde r the usual rotat ion . Onthe heavy low land p ort ion\ ofthe farm this may prove impos s ible at time s , but it is antic ipate d that it will producea cons ide rable improvement in the yie lds onthe highe rsandy lands in future years .The c ropp ing ofthe various fields ofthe arable areafor

the seasonunde r report is shown onthe plan ofthe farmgiven he re ,and the yie lds we re as follows

Is t yearrotat ion. Kharifmai ze cut gre en fors ilage orfodde r (a dre ss ing offarmyard manure at 10 tons p eracreor10maunds oilcake p erac re be ing given be fore sowing) ;four fields aggregating 135 ac re s down unde r this c rop

Crop sowninmonsoon.11Crop sown111Winter.

12 SCIENTIFIC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHave rage d 200 maunds p erac re ; ave rage income Rs . 50 p erac re ; working costs Rs . 20 p erac re .

Rabi oats followe d in the same four fields and ave rage d12 maunds ofgrain and 25 maunds ofstraw throughout,bringing in Rs . 40 p erac re with aworking cost ofRs . 12p erac re .

The bes t yie lds we re 231maunds gre en mai ze p erac re‘

inChandman and 13 maunds oats in Gonhri.2nd yearrotat ion. Mai ze and arharsown toge the r,no

manure be ing appl ie d ; mai ze cut forcorn in end ofSeptemberand amharle ft throughoutrabi forgrain ; 4 fields totalling 80 ac re s ave rage d 23 maunds grain from maize andarharcombine d, bringing in Rs . 70 p erac re at a workingc os t ofRs . 14 p eraore— figure s cove ring both s easons .

3rd yearrotat ion. Kharifpuls e eithe r fe d s tanding orcut gre en forfodde r orpleughe d in four fields totalling118 ac re s s tood unde r this crop which was followe d by oat sin mbi ove r 84 ac re s ; the remaining 34 ac re s standingfallow forhot weathe r maize of1918 which was sowninMarch . The oats got one maund ofsupe r p erac re . The

cost ofthe two s easons ’ c rops was Rs . 30 p erac re and the1ncome Rs . 70p erac re . The be s t field Jhilli gave 18 maundsoats p erac re .

”

Sugarcane and jute are the two c rops grown which areexc eptions to the above rotation . Sugarcane is taken in thefirs t year and jute in the s e cond . The se c rops are sownfrom middle ofFebruary up to middle ofMarch onmoisture conse rve d by repeate d cultivation in the cold weathe r .Sugarcane . A numbe r ofsugarcane varie tie s are

grown on '

t he farm without irrigation. The se varie tie s forthe mos t part come from Dr. Barbe r, the Sugarcane Expe rt.The main c rop cons ists ofRe d andWhite Sathi, PurpleMauritius and few othe r thick cane s . The cane s we re d ispose d ofat 6annas p ermaund . Inthe area sown duringthe pas t year the cost ofcultivation was Rs .

’

65 p erac re andincome Rs .144-13 p erac re .

Jut e was grown on40 ac re s fors ee d by arrangementwith the Fibre Exp e rt to the Gove rnment ofBengal,


SCIENTIFIC REPORTS 01? THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCEThe s e plots will allbe c roppe d with maize in kharifto

te s t the re s idual effec t.(0) Expe riments ln c ollaboration with the Impe rial

Mycologist_

forde te rmining ame thod ofdealing with d ieback (Wilt) in the chilli c rop we re starte d in the year unde rreport and will be c ontinue d .

(d ) Fourte en varie tie s ofthe more Wide ly - known wheatswe re unde r trial . The ave rage yie ld p erac re from all

varie tie s was 17 maunds . The be st yie lds We re

Lal ofJhelp mMuz afl

'

ernagarwhit ePusa 12

Maroo Booj e e (Sindhi)The se trials will be continue d next year from care fully

s e le c te d s e e d when Fe de ration and othe r Australian wheatswhich have done we ll in IndiaWill be brought in.

(e ) The expe riments forte sting yie lds of.gre en fod de rwith yie lds ofsee d and c omparative e conomic value 01thecommon leguminous c rops we re continue d . FloridaBeggarwe e d, ve lve t and soy beans, eal (Dolichos Lablab), guar(Cyamop s is p soraloid e s),math (Phas e olus aconitifolius) andarid (Phas eolusradiatus) be ing trie d in hharif,while wh iteand p urple peas, khe sari (Lathyg’us sat ivus),m land gramvarie tie s and math we re sown in rabi. They will becontinue d next year.(f) Expe riments with Javaand Sumatrana indigo we re

carrie d on in collaboration With the Indigo Re searchChemis t and the Impe rial Agricultural Bac te riologis t.The s e will be continue d ove r a pe riod ofyears and the

re sults will be dealt with from time to time by the Ind igoRes earch Chemis t and the Impe rial Agricultural Bac teriologist in the i r re spe c tive reports .The te sting ofthe remainde r ofthe plot s laid out in

Punjab he ld continue d . Crops forthe various expe rtswe re grown inNorth Pangarbi and a s e t ofexpe riments onraharwilt incollaboration with the Imp e rial Mycologis t

ii‘

v’

sTiTUTE,PUSA, FOR 1917-18

and the Fibre Expe rt to the Gove rnment ofBengal we relaid down .

Build ings and Machinery. Two new p it s ilos havebe en dug. This type ofs ilo has prove d a great suc c e ss andvastly supe rior to the

'

bricku towertyp e ,as the re is little orno was tage at top ,bottom and s ide s,and the s ilage doe s notdry out as is the case in the brick s ilos owing to the imp ossibility ofpre s s ing them suffic iently tight from the top .

A new s ilage cut te r,Climax,was purchase d fromMe s s rs .ShawWallac e Co., and was tried during the season ; ithas a fee de r at tache d -to it and the choppe d s tuffis carrie dup by a blas t and blown through apipe into the s ilo.

F ive hundre d and five maunds ofc leane d oats we returne d out by the 4’6” Marshall Thre she r in one day.Whichis a re cord, I think,forIndia.

Steam Plough Tackle . This tackle cons isting oftwos ingle cylinde r K Class Fowle r engine s and a disc plough,.

a gang plough, a disc harrow, a grubbe r, a zigzag harrowand a rolle r, worked for121days during the year, but thetotal cos t ofworking this year was Rs . - 8 - 3,as agains tRs . for151days oflast year. The de tails are givenbe low

STATEMENT A.

Showing c os t fori

worhifng and maintaining the tackle m

1916-17 and 1917-18:

1916-17. 1917-18.No. ofworking No. ofworking

Particulars days 151 days 121

LabourCoal

Oil

Miscellaneous store s, e tc .,andrenewals

Tour} 0 0 8 3

16 SCIENTIFIC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURALRESEARCHSTATEMENT B.

Showing the above c os t (livid ed “into following op erations p eracreinthe year1916-17 and 1917-18 .

1916-17 1917-18

Particulars Totalareacultivat ed ‘ Cos t p erinthe acreyear

Acres Re. A. P. Acres. Acre s Rs . A. P. Acre s

4 6 2 9 3 2

2 0 9

Grubbing 1 7 4

Z igzag harrow 0 14: 9

ing

320 1 5 6 3 14. 0

Tour.

The enormousr1se '

1nthe cos t ofspare parts and replacements owing to the warhas re sulte d in a great inc rease inthe gene ral working cos t p erac re this year . This, howeve r, is due to the absolute ly abnormal conditions withregard to imports now prevailing,which have nec e s s itate dlaying in a s tock ofspares suffic ient to carry one ove r a

cons ide rable pe riod, the pos s ibili ty ofbe ing unable to

procure spare s in the future having t o be care fully guarde dagains t as we are now absolute ly dependent onthe tackleforcultivation,and the greate s t obj e c tion to fit is the fac tthat the breakdown ofone engine alone is suffic ient torende r the whole tackle use le ssBut with the renewals which have be en made th is year

(inc luding a set ofnew cable s which will be good foranothe r 3 years ’ work) the tackle is now to all intents andpurpose s as good.as the day it s tarte d work.


SCIENTIFIC REPORTS OF THEAGRICULTURALRESEAitoiztThe Montgome ry -Ayrshire c ross - bre d he rd now s tands

at 61head.

Two 2 -5 year old bulls, by Le s sne ssockWildfire offMontgome ry cows, have be en taken up fors tud purpos e s .

Six ofthe he i fe rs got by Mossge llTitanic in 1915, havecalve d down and are now milking . They have grown intogood type cows, in the majority ofcas e s taking more afterthe ir s ire than the ir dam. The p hotograRh (Plate 1,fig. 2)ofone ofthem,Al ibi, is .given with this report and it ‘

shouldbe compare d With the photograph (Plat e II) ofAkli,one ofthe be s t type Montgomery cows in the he rd, which is alsogiven. They have got good,we ll se t onbags, flat and carrie d we ll forward, in Ayrshire s tyle— a dis tinc t contras tto the

i

Montgomery type . Afte r calving they allcame backto bull in one to three months and are alldue to calve againinDe cembe r, thus showingno s ign ofthe Montgome ry t endeney to s tand 011fors eve ral months which forc e s us tomaintain cont inually forlong p e riods a large numbe r ofempty dry cows,and which is anothe r obstac le to suc c e ssfuldairy farming with the indigenous cow.

Inall s ix cases the ircalve s were weane d at birth, andthis has had absolut e lyno efie ct onthe ir mothers ’milk yie ld,which is one ofthe great “improvements this c ross efie c t s .

These calve s which are by Carston Royal Scotch are all 151bred English,but app ear at p res ent s imilar in allre sp ec ts tohalf-breds . Two out ofthe six unfortunate ly die d but theremainde r are doing we ll . It is prop osed to start this yearputting half - bre d bulls across half- bre d he ife rs,and it wi llbe int e re s ting to see whethe r the re sult ofthis cross willcont inue to allow ofit s calves be ing weaned at birth. It

is absolute ly e ssent ial that this charac te r should be maintained, as with milk at 6— 4 se e rs p errup ee— which is ave ry low pric e forbig towns— when the calfsucks continuously the re sult is t hat you rear acalfinthe most exp enswefashion poss ible,ke eping it onmilk during the whole lac tat ion period ofthe c ow ahd mat e riallyre duc ing your profit

PLATEf.

F ig. 1. Cro s s - bre d bull. (Montgomery c ow Ayrs hire bull.)

F ig. 2. Cros s - bre d c ow, Alibi No. 3. (Montgomery c ow Ayrs hire bull)



the reby,but this is only one ofthe many points which mus tbe te s te d in this c ross - bree dingWork .

The firs t he ife r-gAlibi, to calve out ofthe above batch,has g iven ove r 7,000 lb. in a lac tat ion pe riod of10months .Two of

‘

the othe rs are expe c te d to reach ove r lh. The

lac tation pe riods ofthe re s t are not ye t comple te but thefigure s so fargo to show that they will - be we ll above theave rage .

The cas trat e d s tock ofthe Ayrshire -Montgomery crosshave turne d out exc e e d ingly quick, s t rong worke rs“

and areproving equally useful forfas t as we ll as heavy work, be ingve ry big and mas s ive without be ing ove rtoppe d . The im

p orte d Ayrsh ire bulls, Le ssnes sockWildfire and Cars tonRoyal Scotch, kept ve ry fit throughout the yearand cont inne to inc reas e in we ight.Asale ofsurplus stock was he ld onthe 30thMarch,1918,

when 53 head— rbulls, cows,he ife rs and calve s— came unde rthe hamme r. They realize d Rs . ave raging as

BullsCowsHe ifersMontgomery bull calve sCross -bre d bull calve s 93

The be s t pric e s we re Rs . 300fora bull,Rs . 230foracow.R9.340fora he ife r;Rs . 220fora oro ‘

ss - bre d bull andRs .175 foraMontgomery bull cal f.The re was a large attendanc e and the bidding which was

very keen, e sp e c ially forthe he ife rs and cows in calf, showedc learly that the re is a s trong demand forgood c lass cattlein India while the way in which the cros s - bre d bull calveswere bid forwas ev idenc e of

,

the value wh ich theyrepre sentforrap idly improving the yie ld ofmilch herds.

20 SCIENTIFIC REPORTS orTHE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHAs the he rd 1s now 1ncreas ing so rap idly that it has

be come impos s ible to ac commodate the s tock prope rly in thepre sent buildings ,anauc tion sale will be he ld at short int ervals in future years, the next be ing in early Dec embe r.Pe ople requiring cattle willdo we ll to come down be forehand and inspe c t the s tock, which will be onView foramonth be fore the sale .The fe e ding ofthe he rd has as usual monopolize d the

output ofthe major portion ofthe cultivate d area onthefarm,and i f the bre e ding up ofthe Montgome ry he rd 1D thefive groups already e s tablishe d 1s t o be prope rly done (andthis means re taining all stock bre d from the s e groups for‘thorough trial), while the colle c tion ofdata regarding thetransmis s ion ofcharac te rs in the oross - bre d he rd will alsorequire care ful se le c t ion and obs e rvation among

“a large

numbe r ofanimals, the arable portion ofthe farm will havet o be entire ly devote d to the work ofproduc ing fodde r andgrain forthe he rd,and the que stion offinding the land forgrowing c rops such as jute , wheat and sugarcane , e tc ., onafield scale will have to be cons ide re d .

Dis ease . The re was anoutbreak offoot- and -friouthdisease in 1917 which laste d some three months and re sulte din 5 deaths,four ofwhich we re suckling calve s ofunde r twomonths old, while a numbe r ofyoung stock we re cons ide rably p ut back by the attack. The re was one cas e ofblackquarterinthe beginning ofMay,1918,Which '

prove d fatal,and in cons equenc e all the calve s in the he rd — some 175 innumbe r— we re inoculate d agains t this dis eas e .

Inoculat ion. It 1s propose d to have allthe young stockinoculate d against rinde rpe st by the s imultaneous me thod.

This will enable the c ross - bre d bull calves sold at auc tion togo out into the dis tric t without risk and should greatlyenhanc e the ir use fulne s s,while the eve r pre sent risk ofhaving years ofwork onthe oross - bre d herd wipe d out in oneat tack will be remove d.The capital value ofthe he rd base d oncurrent pric es

now stands at Rs. and the following figure s give the


22 SCIENTIFIC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHII. Prac tical treatment of ac re mixe d farm,with

particular at tention to profitable mode rn machinery andthe financ ial re sult ofthe work .

The bulk ofthe produc e ofthe Pusa farm 1s use d forthemaint enanc e ofthe dairy he rd. The rotation adopte d aimsat the up

- ke ep ofthe fe rt ility ofthe land along with supplyofconcentrate d food and long fodde r and aconstant sup plyofthe gre en fodde r throughout the year. Inc lude d intheabove is the s tudy onaprac tical scale ofz(a) Rotat ions(b) Crops forfodde r, see d and s ilage .

(c) Implements and machine ry.

(d ) Te chnique ofcultural ope rat ions .

(e ) Type s offarm buildings .III . Exp erimentalwork at Pusa. Afte r the pre liminary

te sting ofthe new expe rimental areaat Pusa,the followingwill be s tarte d and continue d along with exist ing work

(a) Rotational expe riment s .Trial ofnew varie tie s ofex i st ing c rops, e spec iallyleguminous fodde r c rops, Ame rican mai z e s,fore ign oats,and wheat varie tie s .

(c) Mhnurial expe riments, e spe c ially seasonal andquantitative t e sts with phosphate s .

(d ) Rotation and manurial expe riments alreadvstart e d.

(e ) Seasonal te sts with Java and Sumatrana indigo .

(f) Fe rmente d gre en -manuring expe riments in collaborat ionwith the Impe rial Agricultural Bact eriologis t .

(9) Trial,

ofsugarcane varie tie s suitable forgrowthwithout irrigat ion . (Some of Dr. Barbe r’svarie tie s are ve ry promis ing.)

IV. Demons trations, exhibitions and cat tle sales of“

surblus dairy stock, e t c ., will be held from t ime to t ime asoccas ion offers,


Minor.V. Touring and advisory. V is its will be paid to pro

vinc ialagricultural cent re s . This should t end to c c - ordination ofagricultural work.

VI. Bers e em cultivation. Expe riments with this willbe cont inued.

24 SCIENTIFIC REPORTS DE THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH

REPORTorTHE IMPERIAL AGRICULTURALCHEMIST.

(W.H. HARRISON, D.So.)

I ADM INISTRATION.

The Se c tlonwas in charge ofMr.W. A. DaVi s ,B.Sc .,

Indigo Re s earch Chemis t, unti l Novemberl0th,1917,onwhich date I took ove r charge as Impe rialAgricultural Chemist .Mr. J Sen, Supe rnume rary Agricultural Chemis t, con

t inued onspe c ial duty unfierthe Gove rnment ofthe Unite dProvinc e s in conne c tion with the work at the GhazipurOpium Fac tory.

II . EDUCATION.

Mr.N.NGhosh and Mr. S. 0.But tJome d th is Se c tionas p rivate s tudents, the forme r onJuly‘

10th and the latte ron

‘

Sep t ember9th, 1917, and both have s inc e .taken up

appo intment s as ass is tants . Mr. A. K. Mitra jom e d the

Se c tion as a s tipendiary s tudent ofthe Bihar and OrissaGove rnment onJune ls t .1918 .

III . METEOROLOGY AND DRAIN - GAUGES .The usual me te orological re cords we re maintaine d and

the c rops and drainage wate rs from the drain—gauge s we reexamine d in the usualmanne r. The wate rs and c rops fromthe Cawnpore gauge s we re also analyse d.

IV. GENERAL ANALYTICAL WORK AND AS S ISTANCE GIVENTOOTHER SECTIONS

The following sample s we re analyse d and reporte d uponduring the year

SoilsF e e ding stuffsManure sWat ersMis c ellane ous

TOTAL


26 SCIENTIFIC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHagricultural chemists throughout the world as ameans ofevaluat ing the manurial requirements of soils , andundoubte dly has prove d ofgreat value , but whe the r ornotthe me thod canbe applie d uniformly to all soils is a que stion which, s1noe it s introduc tion, has exe rc ise d the mindsofchemis ts, and in particular a cons ide rable controve rsyhas arisen regarding the value s obtaine d foravailable phosphoric ac id in highly calcareous soils .A short time ago Mr. Senpublished the re sults ofa

se ries ofexo eriment s - carrie d out in this laboratory, whichshowe d

,

that the addition ofinc reas ing p roportions ofcarbonate oflime to anon- calcare ous soil, rich in availablenhosnhat e , had the efie c t ofgreatly de c reas ing the value sobtaine d, and that the value s obtaine d when the calc iumcarbonate content reache d about 20 p erc ent . we re ofthesame orde r as those obtaine d from Pusa soils . Aninc reasein the proportion ofcalc ium carbonate ove r this value didnot mate rially affe c t the value s obtaine d .

The greate st change in the orde r_

ofthe value s obtaine doccurre d at the point whe re the calc ium carbonate contentwas suffic ient to neutralize fully the c itric ac id ofthesolvent solution, and Mr. Senc onc lude d that the efie c t ofthe calc ium carbonate in giving ris e to low available phosphate value s was due to the neutrali zation ofthe ac id. Inadd ition as the value s obtaine d continue d to de c rease afte rthe point ofneutrali ty was reache d, he conc lud e d that ac e rtain amount ofphosphoric ac id was absorbe d.The se expe riments have be en repeate d in greate r de tail,

and no evidenc e has be en obtaine d that absorpt ionoc cursto any appre c iable extent, but , onthe contrary, the value sobtaine d from the various mixture s appear to be de te rmine dmainly by the comp os ition ofthe liquid afte r it s reac tionwith calc ium carbonate . Wi th inc reas ing amounts ofcalc ium carbonate the compos ition ofthe liquid graduallychange s, and the phase s may approximate ly be defined asfollows —(a) 1p ercent. c itric ac id solution, (5) a saturate dsolution ofcalc ium c itrate with de c reasing amounts ofac idity, (e) a saturat e d solution ofcalc ium citrate and


carbon d ioxide , (03) a somewhat indefinit e phase cons istingofsaturate d solut ions ofcalc ium c itrate With inc reas ingconc entrations ofcalc ium bicarbonate ,and (e ) afinalphas eofa saturate d solution ofcalc ium c itrate and calc iumbicarbonate . Extrac tions ofthe soil in the absenc e ofcalc ium carbonate With solutions approximating in com

pos ition to the phas e s define d above yie lde d value s commensurate with - those obtaine d from the corre sponding mixtureofcarbonate oflime and soil. Cons equently

’

the ap p lied“

t ionofDyer’

s me thod to calcareous s oils is in efie c t a'

nextrac t ionwith a s erie s ofd iss imilafsolu tions the com

p osit ion ofwhich mainly d ep end s up on the calcium

carbonat e content, and this be ing the'

case , the valuesobtaine d in the case ofcalcareous soils ofvarying limecont ent canbear no ve ry definite re lationsh ip one with theothe r andmuch le ss with non- calcareous soils . In the case

ofnoncalcareous soils the value ofDye r’s me thod is entire lydue to arigorous correlat ionofthe analyt ical data withthe knownmanurial reac tion cfsp e c ific soils, but suchrigorous corre lation is almost entire ly lacking in regard tohighly calcareous soils . The inte rpre tation to be place donthe value s obtaine d is ve ry indefinit e,and so longas th isc ondition obtains the me thod must remain ofdubious value .

Inc identally during the course!

ofthis inve s tigation, itwas discove re d that the pre s ence ofcalc ium carbonatese riously inte rfe re d with the e s timation

,ofc itrate -

‘

solublephosphoric ac id by the s tandard me thod unde r s tandardcond itions . This is cause d by the phosphate pres entin the ammonium c itrate solution reac ting With the calc iumcarbonate to produc e insoluble calc ium phosphate .

VI . SOILS AND SOIL CONDITIONS(a) Paddy Soils . The s tudy

.

ofthe re lationship ofthegaseous produc ts ofd e compos ition to the se soils has be encontinue d, and particularly that ofcarbon dioxide andhydrogen . It has be en shown that carbon dioxid e whenpre sent alone canpers ist as such, but that in admixturewith hydrogen, and unde r biological influenc e s, areg

om~c

28 SCIENTIFIC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHbination oc curs, ofsuch intens ity that the absence ofanylarge quantity ofthe s e gas e s from the atmosphe re in paddysoils is ac counte d for. Inc identally dis tinc t evidenc e hasbeen obtaine d to show that marsh gas canbe produc e d bva combination ofthe se two gas e s unde r biological influenc e s .This phenomenon offe rs a reasonable explanation to

account forthe accumulation ofnitrogen gas in the se soilswithout the ne c e ss ity ofputting forward the theory ofthepre sence ofpe culiar type s offe rmentation, and it also hasa cons ide rable bearing .onthe que s tion oflime consetvat ion.

The important fac t has also be en obtaine d that this reac tionbe twe en carbon dioxide and hydrogen is not peculiartopaddy soils,but that it canbe induc e d in dry soils with theutmost ease when the conditions are approximate ly anaerobic in charac te r.This inves t igation is prac tically Comple te d and the

re sults!

are be ing prepare d forpublication .

(5)“Bare.” Soils . At the instanc e

_

ofthe late Dr.Barne s,a se rie s ofp ot - culture expe riments were ins titute dWith '

the'

objec t ofte sting the growth which could beinduc e d in'

the se s te rile so ils by wash ing out the saltspre sent with ordinary wate r.

{

The wate r us e d in thisinstance was the ordinary we ll wate r ofPusa with the

re sult ‘

that ge rmination was prac tically entire ly inhibite d .

The washe d soils were , the refore , subj ec t e d to a carefulexaminat ion, and it be came '

evident that the bicarbonateoflime in the wate r had brought about a reac tion leadingto the produc tion ofalkaline ‘

carbonate in the so il . The

soil e xpe rimente d with originally containe d a comparatively small amount ofalkaline carbonate and a cons ide rableproportion ofsulphate s and chloride s, whe reas, afte r thewashing proc e ss, the sulphate s and chlori de s we re re duc edin amount but the carbonate content had c ons ide rablyinc reased, so that the effe c t had be en to change the originalcondition ofwhit e alkali into one ofblack alkali.The dange r ofblack alkali forming ‘

incalcare ous soilshas re c ently be enthe subje c t ofinve stigation in Ame rica.


30 SCIENTIFIC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURALRESEARCi—‘ibe come s large ly aque stion of‘ the solubility ofthis subs tanc ein the soil solution . The se de duc tions are ofcons ide rable1ntere s t, and expe riments are be ing conduc te d to tes t the irvalidity.

VII . CROPS.(a) Pad dy. A se rie s ofexpe riments we re ins titute d

with the obj e c t ofde t ermlnmg whe the r ornot the j nve s t igat ions onpaddy onwhich I had be en engage d at Co imbatore could be carrie d onin a satis fac tory manne r at Pusa.

As a re sult the re appears to be no insupe rable difficulty tobe face d,and consequently work onthis c rop will const itutein the future one ofthe major subje c ts ofinve stigat ion ofthis Se c t ion.

Forthis pre liminary work the que stion se le c te d forinve stigation was whe the r ornot the use ofammoniacalmanure s could be advantage ously combine d with g re enmanuring.

‘

Forthis purpose two se rie s offifty pots eachwe re laid down, fille d with soil to which graduate d inc rements ofammonium sulphate we re adde d, and to half ofthe pots green leafmanure was adde d at the rate of

lb. p erac re . Into each s e rie s a se le ct e d pure s trainofpaddy se e dlings was transplante d, and I am greatlyindebte d to the kindne ss ofMr. F . R. Parne ll, Gove rnmentEconomic Botanist, Madras, forsupplying me With the

se ed . At the time ofwriting the c rops have not reache dmaturity and no quantitative re sults are available , but thegrowth in the pots is we ll d iffe rentiate d and will, inallprobability, give r1se to definit e conc lus ions . One point,howeve r, is ve ry c lear even at this s tage . The reac tion ofthe two s trains ofpaddy to gre en -manuring is ve ry diss imilar and leads to the conc lus ion that the unce rtainreac tion ofgre en manure s is not entire ly assoc iate d withsoil conditions, but that the s train ofpaddy employe d is afac tor to be cons ide re d. This is a que stionwhich W111re quire close inve s tigation.

(6) Tobacco. The F irs t A§s is tant ,Mr. J NMukerj i,has continue d his experiments onthe . effe c t ofdifferent

INSTITUTE, PUSA, ‘

FoR 1917-18

manure s on the yie ld, quality, and nicotine content ofInd ian tobac cos . As regards yie ld the be st re sults ' we reobtaine d from farmyard manure , c lose ly followe d by a

combination ofsupe rphosphate and potass ium nitrat e ,whe reas ne ithe r ofthe latte r manure s had any appre c iableeffe c t when use d alone . The leaf produc e d from the

various p lots was submitte d to the Dire c tor ofthe IndianLeaf Tobac co Deve lopment Company, Dals ing- Sarai, for.

valuation, and in his opinion no definit e re lat ionship wasapparent be twe en the manurial treatment given and the

quality ofleaf produc e d. Similarly no definit e re lationship was dis cove re d in regard to the nicotine content.The re lative e ffe c t oftop p ing and sp iking the plant was

also inve s tigated . The yie ld ofplant was prac ticallyidentical, but the toppe d plants gave a great eroutturnofs talk thafi the spike d ones . Onthe othe r hand, thetoppe d plants yie lde d a leafofbe tte r texture and a highe rnicotine content.An‘ inve stigat ion cont ras ting the e ffec t ofrack - curing

and ground - curing onthe c ompos ition ofthe leafshowe dthat the re is a de struc tion ofs tarch and sugar during theproc e s s, but that ground - curin‘g caus e s a greate r re duc t ionofthe starch content than doe s rack - curing and at the sametime produc e s a leaf ofhighe r nicotine cont ent.(c) Sugarcane . Forseve ral years the efie c t ofs toring

cane s by c lamping has be en unde r inve s tigation in the

North -We st '

Froutie r Provinc e, and the .conc lus ionarrive d at was thatno de te rioration ofthe juic e took plac e .This has be en confirmed during the las t cold season, -and,in addition, the e ffe c t ofwindrowing cane as prac tise d inLouis ianahas be en examine d .

32 SCIENTIFIC REPORTS oF THE AGRiCULTURAL RESEARCHThe analytical value s obtaine d we re as follows

LOCAL POUNDA CANE

Afterwindrowing {orfourmonth ssample 1 Sample 2

Average we ightofcane

p erc ent 72 7 3 7170

Sucros e

Glucos e 2 74

72 00 7196 72 27

The e ffe c t ofWindrowing at low tempe rature s forape riod offour months has be en ve ry marke d. The we i ghtofthe individual cane s de c rease s cons ide rably, and this isaccompanie d by ade c rease in the pe rc entage ofjuic e, showing that the re has be en a drying - up ofthe cane s . This inturn has le d to a conc ent rat ion ofthe juic e, but the purityofthe juic e tends to inc rease rathe r than to de crease, so

that windrowing ’ will not lead to the int roduc tion ofinc rease d d ifficultie s in the produc tion ofsugar.

The que stion whe the r ornot windrowing lead s to a lossofsugar is more difficult ofsolution, but anatt empt wasmade to de te rmine this by care fully ohe oke d w e ighings ofthe cane s and juic e produc e d . As a re sult it would appearthat the re is anac tual loss, though comparative ly small, inthe case ofAshy Mauritius cane s, but that l inthe case ofLocal Pounda the re is amarke d inc rease . This fac t is ofgreat importanc e and re quire s confirmat ionbefore be ingac c epte d, but ifconfirme d it opens out a field forfurthe rinve s tigation


34. SCIENTIFIC REPORTS oF THEAGRICULTURALRESEARCHREPORT OF THE IMPERIALECONOMIC

BOTANISTS.

(A.HOWARD, AND GABRIELLE L. C .HOWARD,M.A.)

I INTRODUCTION.

The Imp eriali

Economio Botanis t he ld charge oftheSe c t ion during the year ending June 30th, 1918,With theexc eption ofone month from Septembe r 8th, 1917, Whichwas spent onprivilege leave in India. During this pe riodthe Se cond Ass istant, Maulvi Abdur Rahman Khan, .was

in charge ofcurrent dutie s at Pusa.

The work ofthe staffcontinue s to be satisfac tory.

The Se c ond Ass istant, Maulvi AbdurRahman Khan,has mad e himse lf exc e e dingly useful in carrying out

a numbe r ofimprovements in the Botanical Area andalso in the expe rimental work at Indore , Bhopal andGwalior. Chowdhury Ram Dhan Singh, Third Ass istant,has worke d we ll in connec tion with the expe riments onindigo and on sub - soil ae ration at Pusa. The FourthAs s istant, Babu Kashi Ram, has done use ful work inconnec tion With the vege table drying expe riments at Que ttaandWith the tobac cobre e ding expe riments at Pusa.

The inade quacy ofthe fac ilitie s available at Pusaformaking the mos t ofthe re sults obtaine d is be coming moreevident as the years pas s . The area ofwe ll draine d, we llae rate d, high lying, light land suitable forthe te s ting andse e d produc tion ofmany ofthe c rops und e r inve stigation,is exc e e dingly small. In consequenc e , the mate rial available lnthe shape ofpure line s cannot

.

be worke d throughfast enough and even when this has be en done , we haveinsuffic ient room to me e t the eve r- inc reas ing demands forse e d. New c entre s ofdist ribution ofPusawheats are springing up eve ry year but. the re is neve r suffic ient botan icallypure see dfors tarting the work. What is urgently require dis a spec ial Ins titut e ofPlant Industry, s ituate d in amore

INSTITUTE, PUSA, FoR 1917-18

favourable locality, to wh ich the work ofthe pre sentBotanical Se c tion at Pusa canbe t ransfe rre d.Fort he first time s ince the war, the transport ofse e d

from the farms in Bihar has be en int e rrup te d due to the

railway re st ric tions now inforce . At harve s t time, it wasonly poss ible to send se e d to distant parts ofIndia bypassenge r train . Such ame thod is out ofthe que stion inthe case ofhundre ds ofmaunds ofse e d. Several important indent s from Cent ral India,Kath iawar and Bengalforth is reason could not be me t . The Bengal North -We s te rnRailway, howeve r, we re able to provide suffi c ient transportforthe Wheat produc e d and .dis tribut ionhad to be confine dto Bihar and the Unit e d P rovince s . The se difficult ie s we rerepre sente d to the Central Transport and Foods tuffs BoardWith the sugge s tion that fac ilitie s should be givento theAgricultural Department gene rally in the transport ofs e e dofallimprox

’

fed varie tie s offood grains intende dforsowing .

Th is has be en ac c epte d and the D ire c tors ofC ivil Supplie shave be en ins truc te d to is sue priority c ert ificate s in c lass 2(b) forall cons ignments ofimprove d varie tie s ofse e d forsowing purpos e s booked by orunde r the orde r ofthe Agricultural Department.

II. INVESTIGATIONS AT PU SA.1.Wheat .

Substantial p rogre ss has be en made during the year inthe wheat inve stigations at ’

Pusa both as regards se e d distribut ionand also in conne c tion with wheat bre e ding .

Two ofthe early se rie s— Pusa 4and Pusa12— are e s tablishing themse lve s rapidly overlarge areas ofthe countryas a re sult ofthe efforts ofthe

afiAgrioulturalDepartments .

The rate ofreplac ement ofthe country wheats by the seimprove d type s is now a que s tion oforganiz ation, ofthesupply ofse e d and ofadequate funds .

Pusa 12 . The Unit ed Provinces are a long way aheadinthe rep lacement ofthe {nixed count ry wheats by animpreve d grade which also sat isfie s the cultivator ou

.

the

important que s t ion‘

ofyie ld.

SCIENTIFIC REPORTS OF THEAGRICULTURAL RESEARCHIn the Central C irc le ofthis Province ,Mr. B. O; Burt

has continue d the sys tematic introduc tion ofPusa 12 onthe alluvial so ils ofthe Doab and Oudh portions ofhischarge . In conne c tion with the spe c ial s teps taken in conJunc tion with the Irrigat ionDepartment to inc rease theareaunde r wheat, the bulk ofthe available se e d supply wasconcentrate d mainly in the D istric ts ofEtawah and Cawnpore whe re the demand forthis variety was intens e . The

total quantity ofse e d is sue d during the year from s tore scontrolle d by Mr. Burt was maunds ofwhich thelarge s t items we re Etawah maunds, Cawnpore 73

maunds and the Sitapur Court ofWards maunds .This varie ty is now we ll e stablishe d in the s e D is tric ts andis spreading rapidly (apart from the e fforts ofthe Department) onac c ount ofthe inc rease d yie ld (e s timate d fromc rop - cutting expe riments to be thre e to four maunds p erac re unde r ordinary cultivation) and the enhance d pric ewhich it fe tche s . The re are now many village s in the

Etawah D is tric t and some in the Cawnpore D is tric t whe reprac tically no othe r wheat is grown and spe c ial measure sare be ing taken to maintain the se as c entre s ofpurity whe res e e d canbe purchase d (to supplement the supply from the

s e ed farms) and from which th is varie ty will also spreadnaturally to surrounding Village s . In the Sitapur D istric t,mos t exce llent work has been done by the Spe c ial Manage rofthe Court ofWards ’ e s tat es,Mr. Dunne , in the sys temat ic introduc tion ofthis wheat The Kat e sare s tate nowpos s e s se s it s owns e e d s tore and las t year supplied ove r athousand maunds ofse ed to a group ofne ighbouring Village s . The s tore worke d at a cons ide rable profit andinspe c tion ofthe c rops in the village s showe d that they we rep rac tically pure . Forthe current year, this e s tate hass tore d maunds, mate rial quantitie s have also be enkept by individual cultivators and arrangements are in progre ss forspe c ial demons tration plot s and forthe maintenanc e ofpure s tocks ofs e e d onthe areas c ommande d bythre e tube we lls with which this e s tate is now equippe d .

It has unfortunat e ly proved impos s ible to form even an


38 SCIENTIFICfi

REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHthat it is beardle s s and the ears are coppe r - coloured whenripe enable s th is varie ty to be rogue d eas ily and so kept pureby the cultivators .

The subs titution ofthe ,country wheats by Pusa 12 inthe Unite d Provinc e s, important as this is, is , howeve r,onlya part ofthe advantage that is pos s ible as a re sult ofthiswork. One ofthe charac te ristic s ofa really supe riorvarie ty i s i t s powe r to re spond to improve d cultivat ion .

The future pos s ibilitie s ofthe plains ofIndia in wheatproduc tion will be evident from a cons ide ration oftheyie lds obtaine d onthe large s cale during the pas t s easonwith this varie ty . In Oudh the ave rage yie ld ofPusa12onlarge areas at Chandapur in the Rai Bare l i D istric t andat Malihabad near Lucknow worke d out at 3 0maumls p erac re . At the Kalianpur se e d 'farm near Cawnpore , whichafew years ago was ve ry indiffe rent village land, anareaofove r 70 ac re s gave anave rage of27 maunds

'

to the ac re .

Some of the cultivators ’ fields in the Etawah D is tric twe ighe d out ove r 24 maunds to the ac re . At the SugarExp eriment

'

Stat ionat Shahjahanpur, the re cord yie ld of35 maunds to the ac re ove r 18 ac re s was reache d . The sey ie lds are now the rule in we ll manage d se e d farms in thisProvinc e and are the re sult '

ofaprope r grading ofthe landcombine d with good cultivation and good management .In Bihar, the introduc tion ofPusa12 has niade satis

fac tory progre s s in the Patna and Bhagalpur D ivis ionswhe re , howeve r, the work is still hampe re d by a shortage ofse e d . The whole ofthe Pusa 12 grown las t vear onthe

Dholi and othe r e state s in North Bihar was place d at thedisposal ofMr. Milne forus e in South Bihar as we ll as anadditional maunds from Oudh . Even with the localsuppl ie s, the se amounts only satisfie d a ve ry small portionofthe demand.In the Punjab, the Dire c tor ofAgriculture reports that

Pusa12 is exc e edingly popularin theHoshiarpur, Jullundur, Gurdaspur and Sialkot D istric ts onwell lands . The

crit ic ism has b een made onthis wheat that it is be ing


encouragedh

inthese D is tric ts w ithout suffic ient te s t s havingbeen made as to it s su itabili ty forthem. Fe e ling the forc eofthe se c ritic isms , the D ire c tor ofAgr iculture re c entlymade

,

a tour through the s e D is tric ts and was s truck by thegreat and unanimous enthus iasm ev inc e d forPusa 12 byall the growe rs ofit . They allas sured -him that they gotat least 25 p erc ent . inc reased outturn from it and a premium ofat least 2 annas p ermaund. One growe r sold 500maunds ofit to aLahore contrac tor,who require d it foreating purpose s in that City, at a premium of4 annas p ermaund ove r ordinary wheat. A c e rtain amount of’

thi‘

s

_wheat is also be ing grown in the Fe roz epore , ‘

Karnal,’His ;sar'

and .Rohtak D ist ric ts . Everywhe re it is exc e e dinglypopular and inc reas ing amounts are be ing,P s tore d fornextseason by growe rs .In Sind ,

'

Mr. Main has commenc e d the trial ofPusa12inVarious parts ofthe P rovinc e and the work is being continne d . Some promis ing results we re obtaine d in the

Uppe r Sind Frontie r D is tric t onzamindars ’ fields and theconclus ion in this trac t is that Pusa12 is ane arly ripene randaheavy yie lde r. The zamindars conce rne d have keptthe whole ofthe produc e forsowing next season .

In the SimlaHill trac t s , Mr. Peake has suc c essfullyint roduc e d Pusa12 in thre e villages inSirmoorwhe re thisVarie ty has done we ll . T he pe ople are ve ry much takenwith '

the grain and a numbe r ofvillage s have unde rtakento grow nothing but Pusa12 next year . The ChiefSe c retary ofthe SirmoorState , Si rdarNarain Singh, who hasinte re s te d h imse lf in this work, has int roduc e d a book tore cord the quantity ofPusa 12 sown each year toge the rwith the ac reage . D is tribution ofse ed will be carrie d ‘

out

village by village ’

so as to prevent admixture .

Pusa 4. In many parts ofIndia whe re arap idlymaturing, high qual ity wheat is require d which will alsore spond to good cultivation, Pusa 4 is me e ting a distinc twant and israp idly poming into favour.InNorth Bihar, the fall in the pric e ofindigo led las t

yearto a great“demand forse ed ofthis Varie ty from the

40 SCIENTIFIC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHindigo plante rs a portion only ofwhich could be me t .Nearly all the las t c rop ofse e d produc e d onthe Dhol ie state , anexc eptionally fine produc t, was us e d forse ttingup anumbe r ofthe se e state s with a pure supply ofse ed .

In the Unite d Provinc e s, Mr. Burt reports that thisvarie ty has be en a mos t marke d suc c e ss in the KenandDhasanCanal areas in the D is tric ts ofBandaandHamirpur. Las t year, ove r five thousand m’

aunds ofPusa4we reis sue d and in addition a numbe r ofzamindars and cultivators sowe d cons ide rable areas from the ir ownse ed . Alarge proport ion ofthe s e ed was dis tribute d through theCanal Department . At the las t harve st, this varie ty fe tche da ve ry subs tantial premium in the local marke ts oftenamounting to e ight to t enannas a maund ove r countrvwheat, the ke ene st buye rs be ing exporte rs to Bombay. Forthe coming year, a stock of maunds ofthis wheat isbe ing he ld forissue in Bunde lkhand . This varie ty is alsolike ly to prove use ful onthe alluvium in helping to solvethe fodde r problem. For. the third year in suc c e s s ion at

Kalianpur, exc e llent c rops ofPusa 4 have be en obtaine dafte r early fodde r juar(A. Sorghum) . The prac tic e , i fgene rally adopte d, would go farto solve the fodde r ditficulty in canal irrigate d trac ts and would pe rmit ofa large rarea be ing p ut unde r wheat.In the Central India State s , the re sults obtaine d with

Pusa4 le d to a ke en demand fors eed but nothing could bedone to as s is t m atte rs due to the railway re s tric tions info rc e . A supply was arrange d forthe Gwal ior State buttransport could not be obtaine d.Inthe North -We s t Frontie r P rovinc e , t he re sult ofthe

trials ofthis varie ty by the ryots is that Pusa 4 has

gaine d the cultivators ’ favour and has be en acc epte d bythem, and it is confidently expe c te d that the vare ity willoc cupy the greate r part ofthe ac re s ofirrigate dwheat in the North -We s t Frontie r Provinc e within a ve ryfew years . Pusa4 has be en so we ll re c e ived by the peop lethat the North -We st Frontie r Prov inc e Gove rnment haveallotted a sum ofRs . to purchase s e e d from thos e


49: SCIENTIFIC REPORTS orTHE AGRICULTIJRALRESEARCHcanal irrigation . The new type s we re trie d against Cawnpore 13 and Pusa12 onlarge plots and the sowings we remade in duplicate . The yie lds obtaine d we re as -follows

TABLE I .

Trials ofnew Pusa wheat s at Kalianpur.

YIELDS m LB. PER

ACREVarie ty REMARKS

Grain Straw

l

Cawnpore 18 2 180

P1182.

C'

awn'

p ore 13‘

2 130

2 204 4 070 Damaged by lodging and byrat s .

Pusa

Nos . 32 and 42 have s inc e be en discarde d as this cross“has yie lde d s ix more wheats which are mu h more promi sing. The se will be trie d ona fie ld scale at Kalianpur inOc tobernext . Thre e othe r s e rie s ofc ros se s— onPusa6are now rapidly be coming fixe d and this material isexpe c te d both to yie ld wheats ofimme diate utili ty as we llas parents forfurthe r c rosse s . To obtain the full advantage ofthe bre e ding work in progre ss at Pusaand to bringit to a prac tical issue seve ral years ’ work will s till bene e ded .

The re sults to India ofthe Pusa work onwheat we rerefe rre d to intheHous e ofCommons onAugust 14th,1917,by LordHenry Cavendish Bentinck (ParliamentaryDebat es, vol. 97,no. 116, p . 1008) when advocating thatmore money should be spent onre search in agriculturaldeve lopment. It was pointe d out that re search 1s the bas isofallp rogress in agriculture whe the r at home, in Indiaor

'


in Africa, and that the money value ofa s ingle successfulintroduc tion like Pusa12 is out ofallproport ion to the costofaRe s earch Ins titute .

2. Ind igo.The inve stigations onthis c rop, refe rre d to inprevious

reports, have be en continue d during the year and havebe en confine d large ly to Java indigo . As this crop ,wwhengrown forleaf, is inthe ground fornearly a year, it mustbe remembe re d that it diffe rs entire ly from the ordinarycold weathe r and monsoon c rops as it has to maintain itse lfunde r ave ry wide range as regards soil conditions . Sown inSeptembe r orearly Oc tobe r, the firs t portion ofthe growthp e riod take s plac e unde r cold weathe r conditions . The

c rop then has to survive the hot s eason when dry we stwinds are to be expe c te d aft e r which the tempe rature ofthe surfac e soil rap idly ris e s . The plant then comple te sit s firs t year’s growth in the monsoon phase , during thelatte r portion ofwhich the ae ration ofthe soil is inte rfe re dwith by the c e s sation ofdrainage due e ithe r to the ris e ofthe rive rs, the flooding ofthe c ountry, the rise in the sub

soil wate r leve l orto a combination ofthe se cause s . Ininte rpre ting the re sults obtaine d with this c rop, the refore ,it will always be ne c e ssary to bear in mind thes e fac ts . '

It

is. gene rally in the se cond half ofthe monsoon and afterthe firs t '

cut has be en taken that growth s lows down and theplant ofte n be come s d isease d.

Much time has be en spent in the inves tigation oftheroot system ofth is crop fi

and the effe c t the re on ofany alte ration in the soil c onditions

,and also ofcutting back to

varying degre e s . The roots ofJava ind igo are exc e e dinglysens itive to unde caye d organ ic matte r such as oil cake ,fre sh san hemp (Crotalaria junc ea) wee ds orpart iallyde caye d indigo; particularly whenthe s e substanc e s areadde d to the so il at ‘time s when the ae ration is poor. It isthen poss ible to kill the c rop outright by the se means .When, howe ve r, the damage doe s not proce e d so far, theroot sys tem is often p rofoundly affe c te d, the total abso

rz

bingD

44 SCIENTIFIC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH '

surface is reduc e d and the young roots and nodules losethe i r fre shne ss and be come discoloure d and unhealthy.

The above - ground portion c ease s to grownormally and ' theyoung branche s are fre quently attacke d by Psylla. Similarre sults have be en obtaine d in the Augus t sown se e d crOpwhen the ind igo has be en sown in land foul with wee dswhich have be en turne d unde r a few we eks previous tosowing .

The effe ct ofcomple te orpartial cutting back onthe

root system ofrapidly- growing Java indigo has yie lde dsome inte re s ting re sults . In the cultivation ofi ndigoin Bihar it is the unive rsal p rac tic e to cut the indigo backcomple te ly in June and to leave the s tumps fora s e condc rop . The time taken in forming new shoots varie s withthe season . In ve ry we t weathe r, sprouting is de laye d andthe ' proce s s is distinc tly favoure d by a break in the rains .It has frequently be en obse rve d at Pusathat ifafew’

leave s

are left at the firs t cut , the new growth i s much more rapid .

Th is year, the effe c t ofcomplete cut t ing back and ofhardpruning onthe root system was examine d It was foundthat comple te cutting back, while the plant is in ac tivegrowth, kills the fine roots and nodule s

'

and that anewabsorbing system has to be produc e d before new shootsform. This naturally take s time .Heavy p runing, ontheothe r hand, leads to farle s s damage to the roots andnodule ’

s, which at onc e e xplains the rap idity with whichsuch plants form new growth . Thisffac t may eas ily proveof

'

considerable prac tical advantage to the indigo indus try .

Ifthe c rop could be grown in double line s with inte rculture ,i t could be heavily prune d at the firs t cut and the \ s e con'

d

c rop could be advanc e d by seve ral we eks . Anew sys tem ofgrowing Java indigo, base d on the se re sults, has be enworke d out at Pusa. The c rop is sown in Septembe r (aft e ia c lean fallow) in double line s with a spac e be twe en formechanical inte rculture to ke ep down we e ds and to ae ratethe soil. . The line s are prune d as early as

,

pos s ible afte rthe rains break and the se cond cut is taken as soon as

p ossible afterwards . Whe the r it will be be tte r to be


216 SCIENTIF IC REPORTS orTHE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHgrew the same type ofJava indigo unde r s imilar c limaticconditions at two c entre s— onthe s tiff black s oils at Tharsaand onthe open, porous bhata soils at Chandkhuri nearRaipur. Onthe we ll-ae rate d,poor bhata soils,Java indigogrew with great rapidity and forme d good and abundants e e d Onthe riche r but badly ae rate d black soils at Tharsa,the growth was ve ry poor. The se re sults are illustrate d ma pape r by Me ss rs . Clous ton and PadmanabhaAiye r readat the Lahore me e ting ofthe Indian Sc ienc e Congre ss . A

more effe c tive confirmat ionofourviews onthe e ffe c t ofsoilae ration and drainage onthe growth ofJava indigo couldhardly be de s ire d. All inte re ste d ih '

the we lfare of. theBihar indigo industry should care fully s tudy Mes srs .Clous ton and Aiyer’s pape r which is publishe d in the

Spec ial Indian Sc ienc e Congre s s Numbe r ofthe AgriculturalJcarnal of

‘

Ind ia of1918 . ItWill be inte re s ting tosee what c lass ofcolour wi ll be obtaine d onthe s e bhata soilswhen the Chandkhuri c rop is made into indigo .

The re sults obtaine d onthe produc tion ofse e d ofJavaindigo unde r Bihar conditions we re applie d ona largescale during the year and ve ry fine sample s we re obtained ,much be tte r than anything importe d from Java. The

yie ld was affe c te d by shortage ofmo is ture at the end oftherains and also by the dry winds during the ripening pe riodin February which -le d to a good deal oflos s fromthe splitting ofthe pods . Forthe firs t time s inc e the shortage ofse ed ofthis c rop be came acute, the supply has be en suchthat the price p ermaund has fallen ve ry cons ide rably, are sult which will probably re duce the quantity ofse e dgrown outs ide Bihar. The Pusa expe riment s have prove dthat good c rops ofs e e d canbe obtaine d in Bihar provi de dthe land is we ll se le c te d and suffic ient care is taken inthemanuring, cultivation and spac ing ofthe plants . The be s tre turns are obtaine d unde r conditions ofgardenratherthan offield cultivation, and it might eas ily pay some ofthe e stat es to devote ve ry spe c ial attention to the see d c ropona small'

area and also to ke ep in res e rve a year’s supp lyincase offloods orunfavourable seasons . The experiment s


onthis subje c t are be ing continue d as i t is expe c te d to raise ,unde r conditions ofintens ive culture y heavy yie lds ofse e dno matte r what the s eason may be . The re is little doubtthat , the soone r North Bihar be come s se lf—supporting asre gards Java se ed the be tte r. As the c rop is not uniformbut cons ist s ofamas s ofhe te rozygote s, diffe ring wide ly inroot deve lopment, it is not safe to re ly ons ee d produc e dunde r quite diffe rent soil conditions . The re sult ofgrowing se e d outs ide Bihar might eas1ly re sult in a gradualchange oftype which might prove quite unsuitable to thelocal soil cond itions .

The“work onthe Se le c t ion ofJava indigo IS proc e e ding

as rap idly as c ircums tanc e s pe rmit. One ofthe earlyse lec tions, Type 15, is be ing grown onthe large scale onfour e state s . Anumbe r ofothe rs are be ing teste d ona

field scale and re se rves ofse e d are be ing ac cumulate d.

Java indigo is prac tically se lf - s te rile and almos t all these e d is obtaine d by means ofc ros s -fe rtilization followinginse c t v is its . The se fac ts rende r se le c t ion work ve ry ditficult and the multiplicationofpromi smg type s ve ry s lowas only one kind canbe grown fors e e d eaeh year in theBotanical Area. This difficulty has be en met to some

extent by fac ilitie s grante d by the proprie tors and manage rofthe Dholi e s tate . A smallfield has be en lent in one ofthe Village s ofth is e state forindigo se e d purpose s and atthe pre sent t ime two type s canbe multiplie d each year.

3 . Tobac co.

The demand forse e d ofType 28, both forc igare ttepurpose s .and also forgene ral cultivation, continue s to

inc rease . In addition to a large numbe r ofsmall indentsfrom allparts ofInd ia, thre e definit e scheme s of‘ ~

se e d

dis tribution have now deve lope d— inNort h '

Bihar, , inBurmaand in the Central'

Circle ofthe Unite d Province s .Se e d suffic ient for ac re s ofnew cultivation was dis tribute d during the year. It is imposs ible to say how muchlocally grown see d of’ this type was sown .

Inthe Tirhut D ivis ion ofNorth Bihar, the distribution.ofsee d has been unde rtakenby the IndianLeaf

4‘

s sc i'

ENTIFIC REPORTS 01? THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHTobac co Deve lopment Company who give out the s e e d toany one who applie s forit . The re is no obligat ion

‘

onthepart ofany ryot taking this s e e d to se ll the produc e to theCompany. Mr. Ac re e , the Manage r ofthe Dalsing- SaraiBranch, reports (Le tte r, date d April 13 th, 1918) that theadvantage s obtaine d by the growe rs ofPusa s e e d canbesumme d up as follows :

(a) Nearly all the se e ds ge rminate .When transp lante d, the tobac co plants are nearlyall the same s i ze '

and are e qually s trong . Inconsequence, ve ry lit tle replac ement is nec e ssaryin the fields and partly forth is reason a large ryie ld p erbigha is obtaine d.

(0) At harve s t time , the whole field is ripe and readyto cut at once . As a rule, when the ryot use shis own se e d, seve ral varie tie s are found ineach field which c ome to maturity at diffe ren ttime s and so cause the harve s ting pe riod to

extend ove r four to s ix we eks . When thistobacco is ready forsale, the ryot has three orfour sorts to dispose ofiiist ead ofone uniformlot .

(03) Type 28 has not only be en found ve ry good f01c igare tte purpose s but the growe rs also find nod ifficulty indispos ing ofi t to the Indian dealers .

The s e’ re sults are inte re s ting as showing that even theconse rvative t obac co, growe r, if given time , is able to

apprec iate t he advantage s ofgrowing - a pure line (whichcombine s yie ld and qual ity) in plac e ofthe ordinary mixe dc rop . At first, the Company had some difficulty in ge ttingthe work s tarte d and the growe rs we re averse to

,trying the

new kind . Now allthis is change d and should the demandgo oninc reas ing at the pre sent rate , the difficulty will beto provide suffic ient se e d.In Burma, se e d for800 ac re s has be en supplie d to

Mr. McKerralfordis tribut ion in two ofthe mos t import~ant tobacco=

grow1ng Dist ric ts .


Bo SCIENTIFIC Reroars OF THEAGRICULTURALREsEARoiicontinue to be ve ry s low in establishing the fibre ofthisimprove d varie ty as anart ic le of. comme rc e .

5 . Oil s e e d s and gram.

The work onthe se c rops at Pusa, re fe rre d to in previousreports, was almos t at a stands till during the year due tothe lack ofsuitable land forthe culture work . The linse e dculture s had to be grownontwo new plots in the old fruitarea which prove d to be too uneven forsuch purpose s .The se culture s will be repeate d ifposs ible during thecoming year.

6. Root d evelopment .In a pape r read be fore the Botanical Se c tion ofthe

Indian Sc ienc e Congre s s at Bangalore in 1917,anac countwas given

'

ofthe re sults obtaine d in the study ofthe rootsystems ofthe varie tie s ofagricultural c rops . It wassugge s te d that ‘ this aspe c t of varie ty trials has be ennegle c te d in the pas t and that a s tudy ofthe root sys temsofa se t oftype s throws a cons ide rable amount oflight onthe re sults offield expe riments . During the pas t year,the work has be en continue d and furthe r re sults have be enobtaine d.One ofthe difficult ie s in the se inve st igat ions is to

remove the soil so as to lay bare the distribution oftheentire root system, inc luding the finerbranche s . In the

case ofleguminous c rops, it is also ne ce ssary to expos e thenodule s without damage . The be s t me thod so farfoundforuse in fine , s ilt - like, alluvial soils, like those at Pusa,is toremove the soil by means ofa knapsack spraye r. Bythis means, two plants canbe d ealt with in anordinaryworking day and all the fine ramificat ions down to the

pilife rous laye r and the root cap can~be trac e d without

damage . With leguminous plant s, great care is ne c e s saryifallthe nodule s are to be obtaine d attache d to the roo ts .Insoil ae ration expe r iments, whe re it‘ is ne ce s sary to

study root de ve lopment in re lation to the phys ical conditiOnofthe soil, some me thod ofgrowing a large numbe r of

iNs 'rri‘UTE, PUSA, FOR 1917-18

separate culture s has to be devise d . Ordinary field plotsare out ofthe que stion, due to the pe rmanent alte rationinthe phys ical texture ofthe soil that would be involve d The

ordinary pots us e d forculture work are also unsuitable forsuch inve s tigations,forthe following reasons

The re is inadequate spac e forroot deve lopment,unle ss the pots are ve ry large and de ep.

(b) The normal c i rculation ofairand wate r, such asoc curs inthe so il, is impos s ible in a culture p oteven when unglaze d and even when a sunk p otis use d.

(0) Art ific ial drainage ihas to be provide d in pots,

which in it se lf ac ts as anae rat ing agent.(d ) Culture pots fre quently int roduc e the temp erature

fac tor.Such culture s have - to be cons tantly wate re d,an

ope rat ion consumptive ofmuch time .

(f) It is almos t imposs ible to explore in de tail the rootsys tem ofa plant grown in a culture

The se difficult ie s canbe overcome °

by us ing‘ve ry small

plots inthe plac e ofculture pots . P i ts from thre e '

to s ix

fe e t square are dug to the depth oftwo and a half fe e t,the uppe r nine inche s ofso il be ing kept s eparate from the

subso il . Various ae rating age nts are mixe d with the soil,which is then replac e d, care b e ing taken to refillthe pits al ittle at a time and to compre s s the earth to the re quire dd e gre e . If prepare d a few wee ks in advance and irrigate d imme diate ly, the contents ofthe plots re semble ve rynearly the conditions obtaining in he ld culture . The difficult ie s conne c te d w ith the c irculation ofairand wate r arein

‘

this way remove d and the tempe rature fac tor doe s notinte rfe re with the re sults . In case s whe re the soil ismixe dwith large quantitie s ofae rating agents, such as p otshe rds,broken bricks, sand, orpowde re d charcoal, it is advisableto spread from halfto aninch ofordinary soil onthe sur~face ofthe beds to prevent any undue heating orcoolingdue to the higherconduc t ivity ofthe ae rating materials.Control plots ofundisturbe d soil and also ofsoil which has

52 SCIENTIFIC REPORTS OF THEAGRICULTURAL RESEARCHbe en dug out and then re - fille d should be inc lude d ih . the

s e rie s . Whe re both root de ve lopment and yie ld ofsee d

have to be de te rmine d, the plots should be induplicate asthe removal ofspe c imens forroot examination introduc e sanew aerationfac tor .The diffe rence s in growth and root deve lopment obtaine d

by this modifie d form ofp ot culture are ve ry striking andthe new me thod has y ie lde d re sults ofcons ide rable in te re stboth at ‘

Pusa and also at Que tta. Measurements ofthelength ofgrowth, ofthe total we ight ofc rop and ofthes e e d canrapidly be obtaine d while ve ry useful re sults asregards the c onditions onwhich.

root deve lopment dependshave be en secure d . 0

III . INVESTIGATIONS INTHE NATIVE STATES .1. Central Ind ia.State s .

A beginning has be en made in extending the inve s tigations s tarte d at Pusa to some ofthe Native State s . Atthe re que st ofMr. B. Coventry, AgriculturalAdvis e r in Central India,and with the concurrenc e oftheDurbars conc e rne d, varie ty trials with _

wheat and gram.

we re carrie d out onthre e ofthe farms in Central Indiaduring the past rabi s eason . Re sults ofcons ide rable valuewe re obtaine d and the trials are be ing continued andextende d .

The scils ofCentral Indiaare by no means uniform andthe conditions, even ona black soil trac t like the Malwaplateau, vary cons ide rably. Ou the we ll - irrigate d, gardenlands ofMalwa, onwhich till re cently opium poppy wasgrown, it has be en found that Pusa4 doe s exce e dingly we lland produc e s heavy c rop s unde r we ll irrigat ion.

Mr. Coventry reports onthe se trials as follows (Le tte r‘dated April 13 th,

Pusa 4 has again be en a great suc c e ss this year onthe irrigat e d area. Dhar,forexample , has got 25 maundsp er. ac re , a re cord result forCentral India. I havethe re fore ve ry s trongly urge d the Durbars to take up the

dis tribution ofthis wheat onas large a s cale as poss ible .


54 SCIENTIFIC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHthan those ofbread wheats like Pusa 4. This diffe renc eis fundamental and i t is c lear that forthe dry area oftheMalwa plateau improve d macaroni wheats are require d.

Ou the othe r hand, when the se macaroni wheats are irrigate d they do not re spond to the change d c onditions asPusa 4 doe s and the extra‘ mois ture is as it were large lythrown away onthe s e type s .

The se diffe rence s in root deve lopment indicat e not onlythe gene ral policy to be followe d in wheat improvemen t onthe Malwa plateau but also throw light onthe me thodsofirrigation to be adop te d forwheat . As regards the

policy forthe se areas , high qual ity, rap idly maturingbread wheats which re spond to irrigation and to improve dsoil conditions are c learlyrequire d forthe we ll - irrigate dlands . Improve d macaroni type s are ne e de d forthe baranitrac ts . With regard to i rrigation, the first watering onallwe ll lands should be given jus t when the plant is readyto tille r so that the formation ofthe s e condary root systemis not . de lay e d too long . The s e condary roots mus t followthe de sc ending moisture and when the se are e s tablishe dgrowth will proc e e d rapidly and the c rop will be assure d .

Fortunate ly with we ll i rrigation the timing ofthe firs tirrigation is a s implematte r.Where the so ils of the Central Indian States , as in

parts ofGwalior, re semble the alluvium ofthe plains , itwas found that wheat s like Pusa12 and Pusa 4 are quitesuitable given a supply ofirrigation wate r.As would be expe c te d from the root system, the Pusa

varie tie s ofgram,'whentrie d onthe various soils ofCentral

India, provide d no surpris e s . Many ofthe types did

exc e e dingly we ll and it is expe c te d in a short time tode c ide which is the be st in all re spe c ts and to begin se e ddistribution.

Although the se Central Indian trials have only extendc d ove r a s ingle season and the work has had to be carrie dout e ithe r onnew farms oronfarms in the making, there sults are much greate r than could have bee n expe c ted andthe exp e rience gaine d has be enwell worth the time and


trouble involve d. Forfac il itating the trials at Indore andBhopal we are indebte d to Mr. Coventry,while at Gwalior,Mr.Higginbottom, the D irec tor ofAgriculture , and hisstaffplac e d the 're sourc e s ofthe new farm at ourdisposal.

2. Kapurthala State .At the reque s t ofHisHighnes s the Maharajah,a vis it

was paid to the Kapurthala State in the Punjab with theobj ec t ofsugge sting the be st means ofdeve lop ing the agricultural re sourc e s '

ofthe State . The main te rritories ofthis State comprise thre e we ll define d areasi— the sandyhigh - lying areas (d one ) near the town ofKapurthala, thelow- lying inundate d areas (be t) near the rive r Beas andthe ilciqua ofPhagwara (a portion ofwhich is s t illin the original dhak fore st) t he agricultural conditionsofwh ich are '

s imilar'

to those ofthe adjoining ~JullundurDistric t . The Kapurthala State is the Eas t ern'

Punjab inminiature and the problems pre s ente d forsolution apply inlarge measure t o extens ive areas cfte rritory dire c tly underBritish admin ist ration . The d ona areas, given organicmanure and wate r canbe made exc e e dingly fe rt ile and '

hereup

- to - date large tube we lls, provide d with cheaply construc t e d pe rmanent distributarie s to prevent pe rcolation,area poss ible means ofagricultural deve lopment . The low

lying be t lands pre sent aninte re st ing problem in drainageas we ll as forthe dis tribut iono fvarie tie s with a somewhatsup erfic ial roo t deve lopment . In Phagwara, the dhak

areas provide analmost id eal surfac e fordemons tratingthe advantage s ofthe realignment ofholdings,the e s tablishment ofmodel Village s and the prov i s i on ofa comple t esys tem ofsurfac e drainage which at the same t ime willprevent e ros ion . A de taile d report onthe se matte rs wassubmitte d toHisHighne s s who has de c ide d,not only tostart anAgricultural Department as soon as a suitableD i re c tor canbe found,but to institute a State Deve lopmentFund 'for.the snrooth and rapid execution ofany p rojectswhich are like ly to improve his dominions .

56’ SCIENTIFIC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHIV. THE DEVELOPM ENT orTHE AGRICULTURE or

BALUCHISTAN.

The inc reas e in the agricultural work carried out at theFruit Expe riment Station, Que tta, re fe rre d to in the las treport c ontinue s . All the land available has now be entaken up and no furthe r expans ion is poss ible with the

means at pre sent available . The extens ion ofthe vegetabledrying expe riments has be en rende re d pos s ible by means ofaspe c ial grant ofRs . from the Baluchistan Administrat ion.

1. Soilaeration.The de c is ion ofthe Baluchistan Administ ration in 1911

to s tart a small expe rimental s tationnear Que tta forthes tudy oflocal que s tions has , in one dire c tion, sugge s te dfar- reaching deve lopments in Indian agriculture . In the

Que tta valley, the texture ofthe soil is such that aft e r surface flooding, ventilat ion is ve ry eas ily impe ded withdisastrous re sults to the c rops . The inve stigation ofthismatte r le d to the re cognition ofthe importanc e ofsoil ae ration as a fac tor in c rop produc tion and to the working outofan improve d sys tem ofi rrigation which, ifadopte dgene rally in India,would bring ' in eve ry year anadditionalrevenue ofat leas t — enough to pay the inte re stonthe warloan . Now that the inve st igat ion ofthe variousaspe c ts ofsoil ae ration has reache d a s tage when the re sultscanbe summe d up with advantage and the ir prac ticalapplicat ions to Indian agriculture have become c lear anddefinit e , the pre s ent is a c onvenient opportunityforbringingtoge the r the various s ide s ofthis que s tion and foremphas izing t he i r importanc e in the future development ofthecountry.

During the years 1912 to 1914,anumbe r ofobse rvationsand re sults had ac cumulate d at Que ttawhich appeare d tobe mos t eas ily explaine d onthe as sumption that the s tiffloe s s soils ofthe valley suffe re d from want ofaeration andthat in the removal ofthis fac tor lay the bes t line ofadvanc e .

A s imilar exp lanation s e eme d to underlie nume rous other


58 SCIENTIFIC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH2 . Indigo.

Kind ofs oil

Soilonly50%soil 50%sand

90°

/o 1070 p otsherds

70% 30°/o 1»

Similar re sults have be en obtaine d on the large s cale onthe Dholi e state in Bihar whe re in 1918 the be s t yie ld ofPusa12 was givenby the plot to which one inch ofbrokentile s had be en adde d t o the soil. At Que tta, the c ropexpe rimente d onwas luc e rne . The inc rease due to the useofthe various ae rating mate rials is given in Table IV.

TABLE IV.The effe c t ofdilu ting Qu e t ta soil with inert aerating mat erials .

Kind ofs oil

lb. oz

Soilonly 12 2

soil potsherds 15 0

soil wind-blownsand 17 2

That such re sults are poss ible canonly be explaine d in oneway, name ly, that the ae ration ofboth soils is de fe c tive .

The inc rease d yie ld is due to the inc rease in ox’ idation whichfollows the improvement in the poros ity ofthe soil .The existenc e ofthe so il ae ration fac tor furnishe s the

explanation ofthe low yie lds ofpoor quality which alwaysfollow ove r irrigation o

‘

n s ilt - like so ils . The texture ofthese soils de te riorate s afte r be ing fibode d with water. As


the soil drie s unde r the hot sun, the surface bake s into a

hard c rus t large ly impe rmeable to air. That the c rust isimpe rmeable canbe se en by imme rs ing in wate r a portionofthe hardene d surfac e soil afte r irrigation. The aire s cape s s ideways not through the surfac e skin . Each suc

c e s s ive i rrigation de s troys the so il texture more and moreand the surfac e c rus t be c ome s more and more impe rmeableto air. The e ffe c t ofirrigation onalluvial soils, the re fore ,inte rfe re s with it s ventilation . The proce ss remove s onelimiting fac tor, the want ofwate r, but it introduc e sanothe r, name ly , the .ne e d ofae ration . That th is is so willbe c lear from TableVwhich c ontains the re sult ofa re c entexpe riment at Que t ta.

TABLEV.The introduc tionofa new limiting fac toraft erirrigation.

Total Yield PercentNumberofwaterings we ight grainp erage reduc~

ofgrain acre t ion

m. s . m. s .

5 2 6 13 2

Thre e 25 15 9 23

He re the last two irrigations re duc e d the yie ld through theintroduc tion ofanothe r limiting fac torm the ne e d ofsoilae ration. Similar re sults1 we re obtaine d at .thre e stationsin the Punjab in 1917. One i rrigation gave nearly t enmaunds’gofwheat .to the acre , two gave a little ove r s ixte en,while thre e reduc e d the yie ld appre c iably . The se re sult sprove that suc c e s s ful irrigation involve s the working out ofa prac tical compromise be twe en the two conflic ting fac tors—wate r and air. The aim ofthe irrigator is not the me reapplication ofwate r bu t the provis ionofwat erinsuch a

1-Afull ac c ount ofthe irrigat ionre sult s ob taine d at Que t ta and e ls ewhere will

be found inQue t taBulle tins 4 and 7 and ina pap eron$011aerat ioninthe IndwnF ore s t erofMay,1918.

60 SCIENTIFIC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHmanneras to interfere as lit tle as p oss ible with the aerationofthe s oil.Confirmatory‘

evidence ofthe importance ofsoil ae rat ionin agriculture has be en abundant in the re c ent l it e rature .Expe riments are in progre s s onthis subje c t in India andothe r countrie s and a large numbe r offurthe r pape rs areexpe c te d to appear during the next two orthre e years . The

opp ortunity was taken ofthe 1918 me e t ing ofthe IndianSc ienc e Congre s s at Lahore ‘

to plac e onre cord a statementofthe pre sent pos ition ofthe inve stigations onsoil ae ration .

This was done in the form ofajoint le c ture (with Mr.R . S.Hole ,ll Fore st Botanis t at Dehra Dun) to the wholeCongre ss onJanuary 9th las t imme diate ly afte r the pre s idential addre ss . Mr. R . G .Allan,Princ ipal oftheNagpurAgricultural College , supplement e d the le c ture by anaccount ofhis re sults onsub- soil ae rationonthe black soils .

The le c ture has s inc e be en publishe d in full in the May ‘is sueofthe Ind ianF ore s terand in the July issue ofthe AgrientturalJournal ofInd ia. In the Botanical Sec t ion oftheSc ienc e Congre s s, othe r pape rs onso il ae ration we re readand discus se d inc luding one by Mr. Clouston, Offic iat ingD ire c tor ofAgriculture ofthe Central Provinc e s, andMr. A. R . Padmanabha Aiye r, Offic iating AgriculturalChemis t, Central P rovinc e s , onthe re sults obtaine d onthepoor late rite soils (bhata) at Chandkhuri near Raipur.Hithe rto, the s e soils (ofwhich the re are millions ofacre snowlying prac tically waste orin jungle ) have only borne occa

s ional c rops ofinfe rior mille ts in the rains and have be encons ide re d use le s s foragricultural purpose s . In reality,howeve r, they posse s s in the ir poros ity and good drainage,enormous potent iali tie s which Mr. Clouston is now deve loping . The ae ration ofthe bhata soils is pe r fe c t and with theaddition oforganic manure and i rrigation wate r ve ry finec rops ofcot ton, indigo, groundnuts, sugarcane and variousfodde rs have be en obtaine d. One feature ofthe se c rops is

Mr. Hole ’s inve s t igat ions ons oil aerat iond eal with the imp ortanc e ofthisfact orinvarious fore s try and e c ological problems . His c onclusions have b e enarrive d at largely from p hys iological e xp eriment s and agre e with ourownontheimp ortanc e ofthe s oilaerat ionfac torinplant growth.


62 SCIENTIFIC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHremains open and a c rust cannot form. Surfac e cultivation by mixing the mulch ofmanurewith the so il allows a c rust to form afte r irrigationand the yie ld is c ons ide rably re duc e d .

The numbe r ofcuts obtaine d from a shaflal c rop,othe r things be ing equal, depends onthe pres enc e ofae rating mate rials in the soil.

The importanc e ofso il ae ration in the growing ofthe sec rops was c onfirme d during the year by the re sults ofase rie s ofae ration expe riments with luc e rne and shaftal.The origin ofthe s e expe riments is amatte r ofsome inte re s t.In 1917, during a Vis it to the Mustung valley in the KalatState , the great diffe renc e be twe en the health and vigour ofthe wheat and othe r c rops near Mustung compared withthose in the Que ttavalley was ve ry marke d. The diffe renc eappeare d to be due to the admixture ofthe Mustung so ilwith fine wind blown sand carrie d into the valley from the

de se rt to the we st Sample s ofthis wind blown sand we reobtaine d and culture s we re s tarte d ofmixture s ofQue ttasoil and various ae rating agents inc luding this des e rt sand.The re sults obtaine d we re ve ry striking . Anadmixture of50 p erc ent . ofthe wind blown sand to Que tta soil inc rease dthe yie ld ofluce rne by 42 p erc ent. The se expe riments arebe ing cont inued and will be publishe d in due c ours e .

‘

The

improvement '

in'

the phys ical texture ofthe soil oftheMus tung valley brought about by th is -wind - blown sandwould also explain the reputationforquality this locali tyhas

'

achieve d in such '

crop s as wheat, tobac co and me lons .The admixture with sand improve s the ae ration ofthe soiland this in turn influenc e s the deve lopment ofquality. One

poss ible means ofimproving the Que tta so il would be by theadmixture offinely ground ashe s which are available inlarge quantitie s .near the railway s tation . Some ofthiswaste produc t‘ is be ing ground up in amortarmill and willbe applie d to the land this year . Forvege tables and c ropslike luc e rne ,ground ashe s might ac t as ave ry us e fulmanureThe trials ofbale d shaftalby the Army at Que tta,wh ich

were re fe rre d to in the lastreport,we re duly comple te d and

iNSTITUTE, PUSA, FOR 1917-18

the re sults we re reporte d to ArmyHeadquarte rs . Orde rshave s inc e be en re c e ive d forcarrying out afurthers e t ofte s ts 011 a large r s cale and forthis purpose aboutmaunds ofbale d c love r have this year be en supplie d forthetrials supe rvis e d by Brigadie r Gene ral Cook,R . G . A. Thisfodde r was grown by the zamindars nearHarnai and waspurchas e d gre enfordrying and baling. The s e ope rationswe re inte r fe re d with to some extent by the scarc ity anddeafne ss ofagricultural labour which re sulte d from the

temporary conc entration oftroops “atHarnai and inthene ighbourhood in conne c t ion with the Mari Fie ld Forc e .

Some ofthe fodde r was,

Suppl ie d to the troops gre en, the /re s t was drie d and made into bale s forthe te s ts at Que tta.

The se are now in progre s s and are proc e e ding satis fac torily.

A suitable c entre forthe growth and bal ing ofshaftal,luc e rne and be rs e em onthe large scale has be en found atwhich it will be pos s ible to e re c t andruna hydraul ic p re s s .

De taile d sugge st ions as to future work are be ing drawn upat the re ques t ofthe

,

Army authoritie s .

At the sugge stion ofBrigadie r - Gene ral Cook,and with the as s is tance ofMajorHis lop, expe riments havebe en made at Que tta to de te rmine whe the r ornot the sele guminous fodde rs could be bale d c lose enough t o mee tArmy transport requirements . The difficulty inbal ingshaftaland luc e rne hay,unde r the dry conditions at Que tta,is to obtain ac lose bale without,at the same time,damagingthe produc t. Both the se fodde rs dry out so quickly andbe come so brittle that it is almos t impos s ible to bale themwithout cons ide rable loss , ofleaf— the mos t nutritiousportion ofthe fodde r.The s e difficult ie s have now be en ove rcome . Ifshaftal

orluc e rne hay is allowe d to dry outright in~small stacks , thebrittle fodde r canbe got back into condition forc los e pre ssing bywat e ring the heap onthe outs ide by means ofanordinary wate ring canand by covering it up for24 hours witha tarpaulin ora small tent . The moisture then pene trate sthe heap and b rings the fodde r into condition forhandlingand baling . The outs ide laye rs are oftena lit tle too damp,

64 SCIENTIFIC REPORTS OF THEAGRICULTURAL RESEARCHbut i f the s e are allowe d to dry in the sunforanhourorso,the extra mois ture rapidly evaporate s . The amount ofwate r require d is about 10 gallons foreve ry 150 cubic fee tofstacke d fodde r. To enable the mois ture to spread evenly,heaps 14’ x 3 -5 ’x 3

’

are quite suitable . Some judgment isrequi re d in baling the mo istene d fodde r but a little prac ticewill avo id any dange r ofpre ss ing too damp . The be st s tageis when the fodde r is just beginning to fe e l brittle .

The baling expe riments we re duly carrie d out onAugus t1s t ,1917, by means ofthe Boome r pre ss at the SupplyRe se rve Dep6t, Que tta,with lucerne obrought into condition~

by damping as indicate d above . Two kinds ofbale s we remade with the Boome r pre ss with luc e rne only and (2)with chatte d luc e rne and bhasa in e qual parts by we ightmixe d ready forfe e ding. The luc e rne by its e lf was foundto be the more eas ily compres se d. The s ize ofamaund baleofluc e rne was 30” x16” x 13 ” (equivalent to 97 cubic fe e tto the ton). The s ize ofthe mixe d luc e rne and bhusa balewas 31” x 17 ” 13 ” (e quivalent to 105 cubic fe e t to the ton).The pre s s had not be en use d forsome time and was a l ittleout ofadjustment orit would have be en easy to compre ss to90 cubic fe e t to the t on— the Army s tandard forpre s se dbhasa. The re is no doubt the refore that the se le’

guminousfod de rs canbe compre s s e d to the re quire d degre e .

As regards ke eping qualitie s, the re is eve ry reason tobe lieve thatno dange r ne ed be apprehende d from this sourc e .

Seve ral bale s,made onAugust 1s t,1917,we re opene d duringthe pre sent year and the fodde r in both the luc e rne andmixe d bale s was found to be in pe rfe c t c onditionwith notrac e ofsourne s s ormouldine s s .Now that allthe d ifficult ie s in conve rting the se legu

minous fodde rs from the gre en s tate into compact bale s ofhay have be en solve d and many suc c e s s ful trials ofthe produc t have be en carrie d out, it only remains t o sugge st thedes irability oftaking up s imilar work in localitie s such asthe Punjab, theWe ste rn Dis tric ts ofthe Unite d Provinc e sand Central Indiawhe re some orallofthe se c rops are eas ilyraised . A s tock ofsuch conc entrate d fodde r would be of


66 SCIENTIF IC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCII

and shown at the Conversaz 1one inc onne c tion with the

me e t ing ofthe Indian Sc ienc e Congre ss . This attrac te dmany vis itors and complet e ly exhauste d the firs t e dit ion ofBulle tin No . 8 in which the proc e ss ofsun- drying is de scribe d in de tail . A pape r onthis subj e c t was read anddis cussed in the Botanical Se c tion ofthe Sc ienc e Congre s s .

1

The me dical menpre sent we re ke enly inte re ste d in thismatte r and as a re sult ofthe dis cuss ions we se cure d the ce

ope ration ofC olonel SirLe onard Roge rs, F in the

inve s tigation ofthe 'ant i- s corbutic and anti - be rri be rri prop ert ie s ofvege table s prepare d in‘ this manne r .

\

A numbe rofsample s have s inc e be en de spatche d to Calcuttaforthe seexpe riments .As the only way offind ing the value ofanew thing is ‘ to

s e ll it, arrangements have be en made to plac e sun- drie dvege table s on the marke t . Suitable agenc ie s have be enarrange d at Calcutta,Bombay and at Que ttaand as soon asthe coloure d labe ls (which are be ing de s igne d and printe dby the Lucknow School ofArts and Crafts) arrive , halfpound tins ofthe s e ve ge tables , in a compre s s e d form, canbepurchase d by the public . The pric e charge d w ill be be lowthat ofthe Cali fornian tinne d produc t which is p ut up we tand which is ve ry heavy and bulky to transport. Sample sofdrie d vege table s , in brick form,will also be available thisyear fortrial onthe trade route s in Se is tan and Pe rs ia.

The quality ofsun- drie d vege table s depends onthe wayin which thefre sh produc t is grown. Mos t ofthe vege table sproduc e d forthe marke t at Que tta are not we ll cult ivate dand in almost all cas e s about hal f t he irrigation wate r iswaste d. The re sult is that the fre sh mate rial now availableis not

,

the bes t pos s ible forsun- drying and the yie ld is somewhat low. The me thods ofve ge table growing in thislocality appear to be capable ofcons ide rable improvementand arrangements have be en made to grow a p lot at theFruit Expe riment Station in 1919and to work out the be s tme thods applicable to local conditions . At the same time,

1 Sun-drying ofvege table s . The Agricultuial Journal ofInd ia, vol. XIII,

p t o - IV,1918.


the cos t ofconve rs ion onthe large s cale canbe de t e rminedwith the he lp oflabour saving devic e s such as s lic ing andp e e ling machine s which are be ing importe d forthe purpose .

As faras canbe s e en at pre s ent, the re is eve ry prospe c t ofanew and profitable industry be ing c reate d in Baluchis tan inthe growing ofvege table s forsun- drying .

Formilitary purpos e s, the Army at Que tta is continuingthe work s tarte d in 1917 and during the pre sent year it isexpe c te d that a furthe r quantity ofsun- drie d vege table swill be prepare d foruse onact ive s e rvic e .

The demand forcopie s ofBulle tin No. 8, in wh ich theproc e s s ofsun- drying was de sc ribe d, has been cons ide rable .The firs t‘ e dition,printe d in Augus t 1917, be came exhauste dearly in the pre s ent year and a s e cond English e dition wasbrought out in March 1918 as we ll as one in Urdu.

4. Th e improvement offruit culture .Inthe last report , re fe renc e was made to the re sults

obtaine d in the rais ing ofnurs e ry stock forlocal distribution . The se matte rs have s inc e be en de sc ribe d in de tailinBulle t inNo . 9, which was issue d early in the pre sent year.A cons ide rable numbe r ofcopie s have also be en sold andd is tribute d in India.

The demand forfruit tre es still continue s ve ry greatande ve ry year many small tre e s are purchas e d forplantingwhich really ought to remain another year in the nurs e rie s .It is hope dnow to hold in re se rve suffic ient tre e s foras e condyear’s growth foris sue in the autumnof1919. As allthede tails re lating to the expe riments onthe propagation offruit tre e s have be en publishe d, it would s eem that the timehas come forprivate ente rpris e to begin the supply ofthelarge numbe r oftre e s requi re d eve ry year in Baluchistan .

The ideal arrangement in this matte r would appear to beforGove rnment t o supply areasonablenumbe r oftre e s everyyear, to maintain suitable varie tie s true to name , to providebudwood, to train malis , to undertake allthe importation ofnew varie tie s and to carry out allexpe rimental work in the sematte rs . Afte r this, private jent erpris e should sup ply any

es SCIENTIFIC REPORTS oF THEAGRICULTURAL RESEARorifurthe r tre e s ne e de d and should supplement the work oftheexpe riment s tation . Unle s s some such princ iple is adopte dand means are found ofdeve loping local agenc ie s to takeove r portions ofthe work when it has pass e d the exp erimental stage , the burden ofroutine will be come so great thatno furthe r inve stigations will be pos s ible . Fortunately, abeginning has already be en made in this dire c tion and twoprivate nurs e rie s have be en starte d at Que tta by re tire dEuropeans . The work is not arduous and when carefullycarrie d out should prove both inte re sting and remune rative .

One ofthe sure s t means ofinc reas ing the income ofap rivategarden at Que tta is by rais ing anumbe r ofyoung tre e s forsale eve ry year. Similar workmight also be taken up in thed ist rict '

s .

5 . Fruit packing.The sale ofimprove d fruit boi e s to the p ublic ,which up

to 1916had proc e e de d ve ry satis fac torily, has - latte rly be engreatly inte rfe re d with by the war. Although arrangements we re made in 1916forthe de l ive ry the next -year ofalarge supply ofcardboard boXe s, punne ts ,

and p rate wood,all the cons ignments we re de laye d and arrive d at Que ttatoo late . The c ons ignments ofcardboard boxe s and p unne ts from Great Britain happene d to be shippe d to Indiabythe same ve s se l wh ich s truck amine outs ide Bombay andonly just reache d port. In due course , both cons ignmentsarrive d at Que ttaat the end ofthe fruit s eason. The c ratewood was arrange d forin 1916from two Indian fac torie sbut in each case de l ive ry did not take plac e t ill the middleof1918 due to the fac t that both the saw mills we re engage din warwork. At the time ofwriting, July 24th, 1918, thelas t ofthe cons ignmeht s orde re d in 1916 has arrive d atQue ttaand the various boxe s and c rate s cannow be put

toge the r. It was hope d that the box boards prepare d inIndia from locally grown t imbe r would be cons ide rablycheape r than s imilar supplie s fromNorway, Great Britainand Japan but this expe c tat ion has not been realize d .

Ind ianboards have p rove d infe rior to and cons iderably


70 SCIENTIFIC REPORTS OF THEAGRICULTURAL RESEARCH3 .Note onthe baling ofshaftaland luc erne hay. Journal of

Dairying and Dairy Farming inIndia, vol.V, 1917,p . 61. Reprint e d inthe AgricultaralJourh alofIndia,vol. XIII, p t . IV, 1918.

4. The agricultural de ve lopment ofNorth -We s t Ind ia. Journal ofDairying and Dairy Farming inIhdia, vol.V,1917, p . 7.

5 . The improvement offruit culture inBaluchis tan. Bullet in 9, Fru it Exp eriment Station, Que t ta, F ebruary;1918 .

6. Re c ent inve s t igat ions onsoil aerat ion. A le c ture with Mr.R . S.Hole , d e livere d to the Ind ianSc ienc e Congre s s,Lahore , 1918, and publishe d infull in the Ind ianF ore s t er, vol. XLIV, p . 107. Re print e d intheAgriculturalJournal ofIndia,July, 1918.

Re port for1916-17, onEc onomic Botany forthe Board ofSc ient ific Advic e .

8 . Some me thods suitable forthe study ofroot d eve lopment .A pap erread at the IndianSgienc e Congre ss, Lahore ,1918, and publishe d in the Sp e c ial Sc ienc e Congre ssNumberofthe AgricultaralJcarnal ofIndia,1918.

INSTITUTE, PUSA, FOR 1917 18

REPORT orTHE IMPERIAL MYCOLOG IST.

(F .J. F . SHAW,D .Sc .,

I . CHARGE AND ESTABLISHMENT .Dr. Butle r he ld charge ofthe Se c tion throughout the

ye ar and I remaine d as Se cond Impe rial Myc ologis t. On8th July, 1918, Dr. Butle r proce e de d ondeputation to theFe de rate d Malay State s and hande d ove r charge ofthe offic eto me , henc e I am writing this report . It ; is with de epregre t that I have to re cord the death,'

6n1s t March,1918,ofMunshi Inaye t Khan, Third As s istant to tlye Impe rialMycologis t. Munshi Inaye t Khan was the olde s t as s is tantinthe Section and had be en with Dr. Butle r from it s c om

menc ement his re cord ofs e rvic e was, howeve r, cons ide rablylonge r as he se rve d with Mr. Duthie in the BotanicalSurvey ofIndia and he ld theHazara Re lie f ofChitral Punjab Frontie r (1897 and Tirah (189798) me dals forplant colle c ting s e rvic e onthe se expe ditions .Oflate years he he ld charge ofthe mycological he rbariumat Pusa and the ac curate knowle dge ofsystematic botany,which he had acquire d by many years ofprac tical exp erienc e, was always ofthe greate s t util ity in the work ofthelaboratory ; in this dire c tion his loss'

is one which we canhardly hope to replac e . Throughout his s e rvic e he remaine danexample ofloyaltyand effic iency to

'

allhis fe llows .II . TRAINING .

Lala Kripa Ram, L.Ag., As s is tant to the EconomicBotanis t, Punjab, finishe d his c ours e oftraining on25thSeptembe r, 1917. Mr. B. N. Vakil, a private s tudent,worke d in the Se c tion from 19th No’vembe r, 1917 to 29thJune , 1918 . Mr. M . Mitra joine d the Se c tion on15thJune , 1918 .

III . DISEASES orPLANTS .The inve s tigation and the demons tration ofme thods of

cofitrolofplant disease s forme d as usual the major part of

72 SCIENTIF IC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHthe work ofthe Se c tion . Crop paras i te s were colle c te d andident ifie d and advic e 0 iven to the offic ers ofthe Departmentand the gene ral public as occas ion re quire d.

(1) Ufra ofric e . Evidenc e was obtaine d both h

inp otculture s at Pusa‘

and in a field expe riment carrie d out incollaboration with the Bengal Department onDac ca farmthat

p

this diseas e canbe some time s conveye d by s ee d from aninfe c te d c rop .

The laboratory workx at Pusa during the pas t season wasdire c te d chiefly to a s tudy ofthe conditions which enableorinduc e the paras itic e e lworm (Tylenchus angus tus Butl.)to leave the wate r ofthe paddy fields and asc end the plantto reach it s susceptible portion near the apex ofthe shoot.In las t year’s report it was explaine d that atmosphe richumidity imme diate ly around the plant was the de t ermining fac tor, the worm be ing unable to move out ofwate rexcept at high humiditie s ,

The exac t measure ofthe humidity ofthe aironthe surfac e ofaplant is exc e e dingly d ifficult . It is, howeve r, p oss ible to grow paddy 1nenc los e d chan1be1s and measure there lative humidity ofthe airwithin the chambe r. It i s alsoposs ible to watch the movements ofworms onglas s s lide skept 111Similar chambe rs . By the se me thods,using aPolyme te r, it was found that the worms canmove fre e ly whenkept ong lass slide s at a relative humidity of95 (tempe rature 87° to 90o but not at allat 90, the exac t pointbe ing apparently near 93 . Onthe living plant they canmove at lowe r airhumiditie s, c e rtainly be low 90 but not at75, at the same tempe rature . I f they can'

soon reach theinnerfolds ofthe shoot (which is only pos s ible in youngs e e dlings), they be come le ss dependent onhigh airhumiditythan when they remain onthe expose d surfac e ,no doubtbe cause the vapour oftransp iration cause s the confine d airwithin the folds to reach ahighc r degre e ofsaturation thanthat ofthe surfac e .

Tempe rature also influence s movement but le ss reguJarly. Forinstance, worms when free inWate r are much


74 SCIENTIFIC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHforme r ripens 011about July i t bec ome s unable to supp lyfood to the worm the latte r mus t then rapidlyfall into thes tarvat ion,c ondit ionwhich will induc e it to wande r vigorone ly to the amanc rop .

Some furthe r progre s s has been made in defining thelimits ofthe infe c te d trac t. No new outbreak outs ide previously known areas was reporte d during the year exc ept asmall extens ion towards Chittagong . Two fieldmenfromPusa examine d the infec ted areas near Chittagong, inFaridpur, and in the Manikganj Subdivis ion ofDac ca.The following demons trations we re carrie d out by the

Bengal Department ofAgriculture unde r advic e fromPusa.

Dac ca D is tric t . (i) Vikramp ur. About 58 ac re s we retreate d by burning the stubble and sown with e itheramanordigha paddy alone orwith aas and amanmine d orwithaas followe d by jute . The aas paddy es cape d, the d ighawas ve ry slightly damaged, but about 12 ac re s ofamanwe reat tacke d. The amount oflos s

'

was not reporte d .

(ii) Nagari. About 25 ac re s we re treate d as above .

Ufra appeare d in 3 ac re s only but the amount ofdamagewas not reporte d .

(iii) Pubail. A small isolate d block which has givenlittle orno c rop forseve ral . years was treated as be fore .

The diseas e appeare d in one part only. The yie ld wasabout s even - e ighths ofanormal c rop forthe firs t time foranumbe r ofyears . Anothe r large r area was s imilarlytreate d but the loss was about a quarte r ofthe c rop . It .

was not i solate d from untreate d infe c ted paddy c los e by.

Faridp urD is tric t . About 10 ac re s we re treate d as

above at Gopalganj . N0 disease appeare d until late in theyear. Furthe r reports have not be en re c e ive dA de taile d ac count ofthe

'

pres ent s tate ofknowle dge ofthe disease has be en written by Dr. Butlerand i t is hope dwill be publishe d during the coming '

year.Black band d isease ofjute . During the rains of

1917 anarea ofabout 40 ac re s ofjute (Corchorus cap sa

msrrrnrn, PUSA, FOR 1917-18laris ) was grown onthe Pusa farm as a see d c rop fortheFibre Exp e rt to the Gove rnment ofBengal . The varie tygrown was that calle d Icakya bombai and about half theareawas sown in March and the remainde r in June . The

early sown portion ofthe c rop grew we ll, but about thebeginning ofAugus t a numbe r ofplants appeare d to bedrying up , the leave s falling to the ground and the s temsblackening. Inspe c tion ofthe c rop showe d that this disease commenc e d with the formation ofa black patch onthes tem at a point from 1-5 3 fee t above the ground leve l .This ‘black patch spreads rapidly forming a dis coloure dband round the s tem ‘

about 4— 12 inche s long . At thiss tage the leave s ofthe plant droop and fall and the blackband extends up and down the stem, until finally the diseased plant is left s imply as a blackene d s tick .

Examination ofthe surfac e ofa diseased s tem showe dthe pre senc e oflarge numbe rs ofpycnidia ofa funguswhich proved to be identical with that known as Dip lod iaCorchori Syd . This fungus was firs t collec te d as a paras ite ofjut e onPusa farm in 1910, but until the pre sent s easonthere was no reason forsuspe c ting it ofbe ing more thananoc cas ional paras ite . As, howeve r, the crOp rip ene d thedisease inc reased until i t was e stimate d that about 20 p erc ent . ofthe crop was infe c te d . The fungus was obtaine din pure culture and inoculations upon healthy plants suc

c e e de d in e s tabl ishing the disease and prove d the paras it ism ofthe fungus .Insp e c tion ofthe jute s e e d c rop in othe r parts ofBihar

showe d that the disease was in 1917 wide spread and,as -the

Bihar s e e d cr0p was intende d fors e e d dis tribution inthejute growing dis tric ts ofBengal, sugge ste d the advisabilityofdis infec ting this se e d before s ending it to Bengal . The

fac t, howeve r, that anexamination ofold spe c imens of’

jutein the mycological he rbarium at Pusa showe d that this fungus had, during the pas t 10 years, be en colle c te d, but notident ified norsuspe c te d ofparas itism, ove r a large area inBengal, indicate d that the re was no dange r ofintrodu

z

c ingv

F

76 SCIENTIFIC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHa fre sh paras ite to the jute growing dis tric ts . Neverthele s s as the s e e d was be ing distribut e d ve ry ext ens ive ly bythe Bengal Department ofAgriculture , it was de cide d todis infe c t it . The problem ofdis infe c ting the jute s e e dre solve d itse l f into dis cove ring some me thod oftreatmentwhich would kill thos e spore s o i the fungus wh ich be camemixe d with the s e e d during thre shing without injuring thege rmination ofthe s e e d . Expe riment showe d that s te eping for10minute s in a 2 p erc ent. solutionofcoppe r sulphate could be re lie d upon to inhibit the ge rminat ion ofthe fungus spore s without appre c iably affe c ting that ofthese e d . The whole ofthe Bihar se ed c rop was the re fore c ol

le c t e d in Pusa and s te epe d m a 2 p erc ent. solution ofc oppe r sulp hate for10minute s and the se e d then care fullydrie d _

on,a_ concre t e thre shing floor. The work was

/

carriedout during the firs t thre e we eks ofJanuary and the se e dat onc e bagge d and de spatche d to Dac ca, a total ofabout20 tons ofs e e d was treate d in this way.

Early in Novembe r the jute se ed c rop in Kamrup wasinspe c te d and found to be suffe ring from D ip lod iaCorchori.This s e e d. was colle c te d and treate d at Dac ca. A fac twhich was apparent both in Bihar and Kamrup was thatthe late sown c rop was re lative ly immune from attack. Allfield obse rvations sugge st that in some way the inc idenc eofthe diseas e 1s dependent upon

.

the hos t plant reaching ac e rtain s tage ofmaturity and s i ze and thickne s s ofstem.

F1eld and laboratory expe riments are be ing c ontinue d atPusa with the obje c t ofe luc idating. the conditions whichfavour the spread ofthe dis eas e and any furthe r me thods ofc ontrol . Furtherobs e rvations and expe riments onRhiz oetonia onjute and it s re lation to this new disease are

‘

alsobe ing made ; t his inves tigation is be ing carried out by Dr.Shaw.

0

(3) Rootrot ofth e sal tre e . The inoculat lons carri e dout at Dehra Dunonyoung sal tre e s have not yie lde d anyre sults, and a furthe r se r i e s ofinfe c tions us ing p i ece s offre sh sporophore s ofPalyp oras Shoreae , is be ing arrange dincollaborat ion with the Fores t Botanis t . The figure s


7s SCIENTIFIC REPORTS onTHE AGRICULTURALRESEARCHdamage done but they se em to be proportional to the d ep thofthe tapping out . Ona c e rtain plantation whe re therainfall is only 100 inche s but whe re the tapping is veryfine and de ep,black thread is pres ent in anepidemic form ;not only is the pe rc entage ofdisease d t re e s ve ry high butthe ac tual damage done to the bark is ve ly great. Butonothe r plantations whe re the rainfall is

‘

200 inche s ormore but whe re the tapping is rathe r light, black thread iscons ide rably le s s and s e ldom cause s open wounds . The seobs e rvations have also be en confirme d by inoculation exp eriments .

(5) Chillie s . D ie - back ofchilli: Expe riments in the

treatment ofdie - back, a ve ry se rious disease ofchill ie s inBihar, caused byVermiculariaCap s ici Syd ,have be en continne d by Mr. Das tur in the

‘ year unde r review. I t hasbeen found that one p erc ent. Burgundy mixture spraye dsoon afte r the flowers s e t and again a fortnight late r, considerably che cks the diseas e , both onthe plants and the

fruits . The pe rcentage ofthe disease in fruits picke dfromthe spraye d plot oflas t year up to the firs t week ofDe c ember(afte r which time the disease is prac tically negligiblein the fields) was 76, while t hat onfruits from the unspraye d control plots was ove r 33 . Not only did the fre shlypicke d fruits from the spraye d plot compare favourably, inregard to the pe rcentage ofdisease, with those from the

unspraye d plots, but they also s tood drying be tte r, themarke t value ofthe spraye d fruits be ing the reby inc rease d.Anothe r measure that prove d suc c e ss ful incomple tely

che cking the disease was sowing the c rop a month lat erthanusualonafield manure d at the rate of2 cwt. ofsuperphosphate and 1 cwt . ofsoda nitrate . The manure wasappl ie d to inc rease the yie ld ofthe late sown c rop whichwould othe rwise be ve ry poor.The se and othe r measure s will be againtried during the

coming chilli s eason at the end ofwhich it is hoped to publish a de taile d ac count ofthe study ofthe d ie back dis ease .Anthracnos e ofch1lli. During the year unde r review

Mr. Das tur has continue d the s tudy ofColle totricham

INSTITUTE, PUSA, Foe 1917- is

nigram and Glaeosp oriam p ip eratam onchillie sfiand hasfound that the se two fungi are iden t ical and that they arethe conidial forms ofGlomerella c ingal

'

ata (Stoneman)Spauld . and v. Schrenk which is cons ide red to be synonymous with Glemerella p ip erata (Stoneman) Spauld . and v.

Schrenk .

A se cond diseas e ofchillie s , causmg blossom and twigrot ,was ” dis cove re d during the progre ss ofthe inve stigationonanthracnos e . It did asfmuch “damage as the chilli d ieback. This d is eas e is due to a fungus whic h has be enident ifie d as Cho

’

anep hora caearbitaram (B. and Rav.)Thaxt . It has not be en previous ly known to oc cur in Indiabut in Ame rica i t is a s e rious pe s t ofcucurbits .

Fruit d iseases . The spraying ofpeach orchardsenthe

,Government farm at Taru,North -We s t Frontie r

P rovinc e,agains t peach leaf curl was continue d during theyear underreview. The diffe renc e be twe en the spraye dorchards and unspraye d orchards be came ve ry marke d asthe s eason advanc e d and prove d conc lus ive ly the advantageofspraying agains t this disease .

Spe c imens ofc rown gall onquinc e and pomegranatewe re colle c te d in Pe shawar orchards, t his be ing the firs ttime this de s truc tive disease has be en recogni ze d in India.A numbe r ofenquirie s from apple orchards in Kumaun

re sulte d in the following diseas e s ofapple be ing ident ified

Rootrot ofap p le due to the at tack ofRose llinia. Thisfungus 1s we ll known as the cause ofextens ive damage inorchards in Europe and e lsewhe re . It appears to be mos tseve re in s trongly ac id soils and ananalys is ofthe soil fromthe orchard inque s tion showe d amarke d defic iency oflime .

Ap p le cracking and“ branch blis ter. The cracking ofapple fruits which is common inthe se orchards, is due tothe fungus - Coniothe e ium chomatosp orium GordanTh i sfungus has re cently been the subje c t ofinve s tigation inSouth Africaand Europ e— the paras ite has be en obtaine dinculture and will be kept unde r obse rvat ion . A sys tem of

80 SCIENTIFIC REPORTS orTHE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHspraying agains t this dis ease is be ing te ste d during the

current s eason .

F ire blight . This de struc tive bacte rial disease se ems

to be pre s ent in Kumaun orchards and will be kept unde robse rvation.

During the year unde r review the footrot diseas e ofpapaya in Pusawas again inve s tigate d and found to be dueto a spe c ie s ofPythium. Infe c tions with pure culture s ofPythiumwe re suc c e s s ful in produc ing the disease and moreove r the spe c ie s ofPythium c onc e rne d appears to be identical with that which cause s damping off oftobac cos e e dlings and s oftrot ofginge r . Exc is ion ofthe dis ease dtissue and treatment ofthe wound w ith a wash of50 p erc ent . carbolic ac i d “ in wate r appears to be effec tive reme dy.

A ripe rot ofpeache s caus e d by a sp e cle s‘

ofAsp ergilluswas forthe firs t time found in Pusa during the past season .

The same spe c ie s has be en known to attack mangoe s as we ll .(7) Tikka d is eas e ofgroundnut: The groundnut

c rop is attacke d by two dis tinc t fungi, one the caus e oftruet ikka, C ercosp orap ersonata (B. and C .) Ellis the othe r,anundes c ribe d spec ie s ofC ercosp ora, which oc curs commonlyin the c rop in various parts ofIndia.

I

The dis eas e due tothe unnamed C ercosp ora 1s apparently only known inIndiaand, in the last t enyears,has been c olle c te d in variousparts ofthis c ountry . The outbreak at Ranchi inthe pas tyear was the firs t case in which it was obs e rve d as a se riousdisease . In the Ranchi plots the dis tribution was quit ee rratic and did not s e em to bear any re lation to e i the r thevarie ty grown orthe manurial treatment. It was exc e e dingly difficult ,without mic roscopic examination, to distinguish the two attacks the symptoms we re s imilar,and thedamage much about the same in both cas e s . It appeare dto be amatte r ofchanc e which fungus was mos t prevalentin any particular plot. It is probable that the inc rease damount ofthis disease in the groundnut c rop at Ranchi isdue e i the r to some de te rioration in the plant orsome um

suitability in the locality. It would poss ibly be worth


92 SCIENTIFIC REPORTS orTHEAGRICULTURAL RESEARCHtion Will be carrie d onduring the coming s eason withdiffe rent varie tie s oftobac co se e d obtaine d from othe r partsofIndia.

IV . MI SCELLANEOU SThe year unde r review was warkeaby the pass ing ofan

orde r, unde r the De s truc tive Ins e c ts and Pe s ts Ac t, regulating and re s tric ting the importation ofplants and s ee dsinto British India. By the provis ions ofthis orde r noplant may be importe d into Brit ish India through the le tte rorsamp le post, and the importation ofplants othe r thanfruit and vege table s intende d forconsumption, potatoe sand sugarcane is re s tric te d to c e rtain pre s c ribe d ports,Whe re fumigation with hydrocyanic gas canbe carrie d out .Sinc e fumigation,although satis fac tory in the case ofinsec tpe sts, is not aneffic ient method ofkilling fungal paras ite sin se ed and plants, the importation offungal disease is ‘

p ‘

rovided against by a se rie s ofc laus e s regulating the introduc tion ofpotatoe s, sugarcane, rubbe r plants, coffee plants,cofie e, flax, be rse em and cotton see ds . This list inc lude sthe plants and se e ds onWhich the introduc tion ofdange rous fungal dis eas e s into India is mos t probable, and the

provis ions ofthe not ificat ionensure that the se plants shallonly be introduc e d if accompanied by a c ert ificat e from a

compe tent authority in the ‘

country ofexport s tat ing thatthey are fre e from c e rtain fungal paras ite s . In the cas e ofoofie e plants and se e ds importat ion may only be done by theMadras Department ofAgriculture .Dr. Butle r’s book entitle d Fungi and D is eas e inPlants

was '

publishe d during the year unde r review and supplie sa long fe lt want in the lite rature ofs c ient ific agriculturein India.

Additions to the he rbarium numb e re d 122 fore ign sp ec imens and 97 spe c imens c ollec te d in India.

V. PROGRAMME orWORK FOR 1918 -19.

(1) Res earch work. New diseas e s ofxlnd ianc rops thatcome to the notice ofthe Sec t ion Will be inves t igated as

INSTITUTE, PUSA, FORopportunity pe rmits, but the following disease s Will rece ivesp e c ial attention and Will cons titute main line s ofinve s tigat ion

(a) Ufra ofpaddy.(b) Orobanche oftobac co and mus tard .

(0) Die - back and anthracnos e ofchilli .(d ) Sc le rotial diseas e ofsugarcane and paddy.(6) Root rot of$511tree .

(f)Wilt disease ofc ot ton, se samum and pigeon-

p ea.

(g) Black ring diseas e ofjute .

(h) Black thread dis eas e ofrubbe r.Minor inve s tigations will inc lude the study ofsome fruit

anthracnos es, so ftrot ofginge r, rootrot ofcotton and budrot oft are capalms .

It is hope d to publish a handbook ofdiseases ofcrops .(2) Sys temat ic work. Th is will be in abeyance forthe

pre sent owing to difficult ie s in obta1n1ng ass istance fromabroad onac count ofthe war.(3) Training. This will be continue d on the lines

indicate d in the prospec tus . Short course s may also begiven as ne c e ssary.(4) Rout ine work. Advice and as s is tanc e will be given

as usual '

to P rovinc ial Departments ofAgriculture , theFores t Department , Plante rs ’ Assoc iations and the generalpublic .

E. J.

(2) Butler, E. J.

(6) Butler, E. J.

VI . PUBLICATIONS .Rep ort onMyc ology;1916-17,forthe BoardofSc ientific Advic e .

Immunity and Disease inPlan’t s . Agri .Jour. ofIndia, Sp e c ial IndianSc ienc eCongre s s Number, 1918 .

Fungi and Disease inPlant s,June , 1918 .

84, SCIENTIFIC REPORTS 01? THE AGRICULTURALRESEARCH

REPORT OF THE IMPERIAL ENTOIVIOLOGIST.

(T. BAINBRIGGE FLETa R, RNI . ADM INISTRATION.

The Impe rial Entomologist he ld charge_

ofthe Sec tionthroughout the year ende d 30th June , 1918 . The post ofSupe rnume rary Entomologis t remaine d vacant throughoutthe year owing to the difficulty ofobtaining any suitablecandidate under pre sent c onditions . Mr. Y . RamachandraRao, M .A.,Entomological As s is tant in Madras, was ondeputation throughout the year to work unde r the Impe rialEntomologist onaninve s tigation ofthe ins e c ts Wh ich oc curonLantana in Indiaand Burma.

II . TRAINING .

One s tudent,V. G . De shpande , B. Ag , depute d by theBombay Department ofAgriculture , was re c e ive d on1s tJune fora‘

spec ial short cours e in Entomology .

U I . INSECT PESTS .The nume rous obs e rvat ions made onIns e c t Pe sts during

the year unde r review cannot be given in de tail he re ,and aReport ofthis nature is ne c e s sarily re stric te d to inc lus ionofthe more important orinte re s ting fac t s elic ite d anentthe more important p e sts dealt with during the y ear. Asummary ofourknowle dge ofIndian Crop - pe sts up to .

prac tically the end ofthe pre ce ding year has be en publishe din the Report ofthe P roc e e dings ofthe Se cond Entomologioal

'Me e t ing,”

to Which the following obse rvations may ‘be

regarde d as supplementary.

Cot ton. Work onC otton Bollworms was continue dthroughout the year. From the data available it is foundthat at Pusa, at the beginning ofthe cotton s eason e spec ially from July to the mid dle ofOc tobe r,EariasfabiaandE insulam are the bollworms mos tly pre sent, but late r ou,from the middle ofOc tobe r to the end ofJannary, the P inkBollworm, Platyedra, (G elechia) gos syp iella, is most ly


86 SCIENTIFIC REPORTS OF THEAGRICULTURAL RESEARCHRice . Stem- bore rs in rice we re unde r obse rvation

throughout the year as faras it was poss ible with the s tafi

available . The ins e c t s c onc e rne d we re (1) Schaenobiusbip unc t ifer, (2) Chilo s imp lex, (3) a se cond sp ec ies ofChilo,as ye t unident ifie d and apparent ly undes cribe d, hithe rtoc onfuse d With C . s imp lex ; th is is forthe pre sent calle d Ric eChilo, (4) Se samia inferens .Whils t ric e was growing it was obse rve d that the

prevalence ofthe se bore rs varie d from field to field and alsoto some extent ac cording to the age ofthe plants Cons iderable furthe r obse rvat ion ls require d III orde r to arriveat definite fac ts and conclusions

‘

regarding the ir relativeprevalence .

Se samia inferens remaine d ac tive throughout the year,wh ilst the othe r t hre e spe c ies mentione d above hibe rnate din the stubble . In orde r to obse rve the hibe rnating habit softhe se insec ts four large ricefield s out s ide the PusaEs tate ,amounting in the aggre gate to about 180 ac res , we re keptunde r obse rvation throughout the cold weathe r from Dec emberto March, sample s ofs tubble be ing colle c te d at inte rvalsfrom allove r the se fields and examine d. As a re sult oftheexamination of s tubble - s tems i t was found that(1) Re ckoning as affe c te d only thos e s tems which showe d

distinc t s igns ofbore r attack, the pe rc entage ofdamagevaried rfrom 14 to 55 in the various count ings and ontheave rage viras about 29. As attack by a bore r cause s the

entire earto fail to deve lop, this pe rc entage may be takenas repre sent ing the proportion ofchaffin the harve ste dgram.

(2)'

At the lowe st computation the re we re aboutlarvae hibernating in each acre xofthe ric e he lds in De c embe r.This numberfell to about p erac re towards the endofMarch . This re duc tion was apparently due to the fac tthat, as the tempe rat ure rose at the end oft he cold weathe r,the se hibe rnating larvae be came ac tive and le ft the s tubble ,and e itherfe ll vic tims tonatural enemies ortook she lte r inc racks in the soil. In the sample s ofs tubble, however,the re was no s ign ofthe pres ence ofany enemy worthy of


the name , so that the larvae s e em fairly safe from such Whils tthey remain in the s tubble . Towards the end ofthe s easonmany Schwnobiqs larvae we re found dead and dry ins idethe s tubble ,but dead larvae ofthe two spe c ie s ofChilo we rerare ly me t with . This fac t is in ac cordanc e with the habitsofthe larvae , those ofSchwnobius be ing ext reme ly sluggishand too s low to move to safe r quarte rs when c limatic conditions in the s tubble be come unfavourable . The followingtable shows in de tail the main fac t s about the se hibe rnatinglarvae

PERCENTAGE OHLABVE INCOLUMN4

Dat e s b e twe enwhichstubb le was c o lle c t e d

and examined.

5th -20th De cember,1917 2 109 363

20th j anuary- z e th February,1918 .

181h521e t March ,1918 110

TOTAL 757

During this las t examination, in the third we ek ofMarch, it was found that the pe rc entage ofdead in the totalnumbe r ofSchaeno'bius larvae found was about 66 in the caseofs tubble which had be en ploughe d some time pre vious lyand allowe d to lie expose d to the sun,wh ils t it was only 28in the cas e oflarvae found in the unploughe d s tubble . The

s imple proc e ss ofploughing the s tubble at this time ofyearhad the refore brought about the death ofa ve ry large p erc entage ofSchaenobius larvae . Before advocat ingt his as aroutine prac tic e , howeve r, furthe r obse rvations are de s irable . FurtherWork onthe se ric e - bore rs was discontinue dat the end o fMarch When the adults began to eme rge in theInse c tary fromthe larvae colle c t e d from the s tubble .

In rec ent years c rabs have come into prom1nenc e as pe s tsofric e - plants in the Ind ian Empire , and,’ although nots tric tly subje c ts for

‘

entomological inves tigation, some Workhas } be en done on them in the i r capac ity as c rop -

p est s,

88 SCIENTIFIC REPORTS OF THEAGRICULTURAL RESEARCHbe cause i t appears to be nobody e lse ’s bus ine ss to do anything 1nthis l ine . They cut the ric e plants, e spe c ially theyoung plants ,and are reporte d to damage ric e inthis way inBurma,Madras, some parts ofthe Bombay Pre s idency andalso in some parts ofBihar. They are known to oc cur inric e fields lnWe ste rn Bengal but not as doing any damagethe re . About s ix mile s from Pusa the re i s a large ric egrowing trac t known as Barail whe re c rabs we re reporte dto be do ing great damage , and th is locality

.

was Vis ite d inOc tobe r,at the end ofthe Rains,and again inApril, in thedry weathe r . The c rabs colle c te d from the ric e fields he rewe re ident ifie d b y Mr. S.W. Kemp, as be longing to thre edist inc t spe c ie s,via, (1) Parat elp husa (P .) sp inigem,WoodMason, (2) P o tamon (Acanthop otamon) mart ens i, WoodMason, (3) Potamon(A) sp . nov. allie d to wood —mas oni ,Alcock . Apparently all the s e thre e spe c ie s are not conc e rne d in the damage to ric e ,but i t re qu ire s furthe r obse rvations to de te rmine which spe c ie s are 1ncr1m1nat e d . Fromobse rvations made hithe rto it appears that the s e c rabs takethre e orfour years to be come fullgrown and '

capable ofreproduction . In the hot weatherthey go de ep down intothe soil, c oming out and re suming ac tivity in the Rains .

From a dry field at Mun‘ni, in the Muzaffarpur D istric t, inApril five c rabs, young as we ll as adults , we re colle c te d at adepth ofbe twe en 11and 13 fe e t be low the ground ; ofthe sefive , thre e we re P . sp inigem and two we re P . mart ens i.

Sugarcane . Cons ide rable attention has again ‘ be enpaid during the year to the important subj e c t ofcanebore rs and to the que stion ofalte rnat ive wild foodplant s ofthe s e . In the pas t, seve ral diffe rent spe c ie s ofbore rs, allsup erfic ially much alike , we re mixe d up toge the r unde r thename ofMoth Bore r (Chile s imp lex), which was suppos e dto attack sugarcane , juar(A. Sorghum),maize and ric e . Inlas t year’s Report it was mentione d that this M

’

oth Bore rhad be en diffe rentiate d into four d is tinc t spe c ie s . Furthe rre search during the year has ext ende d this numbe r untilwe cannow dis c riminate no le s s than t enforms dis tinguishable from one anothe r by morphological diffe renc e s in the i r


90 SCIENTIFIC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL R.ESEARCH

The name s use d he re forthe se bore rs (Chilo and Diatraeasp p .) in Gramineous plants mus t be regarde d forthe pres ent only as those unde r which we have known the se spe c ie shithe rto, without any guarante e ofac curacy ofapplication,and they are only given he re to allow ofcomparison be tweenthe current Report and that forlas t yearBearing the above remarks in mind, we may now turn

to the spe c ie s distingu ishe d up to date . Those inc lude d 1nlas t year’s Report we re

(1) Chilo s imp lex (C . S. 1561and (Plate III .)(2) Diatrcea auric ilia (C . S. 1560 and (Plate

IV .

(3) D iatrwa venosata (C . S. 1607 and (P lateV)(4) D iatmaa sp . (0. S. (P lateVI.)

Inaddition to the se we have now disc riminat e d(5) Diat i’aea sp . in sugarcane at Dac ca (C

'

. S.

(Plate VII .)(6) Ric e Chilo in rice at Pusa (C . S. (Plate

VIII .)(7) Chilo sp . in ric e (C . S.

(8) Chile sp . in Saccharum arund inaceum1769)

(9) Chile sp . in Sac chammfus cum (C . S.

(10) Anem s t ia ablat ella, in sugarcane (C . S.

(Plate—IX.)Ofthe se , the first s ix oc cur inlarge numbe rs,whils t the las tfour have only be en found in ve ry small numbe rs . Oi the set enthre e (C . S. 1768,1769and 1795) have as ye t be en insuffic iently studie d, but the othe r s even spe c ie s may be separate dinthe ir larval and pupal s tage s by means ofthe followingdichotomic keys, and figure s are adde d t o enable the

di st inc tions to be graspe d more readilyKey t o larvalforms ofBorers .

Sp irac le s round (C. S.‘

1801)Sp irac le s oval 2

2.With mid dorsal stripe ; Spirac le s op en 3


EXPLANATIONOF PLATE IV.F ig . 1. Diatmza auric ilia (C. S.

a, lateral,and , b,dorsalview oflarva, x 5 .

0, d e tails ofsp iracle’

onfifth s egment, more highly magnifie d.d , d e tails ofprole g, se enfrom below,more highly magnifie d.

F ig . 2. Diatraza auric ilia (C. S.

a, Pup s ,

b, Pos t eriors egment s ofpupa, s e enlaterally,more highly magnified .9,Anals egment ofpupa, ventral surfac e,more highly magnified



EXPLANATIONOF PLATEVI .

F ig . 1. Diatrcea sp . (C . S.

a, lateral, b,dorsal,and , c ,ventralview oflarva, x 4.

d , d e tails ofs p irac le onfifth s egment ,more highly magnifie d .

6, d e tails ofprole g, s e enfrom below,more highly magnifi e d .

F ig . 2 . Diatraaa sp . (C . S.

a, Pupa, x4.

6, Pos t eriors e gments ofpupa, s e enlat erally, more highly magnifie d .

0,Anal s egment ofpupa,ventral surfac e ,more highly magnifie d .


EXPLANATIONOF PLATEVII.F ig: 1. Diatraaa sp . insugarcane at Dac ca (C. S.

a, lat eral,and , b, dorsalview oflarva, x4.

Q, d e tails ofsp iracle onfifth s egment ,more highly magnifie d .

d , de tails offirs t proleg, s e enfrom below,more highly magnified .

F ig. 2 . Diatrcea sp . insugarcane at Dac ca S.

a, Pup s , x 5.

b, Pos t eriors egments ofpupa, s e enlaterally,more highly magnified .

0,Anal s egment ofp upa,ventral surfac e ,more highly magnified .


EXPLANATIONOF PLATE VIII .

1. Ric e Chilo inric e at Pusa (C. S.

a, lateral,and ,b,dorsalview oflarva, x 5 .0, d e tails ofsp iracle onfifth s egment ,more highly magnified .

d , d e tails offirs t proleg, s e enfrom below,more highly magnifi ed .

Fig . 2 . Ric e Chilo inrice at Pusa (C. S.

a, Pup s , x 5.

b, Pos t eriors egments ofpupa, s e enlaterally,more highly magnifie d .

0,Anal se gment ofpupa,ventral surface ,more highly magnifi ed .


PLATE IX .

Aneras t ia ablat e lla ins ugarc ane (C . S .

a, Larva, x 5 .

b , Pupa,x 5 .

c , Imago ,x 5 .

Th e smallerfigure s sh ow t h e nat ural S i z e s .


92 SCIENTIFIC ItEPORTS OF THE AGRICUIJTURALRESEARCHCii cle comp ose d ofjoine dridge s (C. S. 1560,1574)

5 . Inc omp le t e c irc le ofdistinc t hooks s . 1674)Inc omp le t e c irc le ofroughne s s without 6

hooks .

6. Tenth abdominal (anal) segment with (C . S. 1561,1580)s tout sp ine s on ventral surfac e inaddit iont o two pairs ofsp ine s ondorsal surfac e .

Tenth abdominal (anal) s egment with (C . S. 1607,163 5)out sp ine s onventral surfac e .

Chilo s imp lex (C . S. 1561, Diatroeaauricilia (C .

S. 1560, D . venosata (C. S. 1607,1635) and the Ric eChilo (C .

- S. 1677) have been obse rve d to hibe rnate in thelarval s tage .Not much is known about 0. S. 1610and C . S. 1674, two

spec ie s found in cane at Dacca; ofthe forme r as ingle spe c imenwas also reare d from a ric e stem sent from

.

the Karimganj Subdivis ion inSylhe t, ‘

and a s ingle example of“

the

lat te r has re cently be en found inric e at Pusa. Both the s espe c ie s we re found to be injuriously prevalent in sugarcaneat Dac ca in July 1917, whilst the ordinary cane - bore rsfound in othe r parts ofIndia we re '

not found at Dac ca.

Sugarcane in Sylhe t s e ems to be remarkably free frombore rs ; and the Entomological Ass istant in As sam reportsthat bore rs give little trouble in cane in that Provinc e . Itis the re fore the more curious that '

C . S. 1610, which is

pre sent in Sylhe t and injurious to cane at Dac ca, doe s notdamage cane in Sylhe t ;and s imilarly that C . S.1674,wh ichwas also injurious to cane at Dac ca,has not ye t been foundat all in cane at Pusa, although it oc curs inric e ‘

inth isdistric t. Extens ive fieldwork, '

combine d with a thoroughs tudy ofthe different spe c ie s ofbore rs,will doubtle s s throwmore light’ onthe se and s imilar problems . Meanwhile itmay be sugge ste d that the damage done to cane orany othe rs imilar c rop by any particular bore r may be c onne c ted Withthe pre sence orabsenc e in the dis tric t ofpart icularalternative foodplant s which are pre fe rre d .

A goodfdealofwork has be en done during the yearonbore rs and o the r inse c ts oc curring in the seve ral spe c ie s of

INS’I‘ITUTE, PUSA, FOR 1917-18

wild Saccharum and oth e r gras s e s occurring in the ne ighbourhood ofPusa. Be s ide s Diatrwa venosata,D . auric ilia,Se samia inj erens and S. uniformis , which are also foundin sugarcane , n ine othe r bore rs not ye t known to occur incane have be en found in the s e wild grasse s . Oi the s e oneis a Curculionid grub, anothe r aLamiad grub, and theremainde r are lepidopte rous larvae , the se inc luding Sc irp op haya sp .,and Pap ua sp .,a Z euz erid and aNoc tu id . Thislast has s inc e be en found to oc cur in sugarcane at Munni,Muz affarpur D is tric t,and allofthe s e inse c ts may be looke donas potential pe sts ofcane . Almos t all ofthe rootfe e de rs mentione d unde r cane have also be en found to oc curamongs t the roots ofthe se wild grasse s .

Be s ide s borers , the inse c ts, mos tly coleOp t erous larvae,found unde rground amongs t the roots ofsugarcane , we reunde r obs e rvation during the year, the following be ingnotic e d

(1) Anomala bangalens is .

(2) Anomala biharens is (P late X).Adore tus caliginos ii s (P late XI).

(4) Autos erica sp . (P late XII, fig.

(5) Mylloc erus d is c olor.Mylloc erus blandus .

(7) Monolep ta s ignata (Plate XII, fig.

(8) F ormicomus sp .

(9) Pachnep horus sp .

(10) Alis sonotum p ic eum.

Aliss onotum s imile .

(12) Ap ogonid sp .

(13) Anunident ifie d Chrysome lid .

Be s ide s the above , one Chrysome lid grub and two kinds ofwe evil grubs we re found but couldnot be reare d out .Ofthe se ins e c ts, the grubs ofAnomala bengalens is we re

obse rve d both at Pusa and Dac ca to gnaw into the basalparts ofnew shoots from the s1de , thus caus ing a deadheart ;” in this way they we re caus ing a small amount ofdamage . Inthe case ofthe othe r inse c ts,no apprec iable

94 SCIENTIFIC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCEi

idea c ould be forme d ofthe part they were playing,but theyappear to be ofvery v

minorimportanc e as pests .Re cords ofobs e rvations on the pe s ts ofsugarcane at

Pusawe re given in las t year’s R eport. The s e obs e rvationswe re c ontinue d during this year although i t has not be enposs ible to ke ep such c los e obs e rvation on the diffe rentvarie tie s ofcane as was done last year. The pe riod of

11311110118 ac tivi ty ofthe bore rs in cane extende d fromMarch to Augus t,when the total damage due t o inse c ts andfungi amounte d to about 35 5 p erc ent., due to the followingcause s

F ungal d is eas e s 218 p erc ent .Z’ap ux d epre s s e llaDiat-raea auric ilia with afew D .

fvenosata

Sc irp op haga wanthogas tre llaTermit e s 08

At this time the re was a dis tinc t diffe rence be twe en the

cane s which would go tomake up the harve s t and thos e wh ichwe re re tarde d in growth by pe sts and diseas e s . The monsoon rains had s timulated the growth ofthe forme r andthey were growmg V1gorously, while the latte r remaine ds tunte d and ultimate ly die d, and, although new shoots andlate ral branche s we re app earing, the se wouldnot add materially to the harve ste d re sult . The ac tivity ofthe bore rsafte r Augus t was mostly confine d to the se s tunte d cane sand new shoots .As mentione d in las t year’s Report,the plot ofPurple

Mauritius sugarcane had all dead - hearts and dry plantssys tematically remove d toge the r with the ins e c ts found inthem. As this ‘

is the treatment usually recommende dagains t bore rs in cane, the re sults obtaine d in this plot andin the othe r plots ofthick cane s which we re left untreate dand undis turbe d s eem inte re s ting and appear to show the

us e le s sne ss "

o i the cutting - out treatment. The pe rc entage ofnon- s tunte d, harve stable cane s ac tually harves te d to thenumbe r ofs e tts plante d may be taken as a s tandard ofcomparisonfi‘ as this shows the numbe r ofcane s which survived

The ac tualout turnofsugarwould b e the mos t sat isfac tory c omparisonb e twe enthe various p lot s,but this cannot be adop t ed at Pusabe caus e sugari s not mad e here .


a, Larva,b , d e tails

ofp o s t eriorpc , Pup a, nat ural S i z e and magnifi e d .

d Imago .


EXPLANATIONOF PLATE XII.

Fig. l. Awtoserica sp . (C . S.

e , Larva,natural s iz e and magnified ( x 8).b, d e tails ofp os t eriorportionoflarva, magnifie d .c , Pup s ,natural s iz e and magnified ( x 8).(1, Imago,

2 . Monole p ta s ignata (C . S.

a, Larva,natural siz e and'

magnifi e d ( x 8) .b, Pup s ,

r. Imago,


96'

s SCIENTIFIC REPORTS OF THEAGRICULTURAL RESEARofiunde r cul tivation five ors ix years ago . It was previouslya pi e ce of

' waste land ove rgrown with Sac charum sp ontaneum and Imp erata. arund inac ea, and it is even nowborde red by s imilar waste lands . Sugarcane grown onthisland has brought Gryllotalpa africana, prominently intonotic e as ape st ofyoung cane . This inse c t was the firs t toattack the young c rop and in April and May in the treate dplot as many as 15 p erc ent . ofthe plants we re damage dby it .In last year’s Report mention was made (ifthe suit

ability of. Lead Arsenate solution as a dip forthe proteotion ofcane se tts against te rmite s . This year it was trie din the half—ac re treate d plot ofSathiNo. 131,a s trength of1lh. ofLead Ars enate in two gallons ofcold wate r be inguse d. The planting was done in t he third we ek ofFebruary,and ge rmination was good in both the treat e d and untreate dplots . In April and May new shoot s asWe ll as the s e ttsthemse lve s we re damage d by te rmite s in both t he plots,andthose dippe d in the Lead Ars enate solut ion had no advantage ove r those le ft untreate d . j he liability ofcane todamage by te rmites seems to depend large ly onthe natureofthe soil in which it is grown. Gene rally speaking, thec rop suffe rs much le s s when grown inc layey soils than insandy soils . In soils which are liable to be infe st e d by t ermite s,no s ingle treatment ofthe se tt s canrende r them p ermanently immune from attack norcanit save the shootswhilst in othe r soils l ittle orno damage is done by te rmite seven “when no treatment is adopte d, and the amount ofdamage done doe s no t always seem dependent me re ly onthepre senc e ofthe ins e c t conc e rne d .

Indigo. In April, 1918, an inve s tigation was com

menc ed ofthe paras it ization ofthe Indigo Psylla (Arytainais it is ). This s tudy is only in it s i nitial stage s and onlyfour months ’ figures are available , but thre e spec ie s ofChalc ididae have be en obtaine d and ofthe se one spe c ie s isve ry common. The amount ofparas itization was small atthe beginning ofApril, but began to inc rease in the beginning ofMayand reached it s highe s t (about 30 p ercent.) at

PLATE XIII .

Shoo t ofmulberry affe c t e d with Tukra.



following year and to rear out any paras it e s . No pupalayove r andno paras ite s we re reare d.

Fruit P e sts . Spe c ial attent ion was pai d - during the

year to the pe s ts ofC itrus sp p ., jak (Artocarp us int egrifolia),apple , pear, peach , ne c tarine , grape , guava, custardapple and plantain . A large amount ofinformation onIndian Fruit - pe s ts has now be en ac cumulate d, and it ishope d to write this up when opportunity admits . The

Grac ilariad found onapple in North -We st India andAs sam has be en ident ified as Grac illaria z achrysa,Meyr.Life - h istorie s ofIns e c ts . In the Ins e c tary, be s ide s

the rearing ofthe various bore rs and rootfe e ders ofcaneand ric e already mentione d and which cons titute d about100 lots , some 200 othe r lots ofinsec ts we re reare d andobse rvations made on the ir li fe - his torie s and habits .

Amongst the s e at leas t five new pe sts have come to ligh t,

(1) An unid ent ifie d Longicorn bore r, C . S. 1645

( ?Nup s erha. sp .) (P late XIV, fig. found in s tems of‘

‘Vigna. catjang in Augus t. It bore s in the main s tem andmay attack the young plants . The bore d s tem swe lls tosome extent, and, although in the majority ofcas es the

plants are not killed, they are stunte d and bear no fruit .(2) A cate rpillar found boring into young coconut

fruit s inthe bunch onthe tre e and caus ing the youngfruitsto drop off. Anac cumulation offrass webbe d up with s ilkindicate s the

,p re senc e of the bore r. This ins e c t is

apparently anunde sc ribe d spe c ie s ofTim thaba (Pyralidae )(Plate XIV,fig. It is intere sting to note that Tim thabatrichogramma, Meyr., is also known to attack youngcoconut fruits in Fij i,1 but this type ofdamage has neve rbeen notice d before in India so faras we are aware .

(3) Calandm s tigmaticollis (Plate XV,fig. 1) is reporte dto kill large coconut tre e s in oring into thes tem in which it bre e ds in This is aninte re sting c onfirmat ionofa ofthis wee vilattacking coconut in Malabar. In confinement it has be en

Novitate s Z oologic ce , XXIV, 32.

EXPLANATIONOF PLATE XIV.Fig . 1. Longic ornboringVigna catjang st em (C . S.

0, St em ofVigna catjang at tacked by larva.b, Larva,natural s iz e and magnified x4)0, Pup s ,

d, Imago ,

F ig . 2 . Tirathaba n. sp .

a, Young coconut fruit attacke d by larva, showing tre s s e je c te d .

b, Larva,natural s ize and magnified ( x 3 )0, Pup s ,

d, Imago,


EXPLANATIONOF PLATE XVF ig . 1. Calandm s tigmatic ollis (C . S.

a, Port ionofat tacke d c oc onut s t em , showing larval gallerie s and larvae ins itu .

b, Larva,natural s ize and magnifie d ( xc , Pupa,

d, Imago,

F ig . 2 . Longic ornbe e t le boring orange shoot s (C . S.

a, Larva,natural s ize and enlarged ( x 5) .b, Pupa,

c , Imago,


ii‘

v‘

e TUTE, PUSA, FOR 19171151

found that it is poss ible to rear this inse c t onsugarcanes tems also .

(4) Anunident ifie d Longicorn (Plate XV, fig. 2) wasfound boring and killing orange shoots in Sylhe t. The

grubs bore into the new shoots which appear in spring andcaus e them to withe r.(5) Eurytomine wasp inSesbaniapods . A small Eury

tomine Chalc idid was obs e rve d to infe s t Ses bania pods atPusa in Septembe r, 1917, and was kept unde r obs e rvationthroughout the year . The e ggs are laid in the gree n pods,the larvae fe e ding onthe se e ds, almos t all ofwhich arede stroye d Pods infe c te d when young donot deve lop anyse e d but shrive l up ; in'

old erpods the se e ds are rende re duse le ss, the ir contents be ing consume d. At the end ofthes eason the damage m a small expe rimental plot amounte dto about 90 p erc ent. Various reme dial measure s, such asde te rrent spraying,we re trie d,but p icking offthe dry podsat frequent inte rvals gave the be st re sults .Inve stigations into the life - his toi ie s and habi ts ofpe sts

and othe r inse c ts we re continue d. Briefaccounts oftheobse rvations onthe pe sts ofsugarcane , ric e and othe r mainc rops are given above unde r those c rop s . The moreimportant points note d Wi th regard to some ofthe othe rinse c ts unde r rearing during the year are note d be low :

(6) Amsac ta moore i 3am .Hibe rnating pupae we rere c e ive d from Dohad in May, 1917 . In the Inse c tary atPusamoths eme rge d from the s e up to 24th June , 1917.Eggs we re obtaine d and a cyc le obse rve d ; this took a fullyear, the pupal pe riod extending from July,1917, to June,1918. This Gujarat form se ems to be biologically dis tinc tfrom the typ ical South Indian form moore i, but I havebe en unable to de tec t any morphological diffe renc e s .

(7) Eugnamp tus marginatus (Plate XVI, fig. The

salient points in the li fe - his tory we re given in las t year’sReport . A po int de te rmine d bysubs equent observation isthat the grubs some time s remain unde rground in a re s tingcondition formore than a‘

year.

100 SCIENTIFIC REPORTS OF THEAGRICULTURAL RESEARCH(8) Agrotis yp s ilon. In a previous Report anac count

was given ofthe rearing ofthisO

inse c t unde r art ific ialconditions throughout the hot weathe r ; suc ce s s ive broodswe re then obtaine d up to August, when the eggs faile d tohatch . During the current yearfull - grown cate rpillarswe re obs e rve d on3rd September,1917,fe e ding in anexp erimental plot oftobac co on.the Farm. Eggs mus t have be enlaid in this tobac co plot during’

the firs t half ofAugus t .This inse c t is there fore capable l

ofbre e ding in the P lainsduring the Rains, though whe the r the parents ofthe selarvae had bre d in the Plains orwe re early migrants fromtheHills remains unc e rtain.

(9) Az ygozflilep s s calaris (P late XVI,fig. This yearcate rpillars we re found he re forthe firs t time boringSe s bania s tems . The moths app ear in May,

'

there be ingonly one gene ration in the year,ae stivation and hibe rnationtaking place in the larval state .

(10) Agromyz a. sp . About fifte en ac re s ofp ea (P isumarvens e) grown alone sand about sevente en ac re s growninte rmixe d with othe r c rops we re unde r obse rvation duringthe Pea Stem-fly season. In both the plots about 0-4 to

0-5 p erc ent . ofthe p ea plants we re found drying up withexte rnal symptoms ofStem—fly attack, but c lose r examination showe d that only about 8 p erc ent. ofthe drying plantswe re affe c te d with the fly and that the los s ofthe remainde rwas not due to inse c t attack.

(11) Ancg/lolomia. chrysograp hella. From furthe robse rvations it se ems evident that thi s 1s not usually a

pe s t bfric e around Pusa. A search ove r large areasreveale d only a s ingle larva in a dry se e d - be d ..

(12) Cryp torrhynchus grat is . This we evilEause s s e riousdamage to mango fruits in Eas te rn Bengal and As sam,

the fruits be ing bore d by the grub and rende re d value le s s .

The damage done is ve ry great, so much so that it is oftend ifficult to hnd fruits which are unattacke d. This pes twas inves tigate d at Dac ca at the end ofJuly, 1917, whenmore than thre e dozen adult; wee vils were found ona s inglemango tre e, hiding amongs t the roots ofan ep iphyte .


EXPLANATIONOF PLATE XVI .F ig . 1. Eugnamp tus inarginatu s (C. S.

a, Mango shoot ; anadult we evil (natural s ize ) is s e e

—

ncut t ing offa leafforth e purp os e ofovip osit ing inth e d e tach ed p ortion.

b, Larva,natural s ize and magnified ( x 8) .

0, Pupa,

d , Imago,

F ig . s calaris boring dhaincha st em (C . S.

a, Larva,natural s ize and magnifie d ( x 3).5, Moth,



bamboo shoots which we re dying . Expe riments unde rtaken to asc e rtain whe the r this fly was the dire c t cause ofthe death ofthe shoots we re inc onc lus ive .

(19) Argyrop loc e paragramma (P late XVII, fig.

The larvae ofthis Eucosmid moth we re found to be ve ryc ommon at Pusa in July, boring into new bamboo shoots .

Gene rally a great many cate rpillars we re found in the sameshoot boring the stem, comple tely,

hidden underthe proteotion ofthe leaf- sheaths . They s e eme d to be re spons ible forthe death ofa fai r pe rc entage ofnew shoots .(20) Nodos toma subc os tatum (Plate XVIIffig. This

Chrysome l id be e tle had be enknown hithe rto as a pe s t ofplantain, nibbl ing the leave sand fruits . In Octobe r,1917,it was obse rve d to nibble the sur fac e s ofyoung grape —vineleave s to such anextent as to kill the young leave s . The

larvae we re found unde rground amongst gras s - roots inJuly.

(21) Balaninus c -album (Plate XVIII, fig. Thiswe evil had be en reare d be fore from s e eds ofEugenia. jambolana, but little was known about it . This year obs e rvations we re made to de te rmine it s real conne c tion with thefruits . It has only one gene ration in the year. The ‘

adultwe evils eme rge in May and —June , and fe e d onyoung gre enfru its by punc turing them with the ir snouts . > The p unctured fruits grow and ripen but the punc ture d spots onthem donot grow and appear late r onas so many pits in theripe fruits ; th is is why the majority ofripe fruits arede forme d in shape . The eggs are depos ite d in the fruitswhils t the latte r are s till onthe tree . The we evils appearin enormous numbe rs and by the time the fruits are

_

rip epractically eve ry se e d harbours,agrub . Late r on, the grubs ,when full - grown, leave the see ds and go into the groundand re s t the re until the next s eason . The obvious reme dyis thorough de struc tion ofthe se e ds .(22) Awhite M ite oc curre d onthe tende r leave s ofjute

in the expe rimental plots ofthe Impe rial Mycologis t.The mite s fe d onthe unde r - surface s ofthe leave s which hada lac e rate d brownish appearanc e and we re somewhat

EXPLANATIONOF PLATE XVII .F ig . 1. Argymp loc e paragramma (C. S.

a, Bamboo shoot with out ersheathing leave s removed , showing bore -hole oflarva.

b, Larva,natural s iz e and magnifie d ( xc , Pupa,

d , Imago,

F ig . 2 . Nod os t oma subc os tatum (C . S.

a, Grap e-vine leafeat enby be e tles .b, Be e tle ; natural saw and magnifie d .


EXPLANATIONOEPLATE XVIII .

F ig . l. Balaninu s c -album .

a Immature fruits of‘Eugenia jambolana with adult be e tle s punc turingthem (natural s ize ) .

5 , Mature fruit ofEugenia. jam bolana showing dis tort ionand p it s caus e d

by p unc ture s ofB. c -album (natural s ize ) .0, Eugenia jambolanafruit c ut op en, showing larva ofB. c -album fe e d ing

ins ide the s e e d (natural s ize ) .d , Larva,natural s iz e and

_

magnifi e d ( xe , Imago , magnifi ed . (The natural s ize is shownina.)

F ig . 2 . Be liono ta pm sina (C . S.

a, Larva natural s ize and magnifi ed ( x 24) .b, Pupa, ventral view,natural s ize and magnified ( x 24) .0, Pup s , dorsal view,magnified ( x 24) .d , Imago,naturals iz e and magnified ( x 21).


EXPLANATIONOF PLATE XIX .

F ig . 1. Aloid e sfrenatus (C. S.

a, Larva,natural size and magnifi e d ( xb, Pupa,

c , Imago , magnified ( x 5) .d , Mango shoot bored by larva,natural s ize .

6, Imago p unc turing mango shoot ,natural s iz e .f, Punc ture s made by adult we evilforfe e ding and egg-laying.

g, Hole ofexit ofadult we evilfrom mango shoo t .

F ig . 2 . Giaura s c e p tica (C S.

a, Larva natural s ize and magnifi e d ( xb, Cocoon,c , Pupa,

d Imago ,



c rumple d longitudinally. Unl ike Re d Sp ide r, the re wasno webbing. A s ingle spraying with a spray compose d of11b. olene soap and s ix ounc e s offlowers ofsulphur in 12gallons ofwate r prove d effe c tive .

(23) A spe c ie s ofTingidid bug was note d to cause

s eve re damage to"Bela (Jasminum sambao) leaves at

Bankura. Spraying with simple soap solution was

effe c t ive .

(24) Glyp hod e s cae salis was observe d to attack prac tically eve ry fruit ofjak throughout Sylhe t, even large fruitsnot be ing immune . This inse c t is known as a jak- pe st inSouthe rn India, b11t has not be en note d be fore as a pe s tnorth '

ofthe Madras Pre s idency.

(25) Belion‘

otapm s ina (Plate XVIII,fig. At Surata dead mango tre e was found to be full ofthe '

larvae ofthi sBupre sti d be e tle , and the death ofthe tre e had apparentlybe en cause d by them. The larvae we re in various stage s ofgrowth and apparently repre s ente d more than one brood .

The adult be e tle s began to eme rge at Pusa inOc tobe r,1917,and cont inue d to do so until April,1918 .

(26) Alc id es frenatus (Plate XIX, fig. This we evilwas obs e rve d at Dac ca in July as a pe s t ofmango. Eggsare depos ite d in the shoots which are tu'nne lle d by the grub,whose p e lle ts ofexc rement are thrown out through smallhole s gnawe d in the s ide s ofthe tunne l . Pupation take splac e ins ide the burrow, the adult we evi l gnawing it s wayout through a large hole ‘

ofexit. The adult we evils arefound pairing and ovip osit ing

'fre ely onthe shoots .(27) Chlume t ia transversa. The larvae have be en found

at Pusa tunne lling fre sh mango shoots in a way ve rys imilar to that ofAlcid e s frenatus, the frass be ing e je c te dexac tly in the ‘

same manne r.(28) G id ara s c ep tica (Plate XIX,fig. The larvae of

this moth we re found in large numbe rs at Pusa in Augus trolling the tende r leave s ofve lve t bean.

(29) Seve re damage was obse rve d to be cause d to a c ropofMung (Phas eolus mango) at Pusa in August by the

104 SCIENTIFIC REPORTS OF THEAGRICULTURAL RESEARCHfollowing, viz , Catachrysozzs cnejus, Anars ia. ep hip p ias ,

Eucosmamelanaulct and Eublemma hemirhoda (Plate XX).A. ep hip p ias and E. melanaula commenc e d the attack byrolling and damaging the tende r top - leave s,and,when thec rop began to howe r, allfour appeare d .and damage d theflowers . They continue d the i r injurious ac tivitie s whenthe pods forme d, all the four boring into the pods andeating the se eds . Eucosmamelanaula was also obse rve d tocause s imilar damage to the flowers and pods ofPhas eolusaconitifolius and also to damage the tende r top —leave s ofanexpe rimental c rop ofFloridaBeggarWe e d.

(30) Quite appre c iable damage was done in Augus t tothe new

'

t enderleave s oflitch i by Acroc ercozis hieroéosma,whose larvae mined them, and by Argymp loce leucaSp is ,whose cate rp illars rolle d and nibble d them. The latte re spe c ially was ve ry common .

GrainStorage Exp eriments . The s torage exp eriments unde rtaken thre e years ago we re conc lude d and anaccount ofthem will be writ t en'

up . The me thod ofstorageunde r a laye r ofsand gave the be s t re sults, the grains andpulse s remaining pe rfe c tly safe and in good condition .

The s traw granarie s mentione d in las t year’s Report didnot give as good re sults as had be en expe c te d.

‘The status ofTribolium cas taneumwas definit ely de te rmine d during the year. It is es sentially a pe s t ofgroundwheat (flour, at taand suj i) and. doe s great damage to the seproduc ts, e spe c ially during the Rains, by imparting to thema charac te ristic nauseous sme ll and tas te , wh ich lowe rsthe irvalue as food and conse quently also the price ofinfe c te d mate rial ; in ‘

case s ofbad infe ct ion, inde e d, theflourmay be qu ite uneatable . In order to de te rmine it scapac ity forinjury to sound wheat, i.a., whole grainsunaffe c te d by Calandm oryz w orRhiz op ertha dominica,s eve ral thousand adults ofTribolium cas taneum were confine d in anearthen ve sse l with a quantity ofWheat which,at the end ofa year, was found to have been hardlydamage d, although bre e ding ona small s cale had taken,p lac e as was evident from afew cast larval skins . This



obse rvation was also corroborate d by the fac t that the wheatobtained las t year forstorage expe riments containe dTribolium when s tore d ; but , in the sample s wh ich we reunaffec t e d by Calandm and Rhiz op ertha,no damage wasdone by Tribolium,whe reas, in sample s which We re affe c te dby Calandra,and Rhiz op ertha,the se two pe st s first produce dwheat dust in wh ich Tribolium could bre e d and it was onlyin the se sample s that Tribolium bre d profuse ly.

Forthe firs t time , at least in the Pusa area,Bruchusohmens zs and anothe r unident ifie d1 spe c ie s of

‘

Bruchus we reobse rve d to bree d in the fields in pods ofcowpea (Vignacatjang),but only afew could be found aft e r agood deal ofsearch . Whilst Bruchus chinens is is thus shownto be

capable ofbre eding in the field, it is e ssentially a pe s t ofstore d pulse , to which it cause s se rious damage .

-Anothe r unident ified1 spe c ies ofBruclius was obs e rvedbree ding in Se sbaniap ods in the field,and was kept unde robse rvation both in the Ins e ctary and in the field . The

be e t le s did not bre e d in the store d se e ds and the eme rgenceofthe adults ext ende d overa long pe riod from February toJune .

In last year’s Report mentionwas made ofanexp eriment to find out the e iie c t ofsunning p ea (P isum arvens e )se e ds affe c t e d by Bruchus affinis . Twenty- s ix pounds of

p ea se e ds we re taken from a c rop harves te d from a he ldknownto be affe c te d . Halfofthe se we re drie d in the sunforseven days, when the ir we ight was re duce d ! to 12 lh.

95 oz . ; the othe r halfwas kept as a che ck. Afte r ape riodofa year, in the sunne d sample the damage was one - thirdofthat in the untreate d sample . Thus, although damagewas not entire ly prevente d, it was che cke d to a ve ry large

Inse ctic id es. Incosop ol, a contac t inse c tic ide manufac ture d by the Indian Cotton Se e d O il Company,Navsari,was te s te d onAphids, Scale - inse c ts and Meal’y - bugs, and

A colle c t ionofthe various Bi uchid be e tle s reared from p uls e s was s ent out

during the yearforid ent ificat ionbut the name s had not be enre ce ived at the t ime ofwrit ing this Report


in e ve ry case gave satis fac tory re sults . Two grade s we rete ste d, ofwhich that known as No . 2 gave much be t terre sults than did No ; Re s in Compound, Fishoil-Re s inSoap,and Incosop olNo. 2 s e em allabout equally effe c tiveinse c tic ide s -against Aphids, Aleyrodids, Scale - inse c ts andMealy- bugs,Which are common garden p e st s ; Fishoil-Re s inSoap and Incosop olNo. 2 canbe safe ly re commende d asthey cause no injury even to tende r foliage .

Against the common house Cockroach (P eriplane taamericana) infe s ting a godown trials were made ofamixture ofBorac ic Ac id in honey. In anexpe riment inthe Inse c tary adults as we ll as nymphs fe d gre e dily,on‘thismixture ; afte r the second day they began to pass liquidexc re ta and the nymphs die d offinthe course offive days ;the adults, however, re s is te d longe r,not dying even onthee ighth day, but bythat time they were c e rtainly ve ry s ick,unable to walk and lying onthe ir backs . Borac ic Ac id,though effe c t ive , is the refore a ve ry s low poison to thes einse ct s . In a house they may be t rappe d in numbe rs inanopen -mouthe d ke ros ine tin in which is place d a quantity ,

ofweak solution ofgur(molas se s) in wate r ; the adults areattrac te d and drop into the gursolution and appear unableto e scap e .

Prote c tionof wood against Termite s . Simpleexpe riments in the prot e ct ion ofwood agains t Te rmite s(so - calle d Wh ite Ants have be en in progres s s inc e 1910,the te rmite utilize d be ing Mi crot erme s obé s i. The nameofthe spe c ie s conce rne d is given he re be cause diffe rentspe c ie s ofte rmite s have diffe rent habits and taste s,factswhich are usually ove rlooke d in carrying out s imilar exp eriments . Some kinds oftimbe r may be more orle s s immune .

to attack by the local te rmite s in one distric t,ye t the same

kinds oftimbe r may be gre e dily attacke d by othe r spe c ie softe rmite s in anothe r distric t . Ourexpe riments haveshown also that any particular me thod oftreatment doe sno t produc e the same de te rrent effe c t in all varie tie s ofwood. The de t e rrent e iie c t depends on(1) the treatmenthmploye d, (2) th e varie ty ofwood t reated,and (3) the kind


108 SCIENTIFIC REPORTS OF THEAGRICULTURALRESEARCHIV. BEES,LAC AND SILK.

Be e s . The expe riments with the Indian Be e (Ap i sindica) we re continue d. The re is, however, nothing ofsp e c ial inte rest to re cord.Advice and he lp was given during the year to various

bee - keepe rs in India.

A not e was written and submitte d to Gove rnment onthe adulte ration ofbe e swax in India.

Lac . Eme rgenc e oflac larvae took place at Pusa on12th Oc tobe r,1917,forthe Winte r brood,and on20th June ,1918,forthe summe r one . Forty tre e sWe re inoculate d inOc tobe r -Novembe r and s ixty tre e s inJune . Brood-lac was

supplie d to various inquire rs, and nume rous inquirie sregarding lac we re dealt wi th during the year. Nostudents att ende d L

bbe lad cours e s during the year. Anartic le onthe pre se nt pos ition ofthe Lao Indus try in Indiawas written forthe AgriculturalJournal ofIndia. Thisyearit was found that, be s ide s the spe c ie s ofEublemmaand ofChalc i didae which normally damage lac wh ilst onth e tre e s, cons ide rable damage was done to .Ber(Ziz yp husjujuba broodlac byHolcoc em (Hypatima) p ulverea(Blas tobas idee ). The larvae ofthis moth "

usually damagesc rape d and unwashe d s tick-lac instore ,but donot damagethe growing lac as a rule .

Silk . The e stablishment ofthe s ilk- house , which is ona temporary footing, has be en extende d up to 31st

"

March,1919. Large numbe rs ofbroods ofboth mulbe rry and eriworms have be en unde r rearing during the year, and thework ofc ross ing the race s of’ the mulbe rry worm has bee ncontinue d With the obje c t _

ofproduc ing a supe rior fibre .

The multivoltine mongre l rac e s, - which we have alreadysucc ee de d in e stablishing, continue to yie ld more and be tte rs ilk than the indigenous multivoltine rac es . Eggs ofsomeofthe se races have be en dist ribute d ona small scale to

prac tically all s ilk c entre s throughout India, fortrialunde r local cond i tions the re , and thereports rec e ive d,withthe exc eption ofthat from the Supe rintendent ofSeriéulture ,Be rhampore , show that satisfac tory re sults have be en

iNSTITUTE, PUSA, FOR 1917-18

obtaine d from these rearings . It is not ye t , howeve r, cons idere d advisable to dist ribut e the e ggs ofthe se rac es onalarge scale until we are quite ce rtain that they will notdegene rate late r on. At pre sent we have twenty diffe rentmongre lrace s unde r rearing and are carefully re cordingthe re sults in each case .

Nume rous inquirie s conce rning rearing, re e ling, dyeing, bleaéhing and sp inning we re dealt with during theyear. Silk sample s and bulle tins ons ilkworm rearing we redis tr ibut e d

_ _to many applicants . Silk e xhibits we re sent

during the year to the following Madras ExhibitionofInd ian Art s and Indus trie s (D iploma of Me ritawarde d), (2) Exhibition ofFoods andHousehold Re quis ite s,Bombay (Cert ificate ofMe rit), (3) Banje t ia,Bengal,(4) Gwalior (Gold Me dal), (5) Gujranwala (Gold

.

Me dal),and (6) Gorakhpur (Cert ificat e 61?Me rit). All the Ope rations in s e riculture from the egg to the finishe d produc twe re exhibite d in Madras and Gwalior, and the s e we remuch appre c iate d by the Vis itors to the se Exh ibit ions . Eri,muga, tasarand mulbe rry s ilkworm show - cas e s We resupplie d to

_

the Supe rint endent ofSe riculture, Be rhampore,Bengal.Silk p iec e s and castorse e d to the value ofRs . 884-0- 5

we re sold during the year and the sale proce e ds c re dite dto Gove rnment .The Pusa s ilk - twis ting mach ine, onwhich about one

p ound ofmulbe rry,mugaortasar thread canbe twiste d byone boy orwoman inone day ofe ight hours,was

_

sent toBerhampore (Bengal) forexh ibition purpose s . This isbe lieve d to be animprovement onforme r local me thods ofs ilk - twis t ing. A s ilk me rchant at Be rhampore, who is

sup p lying s ilk to the Home Indus try Assoc iat ion ofCalcut ta, is twis ting cotton and matka (handspunwas temulberry s ilk) onit, and is sat isfied with the working ofthe mach ine ; with this coarse r thread one se er'

(two pounds)canbe twiste d inane ight- hourday.

Large quantit ie s ofmulbe rry se e ds and mulbe rry s ilkworm eggs were sup plie d to the Agricultural Department

110 SCIENTIFIC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURALRESEARCH

in Me sopotamia. Eri s e e d cocoons we re sent to the EntomologicalDepartment,Egypt,whe re the worms are be ingreare d suc c e ss fully, to the Department ofAgriculture '

inMauritius, and to the Salvation Army forsending to Eas tAfrica. Eri and mulbe rry s ilkworm eggs we re supplied to84 and 85 applicants re spe c tive ly, and mulbe rry —

s e e ds a‘

hd

cuttings and castor se e ds we re supplie d to 14 appl icant‘s.Univoltine e ggs ofFrench and Japane se rac es , andJapane s e bivoltine e ggs, we re s ent to Guindy,Sh illong andMukte sarforcold s torage , and we re suc c e s s fully reare d atPusa in Oc tobe r, 1917, and March, 1918 . Eggs oftwoChine se univoltine rac e s we re re c e ive d from the SalvationArmy, Simla,and we re suc c e s s fully reare d .

Seven students comple te d short cours e s in se ricultureduring the year and thre e s tudents remaine d unde r training at the c lose ofthe year. Ofthe s even who comple te dthe ir cours e s one came from Travancore , one from the

SalvationArmy Silk School at Bangalore , one fromBengal,and two each from Bihar and Indore .

A Sec ond Report on the Expe riments carrie d out at

Pusa to improve the Silk Industry in Indiaand apamphle tonthe anatomy ofthe s ilkworm and moth we re publishe dduring '

the year ; aBengal i translation ofthe forme r is inthe pre ss and one ofthe latte r was publishe d in the Kris ’

hi

Sampada ofDac ca.

V. ILLUSTRATIONS .Coloure d plate s 1llus trat ing the li fe - historie s ofthe

following insec ts we re prepare d during the year, via,

Pse udococ cus sp . caus ing tukra disease of mulberry,Op hid ere s mat erna, Cryp torrhynchus grat is, Platyp t iliap us illidac tyla and Ere tmocera. impac t ella. Drawings inblack—and -white ; showing life - historie s in more orle ssde tail,we re prepare d ofabout seventy ofthe inse c ts reare din the Inse c tary,and about th e same numberofothe r drawings ofinse c ts we re also done .

Thirty- four new coloure d plate s ofpe sts we re issue diinthe Rep ort ofthe Proc e ed ings ofthe. Second Entomologi cal


112 SCIENTIF IC REPORTS OF THEAGRICULTURAL RESEARCHtake a c ensus ofthe total numbe r ofspe c imens ,which wouldruninto hundre ds ofthousands,orto cons ide r the unname dand unsorte d mate rial, but , taking the definit ely name dspe c ie s, we obtain the following figure s

Hymenop teraDiptera (excluding diseas e - carriers)Lep idopteraColeop terat ynchota

Neuropt era {Santami t iguo)

Orthoptera (Sensu antiquo)

TOTALS

The s taffr'equire d forthe upkeep (which inc lude s thesorting and ident ificat ion,as we ll as the me re pre se rvation,ofthe many thousands ofspe c imens re ce ive d eve ry year)has not be en inc rease d during this time , although it willbe se en that the work “

is’

constantly expanding and hasalready be come ve ry heavy,although this is only one branchofthe ac tivitie s ofthe Entomological Se c t ion . TheWarhas inte rfe re d cons ide rably with the transmiss ion ofspec imens forident ificat ion, but the following collec tions havebe e n sent out to spe c ial ists in the groups name d and ourthanks are due to themforthe ready he lp afforde d(i) Mic rolepidopte ra to Mr. E. Meyrick, F .R.S.

Name d and re turne d . The des c ript ions ofnume rous nove lt ie s have be en published inExotic Microlep idop tera.

(i i ) Dipte ra to Mr. ‘

E. Brune tti . Mos tly name d andre turne d.


(iii) Rhynchota to Mr. W. L. D is tant. Nume rousnove ltie s have be en de sc ribe d in his re c e ntlyis sue d seventh volume in the Fauna se rie s, butthe spe c imens have not been re turne d as ye t .

(is ) C ic inde lidae to Mr. S.W. Kemp . Not ye t re turne d.(11) Aquatic Rhynchota toMr. C . A. Paiva. Not ye t

re turne d.(vi) AculeateHymenopt e ra to Mr. '

R'

. E. Turne r.Re turne d name d, and de sc ript ions ofnove lt ie spublishe d in anEntomological Memoirand inthe Annals and Magaz ine ofNaturalHis tory.

(1111) Dryinidae to Mr.JC . Crawford,Wash ington .

(viii) Psyllidae to Mr. D .113. Crawford, California.

(is ) AnAphid forming galls onRhus s emialata to

Mr. A. C . Bake r,Washington,(w) Musc id flie s affe c te d with Emp usa mus cae to Mr.HT. Gussow, Ottawa.

(mi) Parus canoid éa sp . (Chalc ididae), paras itic oneggs

ofHilda bangalensis, to Dr. L. 0.Howard,Washington.

(5m) A large cons ignment ofMicrobraéon.sp p .,parasit iconCot ton Bollworms, sent to Professor0. T.

Brue s, was unfortunat e ly los t owing to enemyac tion. Th is loss was part icularly unfortunateas th is sending containe d some ve ry valuablemate rial wh ich it will take a long t ime andmuch work to replace .

(xiii) Ichneumonid paras itic onPs eudagenia blanda toMr. C . Morley. Name d as Gotm longicornisand re turne d .

(xiii) Carabidae to Mr.H. L. Andrewe s . Not ye t

re turne d.

(we ) Bruchidae to Dr. G . A. K. Marshall. Not ye treturne d.Hispinae and Cass idinae to Mr. S.Maulik. Not ye tre turne d.

(mm) Odonata (part) to MajorF . C . Fraser: Not ye tre turne d.

113. SCIENTIFIC REPORTS onTHE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHThe following colle c tions sent out in previous years have

not ye t been re turne d(xviii)Hist eridae to Mr. G . Lewis .(xix) Longicorn be e tle s to Dr. Gahan.

(Jim) Anthribidae to Dr. K. Jordan .

(awi) Rhynchota to Mr.W. L. D is tant.(xi ii) Te ttigidae to Dr. J L.Hancock.

Various colle c tions ofIndian ins e c ts have be en re c e ive dand name d and re turne d as faras poss ible . The se inc lude dcolle c tions sent by the Provinc ial Agricultural Departmentsand by nume rous corre spondent s .

VIII . PROGRAMME orWORK FOR 1918 -19.

Major.This will follow gene rally onthe line s ofwork ofthe

current year and will inc lude gene ral inve stigations ofc rop - pe sts and e spec ially ofthe p e s ts ofsugarcane, rice andc otton,offruit - tre e s, ofs tore d grain,and ofinsec ts affe c ting Lantana.

Minor.Re sults in various line s ofwork re quire to be writ ten

up and publishe d as faras pos s ible . Work and exp eriments in s ilk, lac and bee ke ep ing will be continue d, andnew inse c tic ide s and inse c tic idal me thods te ste d as occas ionarise s . Systematic work onIndian insect s will be carrie dout With ourown‘ re sourc es and the he lp ofspe c ialis tcorre spondent s . Advice and ass istanc e Will be given as

faras poss ible to Provinc ial Depar tments and to all

inquire rs onentomological subj e c ts .IX. PUBLICATIONS .

The'

following publicat ions, e ithe r written by the Pusastafforbase d onmate rial s e nt from Pusa, have beenac tually 1ssue d during the year :Bagnall,R . S. BriefDe scrip t ions ofnew Thysanop tera.

IX . (Ann. Mag . Nat .His t (9), I, 201221.


116 scinNririo Rnronrs 01" THEAGRICULTURALRESEARCHTurner, R . E. Note s onF os sorialHymenop tera, XXXV.

Ou new Sphe coidea in the Brit ishMuseum. (Ann. Mag.Nat .His t . I,

356- 364, fig

INSTITUTE, PUSA, FOR 1917-18'

REPORTDETHE IMPERIALPATHOLOGICALENTOMOLOGIST.

(F . M.HOWLETT.)I. INTRODUCTION.

I was in charge (ifthe Sec t ionfor10months ofthe year,fromAugus t 28,1917,whenIre turne d frommilitary dutylnEngland. From 1st July to 27th August,1917,Mr. T.

Bainbrigge Fle tcher, Imperial Entomologist,was in chargeofth is Se c t ioninadd it ionto his owndut ie s .The greaterpart ofthe work’ ofthe Se ct iondurmg th is

p e riod may be put unde r fourmain heads,work unde r eachhead be ing done chiefly by the officersname d agains t each

(1) Mr.P. G. Pat el. Observations onthe life -histories”

and hab it s ofblood - sucking and saproz oicinsect s :

(2) Mr.H.N. Sharma and the Impe rial PathologicalEntomologis t, with M .

“

Shafli )and M. Karim.

Exp erimental'

and prac ticalwork onmosquitos .(3) Mr. S. K. Senand the Impe rial Pathological Ento

mologist . Experimental work oninsec t psychology inre lat ionto fee ding and ovip os it ion.

(4) The Impe rial Patholog ical Entomologist . Exp erimental and prac t ical work oninsect -rep e llantsand insec t ic ides .

II. BLOOD- SUCKING AND SAPROZOIC INSECTS.

Attent ionwas chiefly d irec te d to the comparat ivestudy ofthe habits ofthe larvae ofTabanidae,which showmarke d and int e re sting diffe renc e s inthe various spec ie s,and to working out the life - historie s ofthe Pusa midge s(genera Culicoid es ’

and C eratogyogon); a group ofminuteblood- sucking insec ts ofwhich ve ry litt le is known. The

main feature s ofseve ral ofthe se life - h is torie s have beenasce rtaine d and illustrat ive coloure d p late s p repared , the


eggs'

and aquatic orsemi -aquatic larvae showing somewhatunusual charac te ris tic s . In v1ew ofthe poss ibility thatthe se h ie s may c onvey dis eas e , obse rvations onthis curiousand little - known group will be continue d.III . EXPERIMENTAL AND PRACTICAL WORK ONMosourros .

Prac tical anti -mosquito work has cons is te d in the

continuanc e ofthe mosquito campaign in Pusa. So far,with the aid ofa ve ry limite d temporary s taff, this workhas, I think suffic iently jus t ifie d itse lf to warrant anextens ion onthe trap—bre e ding line s firs t advocate d by me inconne c tion with the Stegomyia inve s tigation ofafew yearsago .

“

The main ideaoftrap - bre e ding is to supplement theordinary (and almos t inevitably incomple te ) de struc tion ofnatural bree ding place s by supplying a large numberofalte rnat ive

” bre ed ing plac e s ofa suitable type which willabsorb the local egg- supply, but wh ich are in one way oranothe r kept unde r control so that none ofthe eggs laid lnthem shall reach maturity.The me thod has now be en trie d in various parts ofthe

world and se ems to have p rove d uni formly suc c es sful . Itenable s one mate rially to e conomi ze ene rgy in re duc ing themosquito population,and minimize s the difficult ie s as soc iat e d wi th impe rfe c t insp e c t ionand the discove ry by themosquitos ofunnotic e d orinac c es s ible bree ding - place s, thislatte r be ing the main and frequently unavoidable difficultyofthe pure ly de s truc tive me thods gene rally advocate d .

P roposals are be ing submitte d forthe const ruc t ion ofanumbe r ofpe rmanent bre e ding plac e s inorde r to extend thework on\ the above line s,most ofthe bree ding place s wouldtake the form ofsmall ornamental fishp ond s inspe c t e d ands tocke d with suitable local fish by the campaign staff.A c e rtain numbe r oforganic compounds have be en

te ste d as larvic ide s, but no results ofany prac tical inte res thave be en obtaine d exc ept inthe case ofthe Xanthat e s,which have ave ry high toxic ity formosquito larvae .A long se r ie s ofe xpe riments has been carrie d out With

the obje c t ofasc e rtaining the fac tors which influenc e 11105“


120 SCIENTIFIC REPORTS OF THEAGRICULTURAL RESEARCHthe SurraCommit tee me e ting at

‘

Simla in May. This workhas forits obje c t the discove ry ofa repe llant, limit e d asregards cos t,which shall e ffe c tive ly prevent Tabanidae fromattacking came ls and so he lp to che ck the spread ofsurraamong t ransport and othe r animals .Through the kindne ss ofthe Inspe c tor- Gene ral of

Fores ts and the offic ers of'

the Fore st Department at DehraDun, arrangements have be en made to carry onthe workin the laborato ries ofthe Fore st Re search Ins titute , and itis s till in progres s .

VI . PROGRAMME orWORK FOR 1918 -19.

The most probable mainlines ofwork are(1) Gene ral me thods ofinse c t - control .(a) At t empts to asc e rtain the nature ofthe reac tions

which de te rmine the proc e sse s offe e ding, pairing, and egg

- laying in inse c ts .(b) The direc t effe c t ofc e rtain phys ical and chemical

condi t ions oragent s .onthe above reac t ions ,more particularly with ' refe renc e to diseasecarrying 1nse c t s .

(c) The phys iological ac tionofinse c tic idal and de te rrent substance s .

(2) General bionomic s ofinsec ts and Arachnids wh ichsuck blood orothe rwise cause disease in manoranimals .(3) Spe c ial work on surra- prevention, unde rtaken at

the instance ofthe SurraCommitt e e, in collaborationwithoffic ers ofthe A.V.C.

(4) Inve s tigation ofme thods forcombat tmg mange intransport came ls, in collaboration with the militaryauthoritie s .

VII . M ST onPUBLICATIONS .Sen, S. K. Beginnings inInse c t Physiology and the ir

Ec onomic Significanc e . (Agric . Journ'

.

ofIndia, vol. XIII, p t . IV.)


REPORT OF THE IMPERIALAGRICULTURALBACTERIOLOG IST.

(C . M.HUTCHINSON,B.A.)

I. ADM INIST—RAQION.

I he ld charge ofthe Sec tion throughout the year .Mr. J H. Walton, Supe rnume rary Agricultural

Bac te riologist, continue d to be onmilitary duty throughoutthe year.

II . TRAINING .Mr. S.N.Bose ,Bac te riological Ass istant to the Agricul

tural Chemis t to the Gove rnment ofBengal, was unde rtraining in this Se c tion from 3rd January, 1916. Hefinishe d his c ourse and was re l ieve d from th is Sec tion onthe 6th Jannary,1918.

Mr. -Kripa Ram, a s tudent from Punjab, was unde r

training, spe c ially in me dia preparation, in this Se c tionfora short pe riod from 25 th Septembe r to 18th Oc tobe r,1917.

Mr. P . C . Chaudhury, Supe rintendent ofSe riculture ,Bengal, was unde r training in bac te riological te chnique inconne c tion with the s ilkworm dis ease , from 6th to 17thDec embe r,1917,and 6th to 19th February,1918 .

Mr. K. L. Mahta, a student from Kashmi r State , wasunde r training in the mi c rosc opic te chnique in conne ctionwith the s ilkworm diseas e, from 15 th March to 30th June ,1918

s

Work was done onthe following subje c ts

III . SOIL B10LOGY .

Nitrifi cation. Furthe r obse rvations we re made as tothe conditions de te rmining maximum nitrificat ionin various type s ofIndian so ils . Fie ld obs e rvations ofthe sea

sonal variationand the e ffe c t ofc ropping and offallowwe re continue d. It was found that the pre senc e ofa c rop,


whilst diminishing the apparent amount ofnitrificat ionasmeasure d by the nitrate found in the soil,ac tually inc rease dthe amount i f it is as sumed that the c rop take s it s nitrogenentire ly as nitrat e .Inconne c t ion with nitrificat ionstudie s,furthe r obser

vat ions we re made as to the formation ofbac te rio - toxinsin soils, and a p ape r onthis subje c t was read at the fifths e ss ion ofthe Indian Sc ience Congre ss at Lahore .

Nitrogen‘

fixat ion. The F irst Ass istant cont inue d hisexpe riments upon the sp e c ific nature ofvarious s trains ofB.rad ic icolaand upon apparent symbiot ic fiXat ionofnitrogenwithou t nodule ‘formation inthe case ofinoculat ionwith fore ign s trains . Clear evidence ofac t ivation ofgrowth by non- symbiotic nitrogen fixation both by az otobac ter and nodule organisms was obtaine d . The se obserVations will form the subje ct ofa pape r now in course ofpreparat ion.

Gre en-manuring. The fie ld trials arranged incollahoratio-nwith the Impe rial Agriculturist we re continue donthe expe rimental area ofthe farm ; they are de s igne d tote st the he ld value ofthe modifie d me thod ofgre en -manuring de sc ribed inBulle tin63 , Agrio.

‘R e s . Ins t , Pusa; theinc rease d re turns obtaine d on the m bi (winte r) c rop .

although c ons ide rable , are not a measure ofthe prac ticalValue ofthis me thod which depends large ly upon it s sus

taine d and re s idual e ffe c t. This has be en we ll illustrate din the various c rops onthe expe rimental area ofthis Se ction, which have given c ons istent inc rease s ofsome 30— 60

p erc ent.not only ove r the unmanure d but ove r plotsre ce iving adequate applications ofsuch manure s as nitrate ofsoda and o ilcake , over a pe riod ofthre e s easons inc ludingthe year ofappl ication . The effe c t onJava indigo in thethird year is e spe c ially marke d .

Phbsphate requirement s ofsoil bacteria. Furthe rwork onthis subjec t led to the following gene ral conclus ions :

Inc rease in available P20

5greatly inc rease s the

gene ral bac te rial ac t ivity ofa soil, and there



porte d and the whole theory confirme d by the e xpe rimentscarrie d out in the Pusa fac tory in 1917.The main line ofexpe riment lay in the comparison of

re sults obtaine d in art ific ially inoculate d s te eping vats andin uninoculat ed

t

control vats, making use ofpure cul ture sofvarious hydrolyzing bac te ria isolate d from the khaz ana,ors eat wate r, orfrom the walls ortimbe rs ofthe s te epingvats ofvarious indigo fac torie s . Isolation ofsuch bac te riawas e ffe c te d by the us e ofindican agar, onwhich thos ebac te rial spe c ie s capable ofsplitting offindoxyl fromindican fornie d indigo blue colonie s, and examination ofalarge numbe r ofsample s from various fac torie s has le d tothe ge ne ral c onc lus ion that the known yie ld ofa fac tory isc lose ly and almos t dire c tly proportional to the c ontent ofsuch hydrolyzing bac te ria in it s wate r supply.

The firs t problem to attack was the me thod ofinoculating the wate r us e d fors te eping in such away as to ensurethe pre senc e ofsuffic ient numbe rs ofthe sp e c ific bac te ria.

It may be said at onc e that this problem rapidly reveale dits e l f as the bas ic one ofthe enqui ry as a whole , and it ssolution is s till unde r inve s tigation, Neverthele s s the

re sults ofthe comparative ly limite d numbe r ofexpe rimentsmade in the Pusafac t éry c onc lus ive ly e s tablishe d the mainprinc iple that yie ld ofindigo depende d upon bac te rialac tion, and cons equently

'

up onthe pres enc e ofadequatenumbe rs ofbac te ria ofthe prope r kind . The ve ry firs texpe riment inwhich a comparison was made be tween theyie lds oftwo vats , one inoculate d with a pure culture ofabac te rium (laboratory mark Inl o) and the othe r untreate d,gave aninc rease of15

.

p erc ent. in the inoculate d vat ,notwithstanding the unsu itability ofthe ove r—mature plantavailable which should have be en cut formanufac ture atleast a month earlie r . Subs equent expe riments we re ‘nbtinvariably conc lus ive so faras i

yield ofindigo was conc e rne d, but owing to the care ful

(

analytical watch, bothchemical and bac te riological, kept ove r eve ry s tage oftheproc e s s , it was not only pos s ible to ac count ford is crepanc ie s but to come to definit e conclusions

‘

as to the unde rlying


cause s ofnegative re sults and th e feas ibility orothe rwis eofremoving them. The gene ral proc e dure adopte d 111

carrying out each expe riment invo lve d chemical examination ofthe p lant

'

before and afte r s te eping, ofthe liquor atvarious s tage s offe rmentation and also afte r blowing andse ttling, and ofthe indigo pre c ipitate ormaland las tly ofthe was te ors eat wate r . Thus a c los e watch was kept uponthe fate ofthe original indican content ofthe leaf,and thee ffe c t ofany method oftreatment upon the pe rc entage s ofthis cons tituent whic h appeare d at various s tage s e ithe r init s original form oras indoxyl orindigotin,was ac curate lyasc ertamed . This naturally involve d a ve ry large numbe rofanalys e s and as the quantitative e stimation ofind ican,indoxyl, orindigotin is a te dious p roc e s s and as

'

eachanalys is was made , during the later pe riod ,both by the p ersulphate and isatin me thods, i t will be realize d that thenumbe r ofexp e i iments was limite d by the poss ible pac e ofoutput ofthe analytical data.

In the same way bac te riological analys is ofthe fermentat ionproc e ss was carrie d out foreach s tage ofmanufacture , but this analys is ne c e s sarily began with measurementsofthe rate ofbac te rial growth (by plating) in the mas s cultures use d forinoculation some hours be fore manufac turecommenc e d, in orde r to discove r the be s t conditions fons e curing suc ce s s ful inoculation. P late s we re made fromthe mass culture afte r various pe riods oftime from the

original inoculation, from the Ichaz ana (re se rvoir) beforeand afte r the introduc tion into it ofthe mas s culture ,andat inte rvals up to the time of ‘ wate ring ”

the vats, i .a,

running the wate r from the khaz ana into the s te eping vatscontaining the cut p lant. Fe rmentation continues afte rwate ring forvarying pe riods oftime up to some 12— 15

hours, and plates we re made at inte rvals to de te rmine therate ofmultiplication oroth e rwis e ofthe sp e c ific bac te riaart ific ially introduc e d with the wate r. The wate r use d atPusawas drawndirec tly from the rive r,and a large numberofplate s was made to asc e rtain the bac te rial contentofthis wate r and the proportion ofac tive hydrolyze rs.


This s e rie s ofplate s showe d the ve ry great variation in thisre spe c t which occurs in rive r wate r from day to day ac cording to the inc idenc e ofthe rainfall ; imme diate ly afte r rainlarge numbe rs ofbac te ria, de rive d no doubt from sur fac ewash,appear in the rive r wate r afte r 24 hours orle s s thisextra supply may have comple te ly disappeare d but in themeantime the charac te r ofthe fe rmentation may be entire lychange d owing t o the pre s enc e ofa re lat ive ly enormoasnumbe r ofbac te ria in the s te eping vat . It is a s e riousde fe c t in the de s ign ofthe Pusa fac tory that

\

no provis ionexis ts fors e ttling orfiltrat ionofthe wate r, so that in alarge r numbe r ofcase s the extreme dirtine ss ofthe wate rus e d introduc e d exc e s s ive numbe rs ofbac te ria ofall sorts,the ac tivitie s ofwhich so farc omplicate d the re sults as tomake the latte r of

_

lit t1e more than negative value . Thusit will eas ily be realize d t hat when endeavouring to com

pare anart ific ially inoculate d vat wi th anuninoculate dcontrol, the

"

exis tenc e inthe wat e r ofboth ofa natural bact erial population already up to the limit ofit s capac itywould inevitably re duc e the art ificially induce d diffe renc ein bac t erial content to a negligible quantity. A naturalc ritic ism imme diate ly sugge sts itse lf; would it be prac t icable ona fac tory scale to remove any such exc e ss ofbacte ria in orde r to make room forart ific ially introduc ed ‘

spe c ie s ? I t may be Sai d at once that the importanc e ofthis point was real ize d ve ry early in the course oftheexpe riments,and ouraim has be en to find some prac ticablemeans ofove rcoming the difficulty.

In orde r to unde rs tand fully the p omts involve d itmus t be realize d that so faras indigo manufac ture is conc e rne d we may divide bac teria into thre e c lasse s :

(1) ac tive hydrolyze rs,(2) ine rt so faras indican 1s conc e rne d,and(3) ac tive de s troye rs e ithe r ofindican orindoxyl or

both .

The art ific ialculture s isolate d at Pusahave been sele c te dforthe ir pos itive and negative virtue s, i.e ., they are ac tive


128 SC1ENTIF IC REPORTS on‘

THEAGRICULTURAL RESEARCHc ip itat ion; me re s torage in re s e rvoirs also re duc e s them inquantity. Mos t fac torie s use the ir khaz anas orre se rvoirsas s e ttling tanks, drawing offthe wate r from the top bysurfac e draine rs this is intende d to remove suspende d mudwhich would contaminate the indigo, but ane xtens ion ofthe me thod would undoubte dly s e rve to re duc e the bac te rialnumbe rs , and in case s whe re bad fe rmentation s ome time sfollowe d by bad s e ttling in

(the beating vat is a common

expe rienc e ofthe fac tory, the us e ofkhaz anas ofgreate rcapac ity and de s igne d to e ffe c t more comple te s e ttling ofthe suspende d matte r in the wate r,would almost c e rtainlylead to improve d manufac ture . Large r re se rvoi rs wouldalso" re duc e the proportion ofwate r dire c tly pumpe d without s e ttling from the rive r orlake , which in many cas e s

appears to be ‘ re spons ible forbad fe rmentation . It is afre quently observe d fac t that c e rtain vats habitually givebe tte r fe rmentation than othe rs in the same fac tory ; various explanations have be en given ofthis diffe renc e but thefollowing One which doe s not s e em to have be en sugge ste dappears to fit in

.with the c onditions in many cas e s . In

many fac torie s the kkaz ana is not large enough to supplywate r to all the vats in use at one time , so that a c e rtainnumbe r ofthe latte r are fille d with wate r which has s toodfors eve ral hours in the khaz ana, - the remainde r be ingwate re d by prac t ically dire c t - pumping from the outs idesourc e, whe the r rive r, lake , ortank . This would at onc etend to creat e “ differenc e s in the bac te rial content ofthes te eping vats, which might very we ll be ofa suffic ientlyhigh orde r to produc e variations in the fe rmentation goingonin the latte r. Such variations would be re duc e d toge the rwith the numbe r ofbac te ria by the us e ofkhaz anas ofadequate capac i ty, allowing ofs e ttling the whole amount ofwate r use d each day. It is sugge s te d that the not infrequent superiority ofthe yie ld ofsmall fac torie s and smallvats may be trac e d to the ve ry gene rally ade quate s i ze ofthe ir Ichaz anas .Apart from the bacte ria pre sent in the wate r it is to be

remembe red that the plant itse lf introduce s anenormous

INSTITUTE, PUSA, FoR 1917-18

numbe r - into the s te eping vat . In the 1917- expe riments itwas frequently found that whe reas the uninoculate d~lcha

‘

z ana wate r might c ontain ve ry few hydrolyze rs ye t thecorre sponding fe rmente d liquor containe d anabundanc e ofthe s e bac te ria; this implie d the introduc tion ofthe latte rby the plant, and i t may be aske d how manufac ture couldbe benefit e d by p urificat ionofthe khaz cma wate r, i f the

plant itse l f brings in so large anumbe r ofbac te ria. The reis reason to think howe ve r, that this d ifficulty is not so

se rious a one as at firs t s ight may appear, firs t be cause thebac te ria gene rally as soc iate d with the plan t do not s e em to

inc lude as a rule any large numbe r ofde le te rious organisms ,and s e condly be caus e the se bac te ria, i f they hnd the wate ralready in pos se s s ion ofothe rs , as would be the case withsuc c e s s fully inoculate d khaz ana wate r, do not have time toexe rc is e much influenc e upon the charac te r ofthe fermentat ion. Forthis same -reason benefic ialplant bac te riamus tfrequently be prevente d from carrying out normal hydrolys is by the pre senc e ofunduly large numbe rs ofd e trimental organisms 1n the

”

k/iaz ana wate r. The problemthe re fore is how faris it prac ticable to previde fairly c leanwate r forste eping,and how to produc e a satis fac tory art ific ial inoculation suffic iently vigorous to ove rcome the de struc tive ac tion ofde trimental bac te ria already pre s ent.A great deal ofexp er1mentalwork was done to de t e r

mine the be s t way ofmaking a mas s culture , i .a.,a pureculture ofthe sp e c ific. bac te rium suffic ient in quantity tos tand dis tribution through the to gallons ofwate r in the s te eping vat without unde rgo ing too h ighdilution . It was found poss ible to make a s imple culturbme dium ofammd‘nium sulphate , supe rphosphate , wood ashand sugar,and to ac tivate fe rmentation by the use ofaboutone

'

gallonofthis culture ,afte r 6hours ’ incubation, in eachgallons in the s te eping vat . In many. case s, how

eve r, growth ofthe art ific ial inoculum appeare d to be interfered with, probably owing to exc e s s ive compe ti tion withothe r bac te riaand in some ins tance s to failure to make theprope r adjustments be twe en the tempe rature ofthe mass

130 SCIENTIFIC REPORTS onTHEAGRICULTURAL RESEARCHculture and that ofthe ste eping wate r, oreven to the pres enc e ofunfavourable chemical conditions in t he latte r,andfurthe r work must be done to find out how to s e cure the .

mos t favourable conditions forthe multiplication andac tivity ofthe art ific ially introduc e d bac teria. In othe rindustrie s depending upon c ontrolle d bac te rial fe rmentation the use ofs te rilize draw mate rial is gene rally adopte dthis would s e em to imply that the abs enc e ofothe r bac te riais a condition ofsuc c e s s forthe employment ofpure cul

ture s,but it doe snot ne c e s sarilyfollowinthe case ofindigo.Here '

we have in the ordinary fac tory working frequentcas e s oflos se s ofthe orde r of304— 40 p erc ent. due large lyto impe rfe c t hydrolys is, partly as a c onsequenc e oftheabs enc e ofthe prope r bac te ria and partly to the pre senc eofabnormal numbe rs ofde s truc tive spe c ie s It appearsprobable from the past s eason’

s expe rience that by s e dimentation and the introduc tion ofsuffic ient amounts ofVigorous culture s ofthe prope r spe c ie s it should be poss ibleto alte r t he charac te r ofthe fe rmentation in the ste epingvat so as to se cure more comple te hydrolys is,but a cons iderable amount ofwork mus t be done before it is pos s ible toe laborate a routine me thod sui table foruse in afac torywithout imme diate sc ient ific control .Hot waterextrac tion. In the report forthe previousyear (1916-17) refe renc e was made to the

“

use ofhot waterextrac tion as ameans of‘

eliminat ing unde s irable bac te ria;afurthe r advantage of

_

such ame thod would be to s ecure ahighe r pe rc entage ofextrac tion ofthe indican 1nthe plant ;the Indigo Res earch Chemis t has shown that impe rfe c textrac tion in many case s leads to a los s of30— 40 p erc ent.in ordinaryfac tory working, and i f hot wvat erextrac tioncould be succ e ss fully adapted to - fac tory condit ions, it shouldbe p os s ible to obtain a liquor not only comparative ly fre efrom bac te ria (although ofc ourse not absolute ly ste rile ) butcontaining amuch highe r pe rc entage ofthe indican pres entin the plant from which it was de rive d.

With a View to obtaining information as to the poss ibilit ie s ofthis me thod ahot wate r extrac tionvat was adde d


132 SCIENTIFIC REPORTS 01" THE AGRlCULTURAL RESEARCHac t ivity ofa high orde r which is liable to make the spreadofthe dis eas e even more rapid than was the cas e inEuropein the mi ddle oflas t c entury, when the s ilk indus try wasy e ry nearly de stroye d, and i t is all the more ne c e ssary toadopt the s tric te s t measure s to prevent such anoc currenc ein this c ountry. It s e ems probable that the c limatic conditions which enhanc e the ac tivity ofthe paras ite have acompensating ac tion in re duc ing the length oftime duringwhich the spore s re tainthe ir infe c tive powe r, and

' it maybe that this fac tor has be en the only one whic h has so farprevente d the dis ease from Wlp ing out the Indian s ilkindus try altoge the r . It should be remembe re d , howeve r,that -this fac tor only affe c ts the spread ofthe disease bycontaminative infe c tion,and doe s not at allre duc e the he reditary transmis s ion,which is c e rtainly ofe qual importanc e .The Viability ofpebrine spore s was fur the r te s te d and

~the "re sult s ofthe expe riments showe d c learly that unde rmois t conditions such spore s rapidly los e Vitality, whe reasin dry air, even at high tempe rature s, the i r Viabili ty isre tained forcons ide rable pe riods oftime .

The re liance which has be en place d upon coppe r sul

phate as anantiseptic forrearing house s was shown to bebase d ontheory rathe r than obse rvation, as 75 p erc ent.infe c tion was obtaine d with pebrine spore s treated with 1p erc ent. coppe r sulphate solution, whe reas 1 p erc ent.formalin se cure d comp le te immunity unde r s imilar conditions .At the reque s t ofthe Gove rnment ofMysore I Vis ite d

the State in Jannary and inspe c te d typical rearing e stablishment s, both Gove rnment and private . Demons trationswe re given oftherevise d me thod ofexaminat ion ofmoths,and a report was subs equently written embodying a s e rie sofsugge s tions as to ’

the be s t me thod ofsecuring ade quateand re liable supplie s ofdis eas e - fre e

'

se e d, and ofdiminishing the amount

‘

ofcontaminative infe c tion during rearing .

The se sugge s tions have been adopte d by the Se riculturalDepartment ofthe State .


Amongs t othe r re commendations the following we reemphas iz e d :

~Provis ionofd is eas e —fre e s e ed . Revis ion ofte chnique

ofmic rosc opic examination ofmoths . P rope rtraine d supe rvis ion ofthis examination . Adequate provis ion ofnurs e rie s forproduc tion anddis tribution ofdisease —fre e se e d . Re juvenationofstock by hill rearing.

Improvement s in rearing. Demonstration rearinghouse s whe re improve d me thods canbe shown tolocal reare rs .

Such improve d me thods to inc lude(1) Sanitary measure s '

to avoid spread ofinfe c tion such as

’ dis infec tion withformaldehyde and dus t prevention byfalse ce ilings and mois t floors .

(2) Prope r die ting and spac ing,and provis ionofventilation e spe c ially by openingslnroofs ofrearing house s .

VI . PROGRAMM E orWORK FOR 1918 -19.

Majorsubj e c ts .1. The decompos ition oforganic matte r in the soil by

bac te rial ac tion .

2 . The re c iprocal relationship be twe en bac te rial ac tivityin soil and the mineral constituents ofthe latte r withspe c ial re fe renc e t o p hosphate s, and anenquiry into the

pos s ibility ofproduc ing; soluble oravailable phosphate s inIndiawithout the us e ofsulphuric ac id.

Sp e c iat enquirie s .3 . Indigo .

4. Pebrine .

5 . The s te rilization ofwate r fortroops in the fie ld .

Minorsubj e c ts .6. R iologicalanaly s is ofsoi ls .7. Bac te rial disease s ofplants .


VIII . LI ST orPUBLICATIONS .Hutchinson, C . M . Re p ort onAgric ultural Bac t eriology,' 1916

17, forthe Board ofSc ient ific Advic e inIndia.



The comparative value s ofthe varie tie s now unde rexpe riment canbe s t be calculate d from the following statement, bas ed onfigure s obtaine d at the Jalgaonfarm

Variety

Rs . A. P.

1083 0 38 475 28 9’

0

N.R.C. 838 0 23 12 O

Sindewahi Cross 35 600 15 11 0

418 0 36000 11 1 0

Ou ac count ofthe partial ‘ failure ofthe c otton c ropthroughout Khande sh, the re is a shortage ofgood se e d forsowing purpose s , and it is unde rstood that large quantitie sofs ee d have be en brought from Jamner,a plac e borde ringonthe Ni zam’

s Dominions , which ,grows the ordinary jarimixture giving a ginning pe rc entage of34 to 36and fe tching a s lightly highe r price / thanthe ordinary Khande shcotton . Efforts should

’

h e made to prevent such infe riortype s from e s tablishing thems e lve s in trac ts which cancarry be tte r varie tie s .

The re is a Village , calle d Saising, in the BhusavalTaluka, which grows a cotton exac tly like N. R. exc eptingthat the c otton is not re lease d when the boll opens, evenwhen unpicke d forsome time . This varie ty is worthfurthe r enquiry on~the part ofthe D epartment.Gujarat . Inthe Dhollera trac t Mr. Mankad inve s ti

gate d the extent and l imits ofthe white - flowere d form ofmathio which re s emble s N. R . in it s high ginning pe rc entage . In some village s in the Dhandhuka Taluka oftheAhmedabad D istric t the pe rc entage ofwhite floweredplants was found large r (varying from 40 to 65 p erc ent.)than in the tracts ofKathiawar growing me thio, whe rethe pe rc entage ofwhite flowere d p lant s rrare ly exc e e ds 25p erc ent. The large r pe rc entage ofwhite —fiowere d p lants


in this trac t appears to be due to two causes N. R .

’

and N. R. C. type s ripen a little earlie r than the othe rtyp e s ofthe mathiamixture , the fully ripe bolls also appearmore fluffy and large r ins ize .

Tt is the re fore probable thatthe firs t opene d

,bolls may have be en s e le c te d by the culti

vators forthe i r future s e e d requirements . (2) Middlemen,who ac tually s e ll the kapas afte r te s ting the out - turn oflint,may have sorte d coars e cotton (N. R. and N R . C . having ahigh ginning out —turn) from the gene ral heaps in the ginne rie s . As in othe r parts, e .g.,Kathiawar, the re is a generalcomplaint that mathiaexhaus ts the soil and the succ e e ding c rop ofjowar(A. Sorghum) orbajri (P ennis e tumtyp hoid eum) with which cotton is rotate d, has cons ide rablyfallenofi in out - turn . Cultivators oflate have graduallytaken to the growing ofwagad , but i t will be difficult toous t mathio altoge the r .

Inthe Dhollera trac t,roz i is be ing rap idly replac e dby ghogari.In t he Ahme dabad -D i‘s tric t, wage d i s re s tric te d to

be surand black soils, wh ile lal‘io is re se rve d forgomdu orthe lighte r c lass ofsoils ; onthe se , when irrigate d, it s out

turn is some time s almos t double d . In wage d i t is be tte rto s e le c t round rathe r than pointe d bolls forquality andout - turn.

In the Panch Mahals the prevailing type was kane i,but this

shas be en replac e d by ghogari onac count ofit s

high ginning pe rc entage . At Dohad farm a numbe r ofvarle t ie s have be en trie d, amongst them Cambodia andb71uri. The se have be en re je c te d and te sts are be ing c ontinne d wi th N. R. strains, Sindewahi Cross, and K2 2 .

Owing to the re tentive nature ofthe soil and the chanc eoffros t which oc curs at inte rvals ofyears the se are notaltoge the r sat is fac tory . Cotton as a'

c rop is not extending onthis area as the people ge t a good re turn from thedouble - c ropping ofmaize and 3am (Crotalaria juncea).

It would be we ll ifthe Department re fraine d fromfurthe r exp eriments towards the introduc tion ofN. R .

K


which will only acc entuate the difficult ie s regarding mixture in Gujarat, and watche d the re sults with ghogari andkanvi conduc te d in the Broach D is tric t.Judge d by the valuations, the cottons trie d at Dohad

stand as follows(1) N. R . ordinary. Rs . 710 p ercandy (784 spin

ning 8’

s ; the same day’s value ofbengals ,Rs . 730.

(2) N R. black - s e e de d . The same as No . 1.

(3) K2 2 from Cawnpore . Rs . 800 p ercandy, spinning 14’s .

(4) Sindewahi Cros s . Rs . 825,spinning l6’

s ; the

same day’s value ofkhand e sh and akola be ingRs . 760 and Rs . 800.

Comparative te s ts have be en carrie d out be twe enBroach De shi and ghogari at the Broach Expe rimentStation . Much work remains to be done onthe forme r tobring it even ona parwith ghogari. The following s tatement demonstrate s conc lus ive ly the formidable compe titionbe twe en breach and ghogari and the Department will havet o s train eve ry ne rve to prevent the latte r from ous tingbreach altoge the r.Stat ement ofthe re sults ofalt ernat e trials ofGhogari typ e s versus

Broaoh De shi .

Y ie ld OfGinning No . of Yie ld ofYie ld 01Varie t y o cotton perc en s e eds lint p ers e ed p ertags

‘

p ertola acre acre

1h o z 1b . oz . 1b . Rs . A. p . Rs. A. P . Rs . A. p

Broach De shi‘

5 8 5 119-

37 68 7 4 5 3 6 7s 10 10

Ghogari Atyp e 72 2 95 23 75 15 7 4 2 10 80 2 5

Ghogari B’

S type 150 10 43-

8'

70 5 8 312 75 1 4 3 12 3 78 18‘

7

Ghogari ElS type . 154 7 77 o 87 43 81 0 5 3 13 4 84 13 9

In the Dhollera trac t sample s ofthe princ ipal type swe re taken from gene ral c rops and valued in orde r to


140 SCIENTIFIC REPORTS OF THEAGRICULTURALRESEARCHkump ta ordinary c rop, takenforcomparison, and yieldinga profit ofRs . 106 p erac re , kump ta s e le c te d fortall compac t growth gave Rs . 149, kuinp ta bushy type , Rs . 134,and two kump ta

‘

crosse s, Rs . 149 and '

Rs . 141re spe c tive ly.

A kump ta c ross e d with broach type gave Rs . 161, and ase le c tion ofbroach gave Rs . 121. The kump ta s e le c te dis be ing grown ona he ld s cale fordistribution to the cultivators '

amongs t whom it is be coming inc reas ingly popular .At the Gadag farm, which is the c entre fortrials wit h

the Ame rican type s, all evidenc e po ints to the supe riorityofthe Up land ove r the New Orleans varie ty, the s e le c tionofthe forme r giving a profit ofRs . 218 p erac re and ofthelatte r Rs . 149 agains t Rs . 164 forordinary DharwarAmericanp erac re . As the value ofthe Upland typ e

'

be

come s more c learly real ize d it is expe c te d that the mixtureofNew Orleans will gradually d isappear from cultivationThe Cambod ia s e le c tion was value d ona parwith ordinary Dharwar -Ame rican giving a profit p erac re ofRs . 160.

It is d ifficult to maintain Cambodia in a pure s tate as i tcannot be readily distinguishe d from Upland DharwarAme rican.

In the auc tion sale s, which we re conduc te d by the Coope rative Sale Soc ie tie s, as s is te d by the local membe rs ofthe Bombay Agricultural Department, the c rops ofDharwar-Broach and '

Cambodia we re dispose d of. Each wasarrange d in grade s base d onthe ginning pe rc entage , andfrom the remarks ofMessrs . Tata Sons it was found thatth is arrangement was also ac companie d DVdefinit e grade sofquality.

Th e Central Provinc es and Berar.At the Akola farm, the las t two seasons have be en un

favourable forthe cotton c rop and unde r the s e conditionsbui i has yie lde d a good profit, Rs . 1118 p erac re, Be rarjari, Rs . 71, and ros eum, Rs . 67-12 .

i1'

he firs t was originally introduc e d from ChotaNagpur whe re the rainfall iscopious , the s e cond enjoye d the advantage ofbe ing amixe d


crop ofwhich some ofthe membe rs withs tand awe t season,and the third is doubtfully re s is tant to adve rse conditions .

Burma.The varie t ie s ofcotton grown in Burma.are the follow

(1)Wagale (Gossyp iu'm negle c tum v. Burmanicum)with ye llow flowers.(2)Wapyu(G ossyp iumnegle c tum v. avens e ) with wh ite

flowers, said to produc e a longe r boll and white r lint.(3)Wani (G ossyp ium negle c tum v. kokatia), ye llow

flowere d,but the cotton is khaki which is chiefly use d in themaking ofjacke ts .Scattere d plants ofthis type may be found 1nthe local earlycotton c rop and the pickings contain a s light admixture ofth is drab cotton, which is usually partially sorte d out

before the s tuffis ginne d .

The nake d eye is unable to de te c t any diffe renc e in theshape and s ize ofthe plant ofthe se thre e forms until the(2) and (3) come to flowe r and to p ickings .(4)Wagyi (G . obtus ifolium V. Nanking). This is

grown in Prome and Thaye tmyo distric ts and oc cupie s theground forfull nine months . The quality ofc otton issupe rior to the local early type wagale .

(5) Pas i cotton (local Kachin name ) (Gossyp iumnegle ctum V. c ernuum), ye llow - fiowere d . This is s imilar to ’ thesmall bolle d form found in Khas i and Jaint ia hills ‘

ofAssam,and as it is grown in the same way,in allprobabilitythe s e e d mus t have be en brought from the se b ills . This issparingly grown by the Kachins in hills ofthe NamyinValley ofthe Myi tkyinaD istric t. A thin jungle is c leare dand s ee ds broadcas ted along with paddy and vege tables e e ds . All the se c rops c ome to maturity in suc c e s s ion,cotton be ing '

last so that the p ickings are ‘not inte rfe redwith . The land is abandone d afte rJaking the firs t year’sp roduc e .

142 sc inNrirro REPORTS orTHEAGRICULTI’JRAL RESEARCH(6) Shan State c otton . The plants are reporte d to be

identical with thos e ofthe local c otton wagale , but the

quality ofcotton is farsupe rior to any ofthe rac e s found,inBurma. The quali ty ofc otton . is almos t ona parwithfine sum t and canspin up to 30

’

s . The ginning pe rc entage , howeve r, is said to be only 28 which is fartoo low to

attrac t attention, but the pe rc entage ofc otton to s e e d ofasample brought from Aungban (Southe rn Shan State ) andte s te d in the office laboratory was found to be 33 5 .

(7) P e rnambuco cotton (G . bras iliens e ), kidney orchains e e de d. This is not found ona field s cale anywhe re exc eptthat it exis ts as anornamental plant in gardens he re andthe re . It is sai d that a few years ago trials we re madewith this varie ty near Moulme in but the cultivation had tobe abandone d onac count ofit s fai lure ona field s cale .

Ofthe se varie tie s the firs t, wagale , is the most important , forming the bulk ofBurme s e c otton. The quality ofcotton as de te rmined by Me s s rs . Tata Sons is mi dwaybe tween bengaland khand ie sh.

We gyi is no doubt supe rior in point ofquality, but thelonge r pe riod requi re d by it will not suit aBurme se cultiyator whos e land mus t be got ready

’ in the hot weathe r.Expe riments with Egyptian and Upland Georgian we re

conduc te d fortwo orthre e seasons onthe Mandalay andBugi Stations, but though the ge rmination was good thec rop was afailure and the trials had to be abandone d .

Some authoritie s maintain that t he Burma cottonc rop contains a proportion offairly long - s tapled cottonwhich i f care fully picke d and grown s eparate ly would beas yaluable as the be s t Indian cottons and command anequally good pric e .

With this end in view the study ofcotton has be en takenup s e rious ly by the Department. The Tatkon farm inthe Yame thin D is tric t and Padu in Saigaing D is tric t areboth devoting attention to this c rop .

Oi the type wagale l a large numbe r ofs ingle plantse le c tions we re made and isolated in 1914and the ir ginning


144 SCIENTIF IC REPORTS '

OF AGHIL . RES. INST , PUSA, 1917-18 .

III . PROGRAMME orWORK FOR THE YEAR -1918-19.

Majo

(1) To vis it and advise onpo ints regarding cottonandit s cultivation Wheneve r require d to do so bythe Provinc ial Departments ofAgriculture .

Minor.The s tudy ofthe behaviour ofbhuri, Cambodiaand othe r such cottons in non—cotton - produc ingtrac ts, as de taile d in.the las t year’s programme,will be continue d .

An enquiry into the manurial re qui rements ofcotton will be made .

Researche s the botany ofcotton will be continned.

CALCUTTA : PR INTED BY s crim GOVT. PR INTING, m om, 8,HASTING S STR EET.


TABLE OF CONTENTS.

1. Rep ort ofthe D ire c tor,Agricultural Re search Inst itute,Pusa

I . Charge and staffII .Work ofthe Inst itute

Sc ient ific workTrainingIII . Publicat ions

IV. General administrat ionBuildings and worksLibraryPusa sc hoolGeneral health ofthe stat ion

V. Ac c ount sVI . Conferenc e sVII . VisitorsRe p ort ofthe Imp erial Agriculturist

I. Charge and trainingII . Pusa farm

Th e s easonExp erimental workBuild ings and machineryIII . Cat tle bre e d ingSimultane ous inoc ulat ionShe e p

IV. Programme for1919- 20

III . Re p ort ofthe Imp erial Agric ultural ChemistI Adm inistrat ionII . Educat ionIII . Me e t ing of. Agricultural Chemist sIV. Me t e orology and drain-

gauge sV. General analyt ical work and as s i s tanc e givento others e c t ions

VI . Me thod s ofanalys isVII . Mod e ofac t ionofsup erphosp hat e incalcare ous

Qand non- calcare ous soils

LnVIII . The windrowing ofsugarcaneU ) IX . Paddy manurial e xp eriment s

X . Misc e llane ousXI . Programm e ofwo1k for191920XII . Publicat ionRe p ort ofthe Imp erial Ec onomic Botanists1. Introduc t ionII .Wheat

Se e d d is tribut ioninIndiaInt ensive Wheat cult ivat ionPusa wheat in otherc ountri e sWat ersaving inwheat growingThe bre ed ing ofrus t -re s istant varie t ie sTrials ofnew Pusa wheat s

III . IndigoInd igo WiltRoot d eve lopmentSe le c t ionSe e d produc t ionThe growth ofindigo

Drainage and cr0p produc t ionV. The sun- drying ofvege table sVI . Fruit packingVII . Tobac c o,fibre s and gramVIII . The p ollinat ion ofInd ian crop s

Programme and p ublicationsV Re p ort ofthe Imp erial Myc ologist

I . Charge and e s tablishmentII . TrainingIII . Myc ological Conferenc e

Dis ease s ofplant s(1) Ufra ofric e(2) Black band d iseas e ofjut e(3 ) Fruit work inKumaon(4) Chilli d iseas e s(5) Pythium d is eas e ofginger, tobac c o

papaya

(6) Pige on p ea Wilt(7) Sugarcane smut

(8) Rangoon bean

(9) Otherd is ease sV. Misc e llane ous


VII . Programm e ofwork for1919- 20

VIII . Publicat ionsIX . Re p ort ofthe Imp erial Cot tonSp e c ialist

I . ChargeII . Cot tons inthe provinc e s

Bombay Pre s id encyCentral Ind ia

III . Programme ofwork for1919- 20

Scientific Reports oi the AgriculturalResearch Institute, Pusa

(Including the Rep ort ofthe Imp erial Cot tonSp e c ialis t)

REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR .

(G . A. D . STUART, AND E. J BUTLER,M .E.,

I . CHARGE AND STAFF .

Charge . Mr. J Mackenna, he ld chargeofthe offic e ofthe Agricultural Advis e r to the Gove rnment of India and D ire c tor, Agricultural Re s earchIns titute , Pusa, up to the 2nd Oc tobe r, 1918, and againfrom the 4th Novembe r, 1918, to the 12 th April, 1919,when he proce e de d on6 months ’ privilege leave . Dr.W.H.Harrison ac te d as Agricultural Advis e r and D ire c torfrom the 3rd Oc tobe r to the 3rdNovembe r, 1918, and Mr.G . A. D . Stuart, as sume d charge from the 13th

April, 1919.

Dr.E. J Butle r,M .E., F has be en appointe d Jo intD irec tor ofthe Ins titute , in addit ion to his dutie s as

Impe rial Myc ologis t, from the 20th Jannary,1919,and theappo intment ofthe Ass is tant to the Agricultural Advis erto the Gove rnment ofIndia he ld by Mr.Wynne Saye r,B.A., has bee n temporarily plac e d in abeyanc e from the

same date .

Stafi . Dr. E._

J Butle r,M .E., F Impe rial Mycologis t , was ondeputation to the Fe derat e d Malay States ,to report onthe Agricultural Department the re , from the

SCIENTIF IC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH8th July to the 13thNovembe r, 1918 . During his absenc e ,Dr. F .J. F . Shaw, offic iat e d as Imp e rialMycologis t,and Mr. J F . Dastur,M .SC., then First As s is tfant ofthe Mycological Se c tion, ac te d as Se cond Impe rialMyc ologist. Mr. Das tur has s inc e be en appo inte d to the

Indian Agricultural Se rvic e as Supe rnume rary Mycologis t and depute d to England forfift e enmonths fortrainlng.

Mr. G . S.Hende rson, N.D .U , was confirmedin the appo intment ofImpe rial Agriculturis t from the ls t

March, 1918 . Ou the te rmination ofhis temporary dutie sas Controlle r (Agricultural R equ irements, M e sopotamia)unde r the Indian Munitions Board onthe 22nd June ,1919,he proc e e de d ons ix months ’ combine d leave . Mr.WynneSaye r offic iat e s as Impe rial Agriculturist from the 20th

January, 1919.

Mr. F . M .Howle tt,B.A., Impe rial Pathological En tomologis t, was depute d fora pe riod of6 monthsfrom the 24th Jannary , 1919, unde r the Indian Re searchFund As s oc iation to conduc t expe riments with mosquitorepe llents .Mr. JH.Walton, BA B.SC ., onthe te rmination of

his dutie s unde r the Military Department, reve rte d to hisappo intment ofSupe rnume rary Agricultural Bac te riologis t on the 10th April, 1919. During Mr. Walton ’

s

absenc e ofnearly four years he saw ac tive s e rvic e with thearmie s in Me sopotamia,Egyp t and Pale s ti ne .

CaptainW.Hodgkinson, R .E., worke d in the laboratory ofthe Impe rial Agricultural Bac te riologis t throughout the year, in collaboration with that offic erin e le c tricalme thods ofwate r s te rilization .

Mr.J. F .C .S., Supe rnume rary AgriculturalChemis t , cont in11e d throughout the year on deputation1:nde r the Unite d P rovinc e s Gove rnment .Mr. M . AfzalHus sain, B.A., M .s c ., who has be en

appointe d to the Indian Agricultural Se rvic e , was poste dto P11sa as Supe rnume rary Entomologist from the 6th

January, 1919.


SCIENTIFIC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHBe s ide s c reating new c entre s ofdis tribution ofPusa

12 and 4 which are now pre fe rre d to the c ountry wheatswhe reve r they have be en introduc e d, the Botanical Se c tionreache d during the year animportant s tage in the bre e ding ofrus t - re s istant wheats . Many new forms which arecharac te rize d by s trong s traw, rus t- re s is tanc e , good s tanding powe r and heavy yie lds have be en fixe d, and the se arebe ing te s te d ona field s cale . TheHowards ’ expe rimentsin wate r saving in wheat growing have shown that i f thetexture ofthe soil has be en improve d and i f the surfac ehas be en prope rly grade d, extreme ly heavy c rops are pos s ible With a comparatively small volume ofirrigation wate r .The agricultural s ide ofthe indigo problem c ontinue d tobe s tudied in this Se c tion . The e ffe c t ofdrainage onc ropproduc tion and the pollination ofIndian c rops we re some

ofthe othe r line s ofwork onwhich Mr. and Mrs .Howardwe re engage d during the “

year.The Ufra dis eas e ofric e , the black band diseas e of

jute , sugarcane smut, the pigeon p ea wilt and the disease sofchill i princ ipally engage d the attention ofthe Myc ological Se c tionduring the year unde r report . The variousdis eas e s affe c t ing fru it tre e s are also unde r study in the

orchards inthe Kumaon hills , and spraying expe rimentsare be ing carrie d out both the re and in P e shawar .In the Entomolog ical Se c tion, be s ide s working in de te r

mining the re lative immunity ofce rtain varie tie s ofcottonfrom bollworm attack and studying the bore r pe s ts ofsugarcane and othe r graminac e ous plants , spe c ial attention was paid during the year to the c olle c tion ofinformation regarding fruit - pe s ts . It has been asc e rtaine dthat

'

the Tukra dis eas e ofmulbe rry is caus e d by amealy - bug, and that the afi

'

e c te d apical leave s i f fe d to

mulberry s i lkworms as s is t in induc ing flacherie . The

enquiry regarding the occurrenc e in the Indian Emp ire ofany inse c ts which may be us e d as effic ient che cks onthegrowth ofLamtanawas comple te d during the year and there sults are be ing publishe d separate ly. The work in conne c t ionwith be e s , lac and s ilkworms was continue d.

INSTITUTE , PUSA , FOR 1918 -19

P rac tically throughout the year,Mr.Howle tt, Impe rialPathological Entomologis t, was onspe c ial duty in conne ction, firs tly, with the pre vention ofsurra- transmis s ion byTaba

'

cnidae , more particularly among transport came ls,and, s e condly,with the improvement ofexis ting culic ifuge sformilitary us e . Reports onthe work in the se two dire ctions have bee n submi tte d to Gove rnment.

P roblems ofso il biology unde r inve s tigation in the

Bac te riological Se c t ion during the year unde r reviewwe re Seasonal variations innitrificat ion in soilsunde r c rop and fallow ; (2) diffe rent rate s ofnitrificat ionofvarious organic mate rials in so il ; (3 ) inhibition ofnitrificat ionby toxins re sulting from anae robic incubation ofsoils ; (4) gre en -manuring ; and (5) fixat ionofnitrogen bylegume s . Among enqu irie s of indus trial xalue , Mr.Hutchinson, be s ide s continu ing his work onindigo and thep ebrindiseas e ofs ilkworms , suc c e e de d during the year, incollaboration with CaptainHodgkinson, in produc ing a.

solution containing 3 - 4 p erc ent . avallablc chlor ine bye le c trolys is from pure ly Indian raw mate rials, forthes te rili zation ofwate r . The solution canbe pre pare d anywhe re whe re e lec tric current is ‘

availa'

ole without expe rtknowle dge e ithe r ofchemical ore le c trical Izie thods .

The work done by the Indigo Se c tion is publishe d ina spec ial se rie s ofIndigo Publicat ions starte d by the

Ins titute . A s eparate annual report has the re fore notbe en cons ide red nec e s sary.

Training. A numbe r of post - graduate s tudentsattende d the Ins titute during the year and short c ourse swe re given in s e ricul ture and lac - culture

Numberofstudent sGeneralAgric ulture 2

Agric ultural Chemis try 1Myc ology 2

Ec onomic Entomologv 2

Agricultural Bac t eriology (inc lud ing bac t eriologicalt e chnique insilkworm d is eas e )

SericultureLac - culture

TOTAL


Be s ide s t he re gular s tudents , Mr. S. N. Bal,As s is tantPro fe s sor ofBotany, Sc ienc e College , CalcuttaUnive rs ity,spent about a fortnight in the Mycolog ical Laboratory inMarch and April as he propose s to take up mycologicalwork in Calcutta.

III . PUBLICATIONS .Six Memoirs, 13 Bulle t ins (inc luding thre e reprints

and one ve rnacular ve rs ion), and thre e Indigo Publicationswe re issue d during the year, while t enpublications we rein the pre s s at the c lose ofthe yearThe demand forthe Bulle tin on Inse c tic ide s,M ixture s

and Re c ipe s forus e agains t Ins e c ts in the Fie ld, the‘Orchard, the Garden and theHous e continue d, with there sult that it had to be printe d a third time during they ear. A Bengali ve rs ion ofBulle tin No . 46 onBe eke eping, writte n in language s imple enough to be unde rstood by the Vi llage folk when read by thems e lves orreadout to them, was is sue d during the year and the wholeed ition rapidly sold out .

TheNAgricultural Journal ofIndia in it s new form

continue s to gain in popularity, and it be came ne c e s saryduring the year‘

to inc rease the print orde r by 250 copie s .

It is propose d to is sue the Journal bi -monthly, ins tead of‘

quart erly,'

with the commenc ement ofthe New Y ear . Allthe pre s ent feature s will be maintaine d, but no inc reasew ill be made in the annual subs c ription.

IV . GENERAL ADM INISTRATION.

Build ings and work s . The bungalow forthe Ele c tricalEngine e r re fe rre d to in las t year’s report was comple te dduring the year. The cons truc tion ofquarte rs fortheFirs t As s is tant to the Impe rial Myco logis t as we ll as fort he s taffofthe PusaHigh Engl ish School will be begun assoon as the ne c e ssary mate rials are available . Ne c es saryfunds have also be en allotte d forthe construction ofabuilding fort he Pos t Offic e and a re s t house forIndianvis i tors . A pumping se t has be en ins talle d onthe rive r



A sum ofRs . was paid as a grant - in-aid to the

Indian Tea As soc iation.

The princ ipal items ofexpenditure unde r the annualgrant ofRs

‘

. plac e d at the disposal ofthe Agricultural Advis e r to the Gove rnment ofIndia forspec ialagricultural eicp eriment s we re as follows :

Purchas e ofa c orncrusherPurc has e ofa c hafi c utterPurc has e ofcanvas p aulins forthe Pusa FarmPaid to the Dire c torofAgric ulture , Bengalyforthe

c os t 01‘a m e chanical fibre extrac tor

Exp erimental c ot toncultivat ion by the Imp erialCot ton Sp e c ialis t

Pay ofa Ve t erinary As sistant inc onne c tionwithcat tle bre e ding and that

'

of a F ie ldman formosquito exp erim ent s

The gros s rec e ipts during the year from“

the sale offarm produc e , milk, publications ofthe department ando the r artic le s amounte d to Rs . as agains t Rs .inthe pre vious year .

VI . CONFERENCE S .The Gove rnment of India having

.

ac c epte d the

re commendation ofthe tenth me e ting ofthe Board ofAgriculture inIndia he ld at Poona in 1917 that s e c tionalme e tings ofmyc ologis ts , entomologis ts and chemis ts behe ld in years in which the re is no me e ting ofthe Board ofAgriculture , such me e tings we re he ld at Pusa in February,1919. In ac c ordanc e with the re commendation oftheBoard, they we re not confine d t o membe rs ofthe Agricultural Department. The Indian Tea As soc iation and

”

Portugue s e India we re repres ente d at both the Mycologicaland Entomological M e e tings ,whils t the Fores t Zoologis tattende d the Entomolog icalM e e ting . The latte r me e tingalso attrac te d Vis itors from outs id e Ind ia. t h e EgyptianGove rnment s ending an offic ial de legate in Dr. LewisH. Gough,D ire c tor ofthe Entomological Se rvice inEgypt,and Mr. R . SeniorWhite attending from Ceylon . De tail»e d proc e e dings ofthe s e me e tings are be ing issue d .


A catt le c onfe renc e was also he ld at Pusa during theyear,when se ve ral problems c onne c te d with the Pusa dai ryhe rd we re dis cuss e d .

VII . VISITOR S .The mos t notable vis itor during the year wasHis

Exc e llency,

the Vic e roy. This was the firs t time that theIns titute was honoure d by a vis it from a Vic e roy. LordCurzon had previous ly vis ite d Pusa, but he came only tolay the corners tone ofthe splendid building which hous e sthe various laboratorie s ofthe Ins ti tute . His Exc e llencyLord Che lms ford,who was ac companie d by theHon’ble SirClaudeHill, Membe r in charge ofthe Revenue and Agriculture Department, spent thre e busy days (4th to 6th

January) in going ove r the various Se c tions and e vinc e dmuch inte re s t in all that he saw.

In all about 165 ladie s and gentleme n V is ite d the

Ins titute during the year. The s e inc lude d zLieutenant - Colone l FH. G .Hutchinson, M .E.,

Sanitary Commis s ione r with the Gove rnment ofIndia;Dr. C . A. Bentley, M .E., D .T.M . S., SanitaryCommis s ione r to the Gove rnment ofBengal , Mr. P . JHartog, M .A., B.SC ., I,- e s - SC .

,Academic Regis trarofthe Unive rs i ty ofLondon and Membe r ofthe Cal

outta Unive rs ity Commiss ion ; P ro fe s sor 0. V. Raman,M .A., Palit Pro fe s sor ofPhys ic s, Calcutta Unive rs ity ; Mr. A. B. Shake spear, ofM es s rs . BeggSuthe rland Co ., Cawnpore ; Mr. G . E. C . Wakefield

D ire c tor Gene ral ofIndus trie s , Agriculture andComme rc e , Hyde rabad (De c can) ; Lieutenant- Co lone lMilton, As s istant D i re c tor of G ras s Farms , Me e rut ;Lieutenant - Colone l J Mats on,As s is tant D i re c to r ofM ilitary Farms,Northe rn C irc le , Ambala; MajorV. B.Ne sfield . Captain Froilano de Me llo,D ire c tor01the Bac te riological Laboratory, Goa, Dr. L.H. Gough,D i re c tor of the Entomological Se rvic e , Egypt ; Mr. S.Higginbottom, D ire c tor ofAgriculture , Gwalior; Mr. C .

F C . Be eson, M .A Fore s t Zoologis t, Fore s t Re s earchInstitute , Dehra Dun; Mr. J C .Nag, Senior Profe ssor of


Botany,Pre s idency College , Calcutta; Mr. E. A. d’Abreu,

F Curator ofthe Central Museum,Nagpur ; Mr. C .

C . Monckton, ofNairobi ; Mr. Ri. Senicr-Wh ite

Matale , Ceylon ; Kumar Chandre swarP rasad NarayanSingh ofSursand and Sye d ShafaelHussain ofGaya.

Among othe r vis itors we re officers ofthe various Provinc ial Departments ofAgriculture , and plant e rs andzamindars ofe s tate s surrounding Pusa. A party ofs tudents from the Sabour Agricultural College , unde r twoAss is tant Profe s sors, also vis ite d the Inst itute during theyear.



I give be low the rotation unde r which the farm is

worke d, and a re fe renc e to the plan ofthe arable areaprinte d oppos ite will as s ist the reade r.

2nd year 3rd year

Kharif* Maize forsilage Maize forc orn Puls e gre encropand fodd er

Rahar(C'ajanus Oat sind z cus )

Crop sowninmons oon.

The obj e c t ofthis rotation is to work the land to thebe st advantage and provide grain and fodde r forthe he rds .

The cattle are so ile d onthe third year puls e c rop andthis prac tic e is showing good re sults onthe highe r lands .The c ropping ofthe various he lds onthe farm is shown

onthe plan and is he re dealt with in de tail .By arrangement with the Controlle r ofAgricultural

Requirements forMe sopotamia, Poona anextra areawasput down unde r oats in orde r to provide s e e d forMe s opotamia.

Zs t yearrotat ion. A dre s s ing of10 tons farmyardmanure or10 maunds cake is given and the land is p utunde r maize orjuar(A. Sorghum) fors ilage orfodde rfollowe d by oats in the rabi .Four field s aggregating 132 ac re s we re sown with maize

and jam . The be s t yie ld was from Chanmanwhe re 17acre s gave 344 maunds p erac re , and the ave rage yie ldthroughout was 200 maunds p erac re . The same fields

unde r oats in rabi, with the exc eption of16 ac re s le ftfallow forleve lling, gave anave rage yie ld of14 maundsp erac re , the be st yie ld be ing 16 maunds p eracre fromBrickfieldNo . 1.

The working c os t s forthe year forboth c rops came to

Rs . 43 p erac re and the re turn Rs . 130, giving a workingprofit ofRs . 87Tp erac re forthe ye

This doe s not includ e rent s,rat e s and taxe s orcharge s fors 1p 3 °

vi 310m



and ye t s trong enough to s t0p cattle has ye t to be evolve d ,

Ideal fenc ing was trie d and prove d us e le s s while bambooswe re much too l ight.Oat s followe d the puls e c rop ove r 105 ac re s ,a small area

be ing in wheat . One maund ofsupe rphosphate was givenat the time ofsowing. The be st yie ld was 19 maunds anac re from Phatak and Nepal i field s and the ave rage yie ldwas 15 maunds . Wheat ave rage d 13 maunds p erac re onthe whole area. Working cos ts we re Rs . 26 p erac re andthe re turn Rs . 93 .

Sugarcane . The usual area, 8'

ac re s, was p ut undercane and 16 varie tie s we re plante d . The cane is grownwithout irrigation, 27 maunds ofrape - cake be ing applie dp erac re , hal f given at planting and the remainde r at firs t ,ridging onthe break ofthe monsoon . The cane yie ld ave rage d 611§ maunds p erac re and was sold gre en at 8 annasp ermaund to the fac tory dire c t.

The c os t ofcultivation was Rs . 126 p erac re and the

re turn Rs . 305 .

Sixte en varie tie s we re grown . Among the thick cane swe re Sathi, Purple Mauritius and Kaludai Budan ; whileJ 33, J 36,Mungo, Yubaand Sare tha did we ll among thethin varie tie s .

Twenty - thre e varie tie s from Dr. Barbe r, -Gove rnment

Sugarcane Expe rt, we re also grown forcomparative te s tsand thos e that did we ll are be ing trie d ona large r s cale .

All cane planting, exc ept plac ing the s e tts and manure inthe furrow, is done by bullocks and the saving in labour isc ons ide rable while the re turn made on this area showsc learly that cane grown in this fashion will do we ll ; theth ick varie tie s in particular ave raging out exc e llently.

Ju t e is grown onthe farm fors e e d by arrangement withthe Fflore Expe rt and the s e e d afte r be ing treate d withcoppe r—sulphate is s ent out to Bengal . Till las t year thec rop was grown onthe main area ofthe farm but as it wasimpos s ible to spare this c las s ofland from fodde r c rops forthe cat tle it was sown this year in Goojarmalla,afield liablet o be floode d, be ing outs ide the prote c tive embankment,and

INSTITUTE , PUSA, FOR 1918 -19

t he re fore unable as a rule to hold a kharifc rop . Thisbe ing the firs t year jute has be en sown the re , the s eason hasre taliate d by be ing exc eptionally fre e from flood s . Itlooks howeve r as i f the pre s ent arrangement will have tote rminate as the whole area is re quire d to mee t the eve rinc reas ing ne e ds ofthe farm he rds .

Exp erimentalwork . This work was continue d in thet wo fields , Punjab andNorth 7Bangarbi, s e t apart forthep urpos e .

(a) The pe rmanent manurial and rotational exp erim ents we re c ontinue d . A proposal fordis cus s ion ofallre sults so farobtaine d and c ons ide ration ofthe que st ion ofthe continuanc e ofthe expe riments has be en plac e d ontheagenda at the next me e ting ofthe Board ofAgriculturewhen the matte r will be thoroughly dealt with .

(b) The gre en -manuring e xpe riments,runin collaboration with the Impe rial Agricultural Bac te riologis t, we rec arrie d a step furthe r in the te sting ofthe re s idue s . The

yie lds from the diffe rent plots from the beginning are g ivenbe low :

Part lculars Part iculars

3 tgmes san—h emp 3 t imes san-h empferment e d W1th 3 ferment e d w1t houtcwt . superphosphat e superphosphat e .

p eracre .6 t imes san-h emp 6 t ime s san-h empferment e d Wit h 3 ferment e d wit hout

cwt . superphosphat e superphosphat e .p eracre .

San-h emp plough e d in 764 San- h emp plough e dWlth 3 cwt . super 111 w1t hout superphosphat e p eracre . phosphat e .

Superphosphate alone 554 No superphosphat eat 3 cwt . p eracre and no gre enW1thout gre enmamire .

ots . Average ofth es e ent ered.)


Should the maize yie lds this s eason ‘

show that the plotsare s till holding a re s idue , the entire s e ri e s W111be putunde r oats in rabi.(c ) The expe riments, in collaboration with the Impe rial

Myc ologist, regarding a me thod ofdeal ing with d ie

back in chillie s we re c ontinue d.

(d ) Twenty- thre e varie tie s ofwheat from s e le c teds trains we re unde r trial . The ave rage yie ld p eracre fromall varie tie s was 15gmaunds but a great deal ofrust wasobs e rve d ons eve ral varie ties, those from Jubbulp ore be inge spe c ially bad .

Late ripening also p ut s eve ral othe r varie tie s out ofcourt .

The be s t yie lds we re as followsSe ers

8A Lyallp urSindhi P is s i

,

Marc o Booj i (Sindhi)Lal ofJhelumPu sa 12

F e d erat ion

Federat ionwhich was said to be too late in ripening forBihar, dis tingu ishe d i t se lf by be ing ripe at the same timeas Pusa 4. I t was harves te d from 16th to 21st March,while Pusa 4 was harve s te d be twe en 13 th to 20th March.But it s yie ld was disappo inting and furthe r te s ts

,will be

carrie d out in which the new varie ty ofimprove d Fe de ration (Hard Fe derat ion) which is said to be a distinc timprovement onthe pre s ent wheat will be trie d . Muchinte re st was taken in the 2 ac re s ofFe de ration grown onthe farm and s e e d has be en given out t o s eve ral plante rsand also to the D ire ctor ofAgriculture ,Unite d P rovinc e sfortrial . The s tiffne s s ofit s s traw is one of‘ its mos tnotic eable po ints . I have mys e l f se en a big block ofthiswheat which ultimate ly gave 40maunds p erac re , s tandingafte r heavy wind and rain without a s traw down and as as t iffs traw is ane s s ential fora heavy yie ld, this wheat will



offin fe e ding value . Florida Beggar wee d is a wash—outat Pusa. Soy beans are mode rate while Dolichos Lablab

doe s not do . In rabi puls es gram come s firs t followe d bylentils and purple peasIn “B s e rie s , as regards kharifpulses the highe s t

yie ld ofs e ed was got from soy beans, but this c rop holdsthe land in m bi also, which puts it out ofc ons ide ration .

Florida ve lve t beans and FloridaBeggar we e d are pooryie lde rs . Urid and D olichos Lablab are also poor . The

m bi puls e s we re purple peas and gram. They we re sownlate as the kharifc rop oc cupie d the ground till late . I fsown at the prope r time , I think the re sult would have be ene qual t o thos e of A s e rie s .

(f) Expe riments with Javaand Sumatrana indigo we recarrie d on in c ollaboration with the Indigo Re s earchChemist and Impe rial Agricultural Bac te riologis t. Asmentione d in las t year’s report, the s e will be c ontinuedove r a pe riod ofyears and the re sults will be dealt withfrom time to time by the Indigo Re s earch Chemis t and theImpe rial Agricultural Bac te riologis t in the ir re spe c tivereports .

As in pas t years, c rops forthe various expe rts we regrown in North Pangarbi. Expe riments onmkarwiltre fe rre d to in las t year’s report we re carrie d out in collaboration with the Impe rial Mycologis t and the Fibre Expe rt.They will be continue d next year.Build ings and Machinery. The new s ilage cut te r

Climaxfi referred t o in las t year’s report, was worke dthroughout the s eason and out maunds ofs ilage . Ithas prove d its e l f a thoroughly re liable , s e rvic eable machine ,and, when worke d in c onne c tion with a trac tor, forms oneofthe handie s t s ilage cutting outfit s it is pos s ible to haveona farm.

The 4’ 6” Marshall’s thre she r turne d out no le ss than513 maunds ofc leane d cats in a day, thus beating las t year’sre cord of505 maunds . Regular fe e ding and a total absenc eofany s tops exc ept those foro iling enable d us to work oh


maunds ofvarious grains such as oats, wheat, gramand raharin 36 days and finish by the 23rd April, the rebye s caping all damage from the early rain in May, a re sultwhi chrefle c t s the greate st c re dit onallconc e rne d and showswhat canbe done with machine ry in India.

St eam Ploughing Tackle . The s e t oftackle cons is ts oftwo s ingle cyl inde r K Clas s Fowle r engine s with 900 yardss te e l wire rope and a four furrow anti - balanc e gang plough,a dis c harrow, a grubbe r, a zigzag harrow and a Cros skillrolle r .’

The cos t ofpurchas e in 1913 ‘

was as follows :R s .

Two engine s with s t e e l cable sPloughDis c harrowGrubb er 3 227

Z igz ag harrow and roller 2 925

TOTAL

The tackle worke d in the s eason 1918—19for1454 days,t he working day being re ckone d at 10 ac tual workinghours . The tackle stood idle during the remainde r ofthes eason.

De tails ofoutput, c onsumption and cos ts inc luding alle xpens e s e xc ept depre c iation and inte res t onoutlay areg iven be low.

20 SCIENTIFIC REPORTS OF THEAGRICULTURAL RESEARCH



INSTITUTE PUSA, FOR 1918 -19

2 4: SCIENTIF IC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH

It will be s e en from the Statements B. and C that thec ost ofop erat ions ’

is now at the 1916-17 leve l,and that the1917 - 18 figure s may be taken as abnormal owing to warcondit ions . The enti re tackle is in t horough working ord e rand, with the rigid system ofreplac ements prac tise d, mayb e calculat e d ‘ to be as g ood as when firs t purchas e d. The

work done by it is exc e llent, but the heavy capital cost s tillremains a drawback to

!

it s gene ral adoption one state s,and it is to be feare d that this c os t will neve r reve rt topre —warfigure s .AFord sonmotortrac tor(Plate I) was bought in May,

and a demonstration ofit s working was g ive n on the

farm. As th is was the firs t trac tor ofit s type t o be

worke d in India, much inte re s t was displaye d in the

demons trat ion and a large numberofpeople attende dfrom all parts of~Ind ia.

The trac tor worke d with implements in use , onthe farmand did all that it was aske d to do in'

exc ellent style . Itwas hitche d suc c e s s ive ly to a double furrow dis c plough, aRansome ’s cultivator, Cambridge roll and rake ofthre espring tooth - harrows , ”

and afte rwards was use d to runthes ilage cutte r . One c ould not fail to be s truck with it s workove r ploughe d land which was good, thorough, and showe dno s ign ofpoaching the land orfail ing to ge t a drivinggrip . It s we ight 21cwt . alloh -appears to . be the optimumforthe se ope rations . It is an ext raordinarily handymachine and,

"

with it s light we ight and great powe r, is we lladapte d to Bihar conditions . It is now working regularlyonthe farm and care ful re cords are be ing kept ofit s fue lconsumption, e t c .

i

A report will be issue d indue course ,and I’ take the op portunity ofstating he re that pendingt he c omple tion ofthorough trials and the is sue ofthisreport, I am not prepare d to expre s s any d efinit e Opinionas to it s capabilitie s . Any one wishing to se e it workingis we lcome to do so. It is hope d to be able to runparalle lexpe riments with othe r type s oftrac tors th is winte r ; andalso to te st fully the various type s ofimplements provide dwith the s e trac tors, and the re s e ems little reason to doubt



that many improvements canbe made which will inc reas ethe capac ity and effic iency ofthe s e trac tors onIndian soilsand the reby enable them to deal with a much large r areaat a lowe r cost p erac re . But to carry out all this works uc c e s s fully, the c o - ope ration ofanengine e r with agricultural knowle dge is e s s ential, and c los e collaboration withmake rs both oftrac tors and implements is e s s ential and,whene s tabl ish ed should

.

prove of. ine s timable benefit to

both s ide s . The low capital cost of. the s e machine s andt he ir extreme handine s s will rende r them admirably su ite dforIndian c onditions, provide d that they prove capable ofwiths tanding the amount ofill usage which allmachine ryofth is type will have to p ut up with in the hands ofa rac ewho make alladjustments with a hamme r and all runningrepairs with apie c e ofs tring. The outlook at pre s ent fort he s e machine s is mos t promis ing,and I cons ide r that theywill make a big diffe renc e to agriculture in many parts ofIndia if the ir early promise is fulfilled .

M iS'c ellane ous . Seven hundred maunds ofse e d oatsand 81maunds ofpeas we re suppl ie d to Me sopotamiafors e e d purpos e s . Th is entaile d a large amount ofextraworkin s c re ening, c leaning and packing wh ich the farm s taffc he e rfully unde rtook, and the whole cons ignment was d e spatche d inre cord time and c ondition— anexc e llent achievemen t for

,which I take this opportunity ofthanking all

c onc e rne d.

III . CATTLE-BREEDING .

The c ombine d he rds totalle d 372 head in the year unde rreport.It will poss i b ly be advisable forthe benefit ofthose who

have not read forme r reports to s tate he re the obje c ts forwhich the two he rds are maintaine d.

The Montgome ry he rd is divide d into two portions(a) Fors e le c tive bre e ding formilk produc tion . The

cows he re are divide d into hy e groups each witha separate bull ; and the obje c t is to bree d up afirs t c las s milkihg s train in each group andthe reby e s tablish the bre e d without fear ofin


bree ding . All the be st milke rs in the Mont~gome ry he rd are inc luded in the s e groups .

(5) Forc ros s ing with the Ayrshire bulls . The cows .

he re are no t suffi c iently good forinc lus ion unde r(a) and are use d forputting to the Ayrshirebulls forthe c ros s - bre d he rd .

The policy ofstric t se le c tion formilk yie ld is be ing continne d throughout the Montgome ry milch he rd and the be st,re cords among the cows in it this s eason we re as follows»:

lb .

AllMontgome ry c ows calving down forthe firs t timeare now be ing treate d in English fashion, the ir calve s be ingremove d at birth and p ut onthe pail. No d ifficulty whateve r has be en exp e rienc e d in milking the se cows withoutthe ir calve s ,and I think this has given apre tty heavy blowto the idea that the indigenous cow will not give milk without a cal f. Onc e she has acquire d bad habits she is

undoubte dly trouble some ,but i f hercalf is remove d at birthfrom herfirs t calving she is as easy to deal with as anEnglish cow,and i f this prac tic e is adopte d by allwho havehe i fe rs calving dOW’

l they will ' save themse lve s muchtrouble . In two ofthe above cas e s calve s have die d, be ingweakly at birth . The advantage ofhaving the c ows continne giving milk ins tead ofimme diate ly go ing dry,as isthe , rule in such cas e s ordinarily, is too obvious to ne e demphas iz ing. I am also ofOpinion that poss ibly the t endeney in Montgome ry and indigenous cattle to s tand offthebull throughout the milch pe riod may be attributable to

having the calf at he e l, and it will be pos s ible to colle c tsome dataonthis point from the above expe riments . Theywill also be ofthe greate s t us e in enabling us to s tart a s e t

ofabsolute ly re liable milk re cords . Ourpre s ent me thodofave raging the teat the calf is allowed to suck is by no


PLATE II

Fig. 1. Double cro s s c ow- oalfofKit ty No . 10; five months old .

F ig. 2. Double cros s bull- ealfofDollie No . 20 ; five months old .

INSTITUTE ,PUSA, FOR 1918 -19

’means really re liable orac curate when it come s to a que stion ofke eping prope r milk re c ords .The Montgome ry -Ayrsh ire c ros s - bre d he rd now s tands

at 73 head .

The he ife rs and c ows in the he rd are p ut to c ross—bre dbulls ofwhic h the re are thre e with the he rd(1) Black D iamondNo . 3, by Mossge ilTitanic , out of

RengniNo . 149.

(2) Gol iath No . 8, by Le ssne ssockWildfire , out ofDiwal iNo . 77

(3) Mammon No. 9, by Le s sne ssock Wildfire , out ofTimkiNo . 80.

The Mos sge il half—bre d bull is us e d onLe ssne s sockhei fe rs and the Le s sne s sock hal f- bre d bulls onMos sge il

and Carston he i fe rs . A Cars ton hal f - bre d bull will beadde d to the he rd in plac e ofone ofthe Les sne s sock bullsas soon as pos s ible .

We have now calve s from the following c ros se s, andcare ful obs e rvations and re c ords will be and are be ing keptwith a view to colle c ting data as to hardine s s, milk yie ld,e t c .Half- bre d Ayrshire bullxMontgomery c ow .

Thre e - quarter-bre d Ayrshire bull Ayrshire -Montgom ery c ow .

Double cros s - bre'

d Ayrshire -Montgom ery bull x

Ayrshire -Montgom ery c ow .

Quart er- bred Ayrshire -Montgom ery bullMontgom ery c ow .

P late II shows two typ i cal double c ros s e s at five

months, and P late III, fig. 1a thre e —quarte r - bre d at fivemonths .At pre s ent it appears that thre e - quarte r - bre ds usually

have a longe r, th icke r coat, and are ap t to be rathe r s lowerdoe rs at firs t than hal f—bre ds . They, howeve r, do qu itewe ll in the late r stage s . It is prac tically impos s ible nowto distingu ish be twe en half—bre ds and quarte r—bre ds and,as faras the expe riments have gone , it appears evident that

SCIENTIFIC REPORTS OF THEAGRICULTURAL RESEARCHt he hal f English blood in the half- bre d bu’ ll is suffic ient top roduc e the same English charac te rs as regards appearanc eand build as the full English and it will be -

ofinte re s t tose e i f this holds good when te s te d at the pail .The double c ros s bre ds are in allpo ints s imilar to hal f

b re ds and do equally we ll . The firs t lot ofthre e - quarte rbred c ros se s Which went through the De c embe r inoculationhad a pre tty s tifftime wh ich pulle d them back a lot ;.butthey are now do ing we ll .Expe riments with hal f—bre d bulls and country cows are

now in progre s s, and this should enable us to colle c t dataWhich will probably confirm re sults arrive d at with the

Ayrshire Montgome ry and pure Montgome ry c ross .

The undoubte d milking powe rs poss e s se d by Montgome ryc ows be ing liable to mask any pos s ible improvement in milkyie ld introduc e d by half- bre d bulls which would probablyshow c learly in s tock got from anordinary country cow ofa poor milking bre e d.

The full lac tation yie lds forthe s ix hal f—bre d cowsfrom Mos sge il Titanic we re as follows and fully bear outthe remarks made about them in las t year’s report

lh .

Alibi No . 3 7,271'

Daisy 5

Naom i 1

Pansy 4

Nancy 6

Biddy 2

The yie ld of the las t two cows was cons ide rablyre duc e d, by udde r trouble in the firs t case while Biddy isshy ofa teat.

The s e cows have now calve d again and are , with the

e xc eption ofthe las t two note d above , milking exc e llently.Six Le s sne s sock Wildfire he i fe rs have calve d and are

now giving anave rage of18 20 lb. p erday.

One Cars ton Royal Scotch he ife r calve d on7th March,1919, and is now milking we ll . The remarkable e venne s sofyie ld shown by all the se he ife rs whe the r got from c ows




whole thing was a comple te suc c e s s in eve ry way, and Itake this opportunity ofexpre s s ing my thank s forthe

invaluable as s istanc e rende re d by Mr. T. D’

Sylva and thes tafi ofthe Powe rHous e who s teppe d into the breachcaus e d at the las t minute by the s trike ofthe entire gowalas tafi onre ligious grounds, and enable d me to carry out the

inoculation . The way in which the staff turne d to andsoon prove d that they could drive and s toke cattle as we llas engine s , enable d me to deal with the strike rs dras ticallyand future s trike s ofthis nature are now extreme lyunlike ly. A spe c ial inoculation camp Was e re c t e d ontherive r bank at the mos t dis tant spot in the grazing groundsand cattle and attendants we re kept the re forthe pe riodofsome s ix we eks .The whole ofthe cattle we re suc c e ss fully inoculate d and

it was e ven found pos s ible to save two ofthe c ontrotanimals . The re s t ofthe he rd will' be done this coldweathe r.

The sudden d eath ofMr. A.W. Shils tonat Naini Talfrom glande rs was learnt with the de epe st regre t by thefarm s taff he re who had , during the i r month’s work at theinoculation camp, every opportunity ofs e e ing and exp erienc ing the way in which Mr. Shils toncarrie d onhis work,andfe e l the los s oc cas ione d by his death as ke enly as those whohad worke d with him cons tant iy.

Two young.

Montgome ry bulls we re introduc e d into thehe rd from the M ilitary Dairy Farm at Fe rozepore bringingin a much ne e de d change ofblood, and two Montgome rycows ,one bull,and four calve s we re purchase d fromBolpur .Various new buildings , inc luding a se t ofcalving pens anda bu ilding forthe young male stock, we re e re c te d, and thethorough repair ofthe old buildings was s tarte d.

The gene ral health ofthe he rd was exc e llent and the rewas no outbreak ofc ontagious dis eas e during the yearunde r re cord . I should like to take this opportunity ofexpre s s ing my thanks to Khan Bahadur JudahHyam who

re tire s from Gove rnment s e rvic e this August. He has '

had'

charge ofthe he rd from the beginning and has s een it grow


into what is now the mos t famous h e rd ofit s kind in India,and it is inno small measure due to his care and expe rienc eindealing with all forms ofdisease that it has be en p oss ible t o bring such a s tate ofthings to pas s,as a s ingle out

break ofone ofthe more deadly forms ofcontagious dis eas e would have eas ily de s troye d t enyears ’ work. And i fthe re is one thing that c ons tant ly requ ire s to be dinne d intothe ears ofthe owne rs ofhe rds as we ll as subordinate s in(charge ofthem in this country, it is the ne c e s s ity fore xtreme Vigilanc e with stock uninoculate d by the s e rums imultaneous me thod, and the ne c e s s ity

'

oftaking prompt.and e ffe c tive measure s agains t outbreaks ofdiseas e .

I give he re the usual balanc e she e t forthe bre e dinghe rd

Re turns

R s . A. P . Rs . A. r.

R e c e ive dforsale ofmilk 13 3 Budge t forup ke e p 9 5

33 head s old in D e c emb er mds . 15 srs . grainatauc t ion 0 0 R s . 3 - 8 p ermd . 11117 5 0

3 7 head s old inAprilau c t ion 0 0 Oilc akeShe e p and cas t s t ock 499 12 0 mds. gre enfooderat

As . 4p ermd . 12 0TOTAL 9 3

Ne t c os t 7 2 md s . bhusaand drymaize s talk s at As . 4 p er

0 5 maund 8 0

md s . 13 srs . s ilage atAs . 6 p ermd . 14 0

TOTAL COST 0 5

The re was a cons ide rable inc rease in the pric e ofgrainduring the year, and that us e d forfe e ding cattle whichwas value d at Rs . 2 8 p ermaund in previous reports, hasbe en charge d forat Rs . 3 - 8 p ermaund this year.

The milk valuation, howeve r, remains extraordinarilylow at 10 Lahori. s e e rs (25 lb .) to the rupe e . Cattle sale srealize d Rs . fors eventy animals which is a s lightindication ofthe real value ofthe he rd, as we naturally


ke ep the be st stuffto bre e d from. The only conclus iorrwhich canbe drawn from the above is that we have he re ahe rd ofgreat value which has now reache d a s tage in whichit fully repays eve ry rupe e spent in improving, building,e t c ., and large e xtens ions in the l ine ofbuildings and areawill be impe rative in the near future i f the he rd is to maintain it s pre sent progre s s .

I am c onstantly re c e iving enquirie s from fore ign Government s and Adminis trations regarding s tock . To enablesuch enquire rs to s e e what he rds are kept at Pusa and theave rage numbe r available fordisposal each year, I proposeto have a pe rmanent adve rti sement in the AgriculturalJournalofIndia giving the s e fac ts and othe r particulars .

Sh e ep . The attenuate d garrison which he ld the fortat Pusaforsome fift e enyears agains t eve ry disease und e rthe sun, marche d out ofPusa on7th April, 1919, the rebyte rminating anexpe riment which has conc lus ive ly shownthat the local conditions mil itate fartoo strongly againstany attempt to improve fle e c e and mutton conjo intly, asthe improved c ros s imme diate ly be c ome s l iable to nume rousdis eas e s which do not s e em to affe ct the local she ep,and anappalling death rate is the re sult. I us e the word improve dc ros s advise dly— as from the mutton fle e c e po int ofview.

The spirit was doubtle s s willing but the fle sh was uncommonly weak and the majority we re neve r in such good c ondition as the local she ep . I may he re say that such anexpe riment as the above carrie d on in a re stric ted areaoc cupie d by a large he rd ofcattle is l iable to, and has p oss ibly brought in,much dis eas e and it was the strong susp ic ion that such was the cas e , couple d with the imposs ibilityoffind ing areaforboth cattle and she ep, that was partlyrespons ible forthe abandonment ofthe she ep expe riments .

Mis c ellane ous . P lans have be en p ut up forinc reas ingthe pre sent ve te rinary dispensary. Ove r patients ,

we re dealt with las t year, which is s training the capac ityofthe plac e to the utmost .I wish he re to expre s s my thanks forthe way in which

the cattle staff have worke d . The work unde r the ir charge


34 SCIENTIF IC REPORTS OF THEAGRICULTURAL RESEARCHtion ofanagriculturist who is also anengine e ris requ ire d he re to enable the s e expe riments tobe thoroughly carrie d out ;

(it ) collaboration with manufac turers regarding the

manu fac turing and introduc tion of anyimprovements in pre s ent type s to su it Indianconditions .

V. Exp erimentalwork at Pusa. Afte r the pre l iminaryte s ting ofthe new expe rimental areaat Pusa, the followingwill be s tarte d and continue d along with existing work

(a) Rotational expe riments .

(5) Trial ofnew varie tie s ofexis ting c rops, e spe c iallyleguminous fodde r c rops and wheat varie tie s .

(c ) Manurial expe riments , e spe c ially s easonal andquantitative te s ts with phosphate s .

(d ) Rotation and manurial expe riments alreadys tarte d .

(6) Seas onal te sts with Java and Sumatrana indigo .

(f) Trial ofsugarcane varie t ie s su itable forgrowthwithout irrigation. (Some ofDr. Barbe r ’svarie tie s are ve ry promis ing.)

VI . Demons trations , exhibitions and sale s ofsurplusdai ry s tock, e t c .,will be he ld from time to t imeas oc cas ionoffe rs .

Minor.VII . Touring and advis ory. V is its will be pai d to

provinc ial agricultural c entre s . This should tend to c o

o rdination ofagricultural work .


REPORT OF THE IMPERIAL AGRICULTURALCHEMIST

(W.H.HARRISON,D .Sc .)

I . ADM INISTRATION.

I availe d myse l f ofprivilege leave from 4th July to 7thAugust, 1918, and during this pe riod the Firs t As s istant,Mr. J N. Muke rj i, was p lac e d in charge ofthe Se c tion .

F orthe re s t ofthe year I was in c ontrol .Mr. J Sen, Supe rnume rary Agricultural Chemis t,

continue d onspe c ial duty unde r the Gove rnment ofthe

Unite d P rovinc e s in conne c tion -with the opium inve s tigat ions . His c ontinue d abs enc e from his pe rmanent pos t atPusa entails c ons ide rable inconvenienc e to the h ead oftheSe c tion who, as a consequenc e , must ne c e s sarily give moreattention to the routine analytical work than is de s irablei f mate rial progre s s 1s to be made in res earch .

II . EDUCATION.

Mr. A. K. M itra,who joine d on ls t June , 1918, as as tipendiary s tudent ofthe Bihar and Orissa Gove rnment,re c e ive d tuition during the whole ofthe year unde r review.

III . MEETING orAGRICULTURAL CHEM IST S .The First Me e ting ofAgricultural Chemis ts was he ld

at Pusa on24th February, 1919, and the following days .

The proc e e dings we re opene d by the Agricultural Advis e rto the Gove rnment ofIndia. The subj e c ts plac e d forcons ide ration be fore the mee ting cove re d '

a wide field andc omprise d the drafting ofa Fe rtilize r Ac t applicable to

Indian c onditions ; the proposal ofthe Industrial Commiss1on1n.regard to the formation ofa chemists ’ se rvic e ;s tandardi zation ofanalytical me thods ; the regulation ofso il surveys and ”

the ne c e ss ity forthe formation ofgroupsofs c ient ific offic ers forthe sp e c ific s tudy ofspe c iali ze dagricultural problems such as animal nutrition, soil biology,


e t c . A report ofthe proc e e dings has be en prepare d forpublication .

IV. METEOROLOGY AND DRAIN- GAUGES .The usual me teorological re c ord s we re maintaine d, and‘

in addition continuous re c ords ofthe readings ofwe t anddry the rmome te rs we re ins titute d. The c rops and drainagewate rs from the drain - gauge s we re examine d in the usualmanne r.

V. GENERAL ANALYTICAL WORK AND AS SISTANCE GIVENTO OTHER SECTIONS .

The following sample s were analyse d and reporte d uponduring the year

SoilsManure sF e e ding s tuffsSugarcaneGur(crud e sugar)Hid e saltCarbonbisulphid eCop p ersulp hat e s olut ionF ungic id e sLead ars enat eCont ent s ofs tomach and int e s t ine s ofa

buffalo

TOTAL

Among the items ofinte re s t in this c onne c tion,attentionmay be drawnto the numbe r offe e ding s tuffs and fodde rswhich we re re c e ive dforexamination in re lation to suspe c te dcase s ofpoisoning . In only one instanc e was the suspic ionc onfirme d by analys is whe re a cons ide rable proportion ofprus s ic ac id was obtaine d from a sample oflins e e d cakefrom a remount dep6t. Ac ting upon the analytical reportthe use ofthis cake was dis continue d when a comple tec e s sation ofthe case s ofpoisoning oc curre d. The appearanc e ofthe cake sugges te d that it was the produc tion oftheordinary country mill, and probably the expre s s ion ofthe


3 8 SCIENTIFIC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH

VII . MODE orACTIONOF SUPERPHO SPHATE INCALCAREOU SAND NON- CALCAREOU S SOILS .

In continuation ofthe inve s tigation, reporte d las t year,d eal ing W i th the reac tions be twe en mono and di - calc icphosphate s and calc ium carbonate , attention has be endire c te d to the re tention ofP

20

5in calcareous and non

calcareous soils, Pusa and Kalianpur so ils be ing taken asthe re spe c tive type s . Forme rly the phenomenon ofre tention by soils was explaine d as sole ly due to the formationofc omparative ly insoluble phosphate s, but in late r yearsthe tendency has be en to asc ribe i t large ly to adsorption .

In View ofthe fac ts that Pusa so il c ontains a Ve ry largeproportion ofCaCO and that the mono and di - calc icphosphate s reac t with \ this substanc e , it s e eme d probable— even if the laws ofadsorption we re the de te rminingfac tor in non- calcareous soils— that re tention would bemainly due to chemical combinations in calcareous soils .

In ord e r to te st this , definit e quantitie s ofthe type soilswe re shaken with a definit e volume ofsolutions ofsup e rp hosphate ofvarying gonc entrat ions , and t he distributionofthe P

20 be twe enthe solvent and the soil de te rmine d. On

plotting the logarithms ofthe s e value s agains t each othe rit was found that, in the cas e ofthe non- calcareous soil,they lay upon a s traight line , which is the c rite rion foradsorption . In the cas e ofthe calcareous so il the pointslay along a s inuous curve ; cons e quently adsorption is thede te rmining fac tor in non- calcareous so ils but not in cal

care ous so ils .

A s imilar s e rie s ofde te rminations with solutions ofdiand tri—sodium phosphate s showe d that adsorptionoc curre d in both calcareous and non- calcare ous so ils, andconsequently the conc lus ion to be drawn is that the re tention ofsupe rphosphate in the forme r type ofsoils is oneof‘

chemical c ombination.

A variation ofthe s e expe riments was made by allowmgone kilo ofsoil to remain in c ontac t forone we ek, withoutshaking, with 450 c c . ofsolutions ofvarying c onc entrat ions ofSupe rphosphate ,and then de te rmining the dis tribu


tion ofthe P20

5be twe en the solvent and the so il. Unde r

the s e conditions the re sults obtaine d with both type s ofso il we re almos t identical . This is explaine d by t he fac tthat the Kal ianpur soil contains a small proportion ofCaCO,and as the proportion ofso il taken was large the rewas suffic ient ‘CaCO, pre s ent to combine with the quantitie s of13

20

5taken. It may the re fore be ac c epte d that even

small quantitie s ofCaCO3can, unde r c e rtain c onditions,

entire ly mask re tention through adsorption .

The c onc lus ion aris ing out ofthe s e expe riments is that thedis tribution, throughout the mas s ofthe soil and imme diatesubsoil, ofthe P 2

05containe d in a dre s s ing ofsup erphos

phate applie d to the type so ils would be ofa ve ry d iffe rentorde r in each case . To te s t thi s conc lus i on a definit e amount,ofP

20

5dis solve d in a known volume ofwate r was allowe d

to pe rcolate through a column ofsoi l of20” depth c ontaine da glas s tube . When pe rcolation had c ease d the tube of

so il was cut into.two inch s e c tions and the amount ofP

20

5

re taine d in each s e c tion de te rmine d . An approximatede te rmination ofthe P

20

5he ld in solution in each s e c tion

and the P20

5re tame d by the so il was also made .

In the case ofthe Kalianpur so il the pe rc olate c ontaine dve ry appre c iable quantitie s ofP

20

5 ,and the amount he ld

by the soil varie d from 12 p ercent . ofthe original amounttaken in the first laye r ofsoil to 2—5 p erc ent. in the lowe s t .The total amount ofP

20

5 (soluble and in solution) re taine dby any one s ec tion was in ac cordanc e wi th conditionsdemande d by adsorption .

The distribution through the c olumn ofPusa soil wastotally dis tinc t . No P

20

5 ,oronly trac e s, we re obtaine d in

the pe rc olate s,and 69p erc ent . ofthe original amount takenwas re taine d in an insoluble c ondition in the first, twoinche s and 76 p erc ent. in the firs t four, whils t prac ticallyno P

20

5pene trate d to a greate r depth than 12 inche s . It

is also noteworthy that the amount ofP20

5pre s ent in solu

tion in the Pusa soi l was ve ry much le s s. than the amountpre sent in the corre sponding s e c tion ofKalianpur $011.

The addition of5 perc ent. CaCO, to the Kalianpur soilbrought about a distribution analogous to that obtaine d in


the Pusa so il, thus demons trating the \fac t that this sub

stanc e is the re spons ible agent ofre tention in the latte r.The gene ral conc lus ions aris ing out ofthis inve stigation

are (a) that the re tention ofP20

5in calcare ous soi ls is a

d iffe rent phenomenon to that ofnoncalcareous so ils , (b)that the range ove r which applications ofsupe rphosphateare effe c tive is wide in the case ofnoncalcareous so ils butvery res tric te d in the cas e ofcalcareous so ils ,and (c) thatt he princ iple s unde rlying the employment ofsup erp hosphate in non- calcareous soils orsoils oflow CaCO

3content

are not applicable to calcareous soils, and that the condit ions fore ffe c t ive phosphatic manuring in the latte r requirefurthe r c los e s tudy.

VIII . THE WINDROWING OF SUGARCANE.AnAs s istant was depute d to work at the Tarnab Farm,

North -We st Frontie r P rovinc e , from De c embe r, 1918, toMarch,1919, and during this pe riod made nume rous te stsin orde r to follow the c ours e ofthe change s taking place inthe cane .

The s cheme ofexpe riment was as follows — The sugarc ane areawas divide d into thre e portions, the firs t ofwhichwas sample d and analyse d on18th D e c embe r, 1918,andimme diate ly windrowe d . The s e cond portion was sample d,analyse d and windrowed onJanuary l0th, and the remainderonFebruary 3rd . It was pos s ible , the re fore , toinstitute comparisons be twe en cane s windrowe d early andlate , and at the same time by drawing repre sentativesample s the charac t e r ofthe change s which oc curre d in thewindrowe d cane could be de te rmine d at any time .

A s tudy ofthe analytical data obtaine d showe d that thet otal‘ solids ,as measure d by Brix, inc rease during the pe riodofstorage , so that the juic e be come s more and more conc entrat e d as time goe s on. At the same time the pe rc entageofboth glucose and suc rose inc rease s, so that the juic e ofa windrowe d cane c ontains a large r proportion ofthe s ec onsti tuents than doe s the o riginal cane . On the othe rhand, the glucose ratio widens, and the re is also a slight



supports the theory that the de te rmining fac tor is a‘

s easonalone . This fac tor is one not easy ofde te rmination unle ssobs e rvations are extende d ove r a se rie s ofs easons , but acomparison ofthe weathe r re cords forPe shawarforthes easons ofDe c embe r to March,1917 - 18 and 1918—19, showsthat the ave rage tempe rature s were osomewh

'

at highe r inthe earlie r s eason than in the late r, and this would appearto throw out ofc ourt any que s tion oft emmrature as be ingthe real de te rmining cause , although this is probably animportant s e condary fac tor . One c omparison, howeve r, is .

ve ry significant and that is the dat e onwhich heavy rainfallwas firs t exp e rienc e d. In 1918no rain ofany meaning fe lluntil the first we ek in March, and the cane s showe d node te rioration up to that time . Analyse s made late r showe dthe cane to b e infe rior. During 1919 a heavy downfalloc curre d about the first ofFebruary followe d s eve ral days .

late r by anothe r heavy fall, and it is remarkable that this .pe riod marks the point at which rapid de te rioration s e ts in.

Thus during both years a falling offin the quality ofthecane was firs t notic e d during the pe riod imme diate ly following heavy rainfall, and this may cons equently be provis ionally s e le c te d as the s easonal fac to r which de te rmine s thelength ofthe pe riod during which cane s may be safe lys tore d ‘

by windrowing .

IX . PADDY MANURIAL EXPERIMENT SA re fe renc e was made in las t year’s report to c e rtain

pre liminary manurial’

exp eriment s with paddy which we reinstitute d in orde r to de te rmine whe the r ornot they couldbe suc c e ss fully carrie d out unde r Pusa conditions . No

insupe rable difficult ie s we re expe rienc e d but , as the sequelshowe d, it was anunfortunate c ircums tanc e that long - dateSouth Indian paddie s we re s e lec te d. The paddy grew in asatis fac tory manne r but ,although plante d ve ry early in theyear,no flowering oc curre d until the cold weathe r had we lls e t in,and as a conse quenc e the s e e d formation was exc e e dingly poor and ofno prac tical value forpurpos e s ofcomparison. The ve ge tative yie lds we re , howeve r, satisfac toryandmay be utilize d forthis purpose .


Anothe r notic eable feature was the fac t that in afewisolate d pots (about 6p erc ent. ofthe total) a ve ry abnormalgrowth took plac e , varying from 200 to 500 p erc ent.inc rease ove r the che ck pots in the ir particular s e ries .The se abnormalitie s oc curre d in pots containing gre enmanure only,as we ll as in pots to which only ammoniumsulphate had be en adde d, and as the analys is ofthe so ilgave no c lue it is diffi cult to asc ribe the re sult to any particularcaus e . I be lie ve that othe r offic ers ofthe departmenthave had a s imilar expe rienc e .

J

Eliminat ing the s e abnormal pots a fai r comparison canbe drawn . The unde rlying obj e c t ofthe expe riment wasto te s t the conc lus ion previous ly arrive d at that gre enmanure s in re lation to paddy cultivation mainly ac t in anindirec t manne r, and that their maximum e ffe c t would beexpe rienc e d when they are emp loye d in c onjunc tion withdire ct manure s: Nitrogen in the form ofammonium sul

phate was taken as the variable mine ral manure ,and it wasadde d in such quantity that each se rie s containe d nitrogenat the rate of0, 20, 40, 80 and 160 lb. p erac re as the case

might be . To hal f the pots green manure was adde d at theuniform rate of lb. p erac re , so that a c omparison ofthe efiec t ofthis quantity use d in c onjunc tion with increasing amounts ofnitrogen c ould be de te rmine d . The ave ragere sults we re as follows , the c rop value s be ing given ingramme s

Mineralmanure Yield withadde d (rat e ) ammonium

sulp hat e

only

135 5

2363

2436 2245


As this is a pre liminary expe riment, and is now be ingrepeate d unde r more s tringent conditions , it is only ne pe ssary to point out that the inc rement due to the gre en manuretends to inc reas e as the c ropping due to nitrogen aloneinc rease s, thus giving some confirmat ion to the conc lus ions d e duc e d from previous inve s tigations .A se rie s ofexpe rimental pots have be en lai d down with

t he obje c t ofde te rmining the comparative value s to be

asc ribe d to the dire c t and indire c t ac tion ofgre en manure s .

X . M ISCELLANEOU S .At my reque s t,my First As s is tant repeate d the labora

tory expe riments onwhich a portion ofMemoir,Vol. II,No . 3, Botanical Se rie s, Note on a toxic substanc ee xc re te d by the roots ofplants , was bas e d, us ing anart ific ial nutrient solut ion in place ofthe we ll wate r use dby the author . Briefly, the me thod ofexpe riment was togrow a

‘ large numbe r ofwheat, arhar(Cajanus ind icus)and gram s e e dlings in the solution fora c e rtain pe riod oftime , and then to allow the solution to evaporat e spontane ously to one - third ofit s original bulk . A “blank ”

c onc entrate d solution was also prepare d by the evaporation«ofa solution in which no s e e dl ings had be en grown. Itwas found that the s e e dlings grown in this conc entrate ds olution thrive much be tte r than those grown in the

blank.” thus offe ring no support to the theory oftoxice xc re tion.

Sample s oftobac co from expe rimental plots rec e ivingd iffe rent manurial treatment we re examine d fortotal ash,‘potash, chlorine ,amido - nitrogen and prote i d content,and itwas found that,with the exc eption ofchlorine , the se value sbore no re lation to the treatment re c e ived . Te ste d forthe irburning value by Toth’s me thod it was obse rve d that tobac comanure d with saltpe tre burnt we ll but quickly, that withsupe rphosphate treatment was much infe rior . A combinat ion ofthe se manure s produc e d a tobac co which burntfai rly we ll and not too quickly.


SCIENTIF IC REPORTS OF THEAGRICULTURAL RESEARCH

REPORT OF THE IMPERIALECONOMICBOTANISTS.

(A.HOWARD, M .A., AND G . L. C'

.HOWARD,I . INTRODUCTION.

The Impe rial Ec onomic Botanis t he ld charge oftheSe c tion during the year ending June 30th, 1919, with theexc eption ofs ix we eks from Oc tobe r 22nd, 1918, whichwe re spent on privilege leave in India. During thispe riod, the Se cond As s is tant,Maulvi Abdur Rahman Khan,was in charge ofcurrent dutie s at Pusa.

The work ofthe s taffcontinue s to be satis fac tory. The

Se cond As s is tant has made hims e lf ve ry use ful in conne ction with the improvement ofthe Botanical Area and inthe expe rimental work in C entral India and at Pusa.

Chowdhry Ram Dhan Singh, B.Sc ., Third As s istant, has

worke d we ll at the expe riments in progre s s onindigo . ThisAs s is tant, onthe re commendation ofthe Se c tion, has be engrante d by the Gove rnment ofIndia a s tipend of£150 ayear forthre e years with a fre e passage both ways to enablehim to read foranHonours degre e in Natural Sc ienc e atCambridge Unive rs ity . Babu Kashi Ram, Fourth As s is tant , continue s to do use ful work in conne c tion with the

vege table - drying‘

expe riments at Que tta and with . the

tobac co - bre e ding expe riments ‘

at Pusa

The d ifficult ie s in conne c tion with the transport ofs e e dby rail,referred

'

to in the last report, inc rease d c ons ide rablyduring the year . In c ons equenc e ofthe control ofwheatwhich was rende re d ne c e s sary by the shortage ofsupplie sin India, the fac ilitie s grante d last year by the CentralTransport and Food s tuffs Board lapse d when that body '

c ease d to exis t. The sys tem ofpriority c ert ificate s inforc e worke d fairly we ll till the end ofApril when allmovement ofgoods had to be re stric te d due t tXthe exigenc ie s ofthe military s ituation onthe North -We s t Frontie r


-A cons ignment of mds . ofPusa 4, purchas e d forthe“Gwal ior State to replac e the country c rop at c e rtain centre s- inthe famine - s tricken areas ofthe State , unfortunate lywas only partially c leare d by the railway be fore all c iviltransport be came imposs ible . A ve ry favourable op p ortunityforstarting anew c entre ofdis tribution onthe larges cale with this

‘

wheat could the re fore not be fully util ize d .

As the wheat could not be s tore d it had,to be sold forlocalsc onsump t ion be fore the rains s e t in. As soon as the

Se c tion poss e s s e s greate r fac ilit ie s,'

such, d ifficult ie s canbesurmounte d by the s imple devic e ofstorage in bulk and bythe ac cumulation oflarge re s e rve s which canbe re leas e d asoc cas ion demands .

II .WHEAT .Se ed d is tributioninInd ia. In the pre vious report, a

de taile d ac count was given ofthe progre ss made and ofthe means adopte d in the substitution ofthe country wheatsby Pusa12 and Pusa4. This work is be ing vigorously prosecut e d and many new c entre s ofdistribution, inc ludingt he ChinHills in Burma and many of. the Indian State s,have aris en in various parts ofthe country. As usual, theamount ofbotanically pure s ee d available fors tarting the sec entre s prove d inadequate and

‘l ittle orno re s tocking ofoldone s was pos s ible during the year. The area unde r Pusa12 and Pusa 4 during the s eason of1918 - 19was e stimate dat half a million ac re s . The inc rease d value ofthe c rop,judge d by nume rous c rop - cutting expe riments, is at leas tfift eenrupe e s anac re so that the annual d ividend onth isportion ofthe work ofthe Se c tion has already 'reache ds eventy - hy e lakhs ofrupe e s s te rling) and is

rapidly inc reas ing . As one year is too short a pe riod toj us tify the time and trouble to all conc e rne d in preparing,

afre sh summary ofthe pos ition ofthe se se e d dis tributionscheme s , progre s s will be re corde d in the next report andin future in alte rnate years . In the pre s ent pape r, thespace so save d will be devote d to anac count ofsome othe raspe c ts ofthe s e wheat inve stigations which have nowreache d the s tage when they canuse fully be discus se d .


One ve ry inte re s ting example ofaPusa12 replac ements cheme entire ly by means ofunoffic ialagency should, howeve r, be mentione d. This is the s e e d dis tribution s chemein the SimlaHill trac ts in which Mr.H. E. J P eake , the '

proprie tor ofthe Khaltoo Fruit Orchards, and SardarNarain Singh, Chie f Se c re tary ofthe SirmoorState , haveinte re ste d thems e lve s . In spite ofthe drought which lasts eason ruine d many ofthe field s sown with the ordinaryc rop, Pusa 12 did we ll . The numbe r ofVillage s growingthis wheat rose from thre e to e ight and the area inc rease dnearly s evenfold . From small beginnings , a large bulk ofs e e d has now be en obtaine d which will fac ilitate the

extende d ope rations in progre s s . The aim is to e s tablisha large continuous block ofth is varie ty in Sirmoor.

Int ensive wheat cultivation. As po int e d out in‘

thelast report, the substitution ofthe country c rop by animprove d varie ty is only the firs t s tep in rais ing wheatproduc tion in India to a highe r leve l . The inc reas e dyie lds so obtaine d and the highe r pric e p ermaund realiz e d fort he produc e , are imp ortant '

means ofe stabl ishingconfidenc e and ofs e tting up harmonious working re lationsbe twe en the Agricultural Department and the c ultivators .The work ofsys tematic subs titution corre sponds the re foret o the dut ie s ofthe advanc e guard ofanarmy.

_

The nexts tep is the demonstration ofthe extraordinary re sponseofsupe rior type s l ike Pusa12 and Pusa4 to improve d so ilc onditions . It is he re that the Agricultural Departmentwill encounte r it s greate s t d ifficult ie s and whe re it willeventually achieve i t s mos t striking “triumphs . Brieflys tate d, the problem is the removal, in advanc e , ofthe factors which now limit produc tion . A beginning has?

already be en made in the direc tion indicate d and re sults:are beginning to appear . At Sh‘

ahjahanpur in the Unite dP rovinc e s , C larke has obtaine d 365 maunds ofPusa12 tothe ac re , afte r sugarcane , in a yearwhich was not parti -rcularly favourable . At Indore , onthe black so ils oftheMalwa plateau, Coventry has obtaine d, ona plot 01?Pusa4,13 6 ac re s inarea, sown onDe cembe r 15th,a yie ld of35



ofirrigationwat erinwheat growing— the firs t e dition ofwhich appeare d at the end of1915 and wh ich has be en out

ofprint forsome time . At first , the s e inve stigations we reconfined to the Que tta valley but during the las t thre e yearsthey have be en extende d to the important wheat growingtrac ts ofNorth -We s t India. The re sults obtaine d are so

d efinit e and the dire c tion in which wheat produc tion inthe s e areas canbe improve d is so c learly indicated, that itappears de s i rable to take this opportunity ofsumming up

the pre s ent pos ition ofthe se inve stigations .

The Que tta expe riments fall into two s tage s . It wasfirs t found that, onroughly leve lle d land, a c rop offrom15 to 20maunds ofgrain to the ac re could be grown ononeirrigation, applie d be fore sowing, provide d care was takento

‘

obtain a good tilth and to break up rain c rus ts duringthe winte r and spring by means ofthe leve r harrow. Thisis cons ide rably more than the yie lds obtaine d by the zamindars ons imi lar land with s ix ors even irrigations . In thes e cond stage , a furthe r inc reas e in the duty ofwate r wass e cure d . This was obtaine d by care fully grading the land1and by the employment ofa leguminous rotation. In1918 -19, on land care fully grade d and afte r a summe rfallow pre c e de d by a cold weathe r c rop ofc love r, a yie ld of32 mds . 27 s e e rs lb .) ofgrain and 57 md s . 13 s e e rs

lb.) ofs traw was obtaine d onanac re plot onthe prel iminary wate ring only. The land was irrigated be foresowing onOc tobe r 12th and cultivate d lightly with the

spring tine cultivator followe d by the beam onOc tobe r 16thas soon as eve r the surfac e was dry enough forthis p urpos e , Unde r the thin mulch'

so produc e d, the soil drie ds lowly and yie lde d a pe rfe c t tilth when it was ploughe dwith iron ploughs onOc tobe r 19th . Be fore ploughing, the

1The d e tails relat ing to the me thod oflevelling adop t e d and t o the syst em of1rrigat ionforalluvial 80118 worke d out at Que t ta are d e s crib e d inQue t ta Bulle t inNo. 7— The irrigationofalluvial sod s— p ublishe d in1916.


s e ed was'

s catte re d broadcast onthe surfac e and afte r thewhole area was ploughe d onc e , the beam

"

was runove r theland both ways . Be s ide s the saving in cattle powe r, thisme thod ofcombine d tilth produc tion and s e e d cove ring,bymeans ofthe iron plough, involve s the min imum los s ofmois ture . Afte rwards, rain c rusts we re broken by the

harrow s even time s, the las t ope ration taking plac e onApril 15th, -1919. Side by s ide , about thre e ac re s ofs imilar land which was only roughly leve lle d and whichhad not borne a c love r c rop we re treate d in the same way.

The yie ld in this cas e was much lowe r— 19 mds . 31 s e e rsofgrain and 33 mds . 15 s e e rs lb.) ofstraw

t o the ac re .

In 1916, a beginning was made in the appl ication ofthe me thods worke d out at Que tta to the conditions ofNorth -We st India. The firs t results we re obtaine d in 1917onthe e state s ofRai Bahadur GangaRam,

and Rai Bahadur Sewak Ram at Gangapur andHaripurin the Lyallpur Distric t and at the se e d farm at Sargodhain the Jbe lum Colony . The pre liminary irrigation gavenearly t enmaunds ofwheat to the ac re , one additional“watering afte r sowing yie lded a l ittle ove r s ixte en whilethre e irrigations re duce d the yie ld appre c iably . At

Mirpurkhas in Sind, whe re the texture ofthe soil is finerthan that ofthe Canal Colonie s ofthe Punjab, Main1ohtained s till be tte r re sults . Afte r a de eply cultivate d hotweathe r fallow and a double irrigation in the latte r hal f ofOc tobe r, p is s t wheat onstiff working soils gave ove r 19mds .

1b.) to the ac re . Ons imilar land which re c e ive d inaddition one i rrigation in Jannary the yie ld was esemd s .

lb.) p erac re . Unde r the local Sindhi me thods,fourormore wate rings would have be en applie d to the s tandingcrop . Othe r comparative re sults obtaine d the same year inthemanne r de sc ribe d above are summarize d in Table I.

1Main, T. F . Agricultural Journal ofInd ia, vol. XIII, 1918, p . 653.

52 SCIENTIFIC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHTABLE I .

Wat erSaving re sult s obtained at Mirpurkhas, 1916

YIELD orGRAIN IN‘

LB. PER

ACR EVarie ty Areainacre s REMARKS

One wat ering No wat eringaft ersowing aft ersowmg

Pusa12 1333Soil somewhats t iff.

Pusa12

Pusa 12 1680

Pusa.12

Pusa 12 l 718

Pusa12

AVERAG E

It will be s e en that taking all the re sults in this tabletoge the r, the extra wate ring, onthe ave rage ,not only produc ed no re sult but s lightly depre s s e d the yie ld. Takingthe re sults onthe l ight, fre e -working so ils only, the ave rage yie ld onthe pre l iminary wate ring come s to lb.

p erac re while that with the extra January irrigat1onasonly lb. p erac re . Thus ona so il with good texture ,the s e cond irrigation depre s se d the yie ld by no le s s than152 lb . p erac re .

The mos t s triking re sults onwate r saving so farobtaine d in the plains ofNorth~we s t India we re s e cure dby C larke at the Sugar Expe riment Station at Shahjahanp urin 1919 afte r the poor monsoon of1918 (P lateV).The rainfall ofJune , July and August amounte d to 219inche s and the re was prac ticallyno rain during Septemberand Oc tobe r . The wheat (Pusa 12) was sown onnaturalmoisture in Oc tobe r and was irrigate d onc e only inNovember. The cold weathe r rainfall was ,2

-63 inche s all ofwhich was re c e ive d in January,1919. The yie lds obtaine d



are given in Table II . The sample ofgrain was a ve ry,

fine one with the uni form texture which mille rs so muchappre c iate .

TABLE II .

Yi eld s obtained with Pu sa 12 at Shahjahanp urwi th one irrigation,.1918

Totalyield Y'

1dPrevious crop Area inacre s ofgrainin .

le p eracremaunds m maund s

Sugarcane intrenche s

Sugarcane mos tly onthe flat ,a lit tle intrenche s

TOTAL AVERAG E

Taking all the se re sults toge the r, two princ iple s s tandout c learly. In the firs t plac e , it is evident that a fairwheat c rop in North -We st India canbe obtaine d unde rordinary c onditions and onordinary land by means ofthepreliminary irrigation only . In the se cond plac e , i f thetexture ofthe so il has be en improve d and if the surfac ehas be en prop e rly grade d (as was the cas e in the Que ttaand Shahjahanpur expe riments of1918 -19) the

~duty ofwate r 1s ve ry greatly inc rease d and extreme ly heavy c ropsare pos s ible with a comparative ly small volume ofirrigation wate r . Furth e r wate rings in the s e two expe riments .

would have produc e d no us e ful re sult as the grain in bothcas e s was we ll fille d and the yie ld had already reache d thelimits impos e d by the s tanding powe r ofthe varie tie sgrown. The e s tablishment ofthe s e two princ iple s leave sno doubt as to the main dire c tion ofimprovement in wheatproduc tion inNorth—We s t India. A port ion ofthe wheatand gram grown should be rais e d onthe pre liminary irrigat iononly supplemente d by the winte r rains orat themos t by one additional wate ring . The wate r thus s e t fre eshould be use d forthe produc tion ofleguminous fodder


c rops like luc e rne , s enj i (M elilo tus indica), be rs eem ands haft e d (Trifolium re sup z

’

natum) . Mos t ofthe s e can be

made into exc e llent hay and canbe bale d, e ithe r s eparate lyormixe d with ane qual amount ofbhusa, fortransportpurpose s . Forsome years past, trials ofthe se fodde rs havebe en carrie d out in the Fourth D ivis ion at Que tta, there sults ofwhich prove that by the ir use the we ight ofanimal food carrie d by anArmy onac tive se rvic e canbere duc e d by at leas t one - third with some re duc tion in cos t.Similar advantage s would be obtaine d in ordinary roadtransport. The gene ral improvement in the organizationofthe local fodde r supplie s would go farto solve the cattleand milk problems and would also inc reas e the supply ofmanure . A large nuc leus ofdrie d leguminous fodde r inNorth -We s t India would also be anadvantage in time offamine when one ofthe problems is to rail into the afie c t e dareas suffic ient forage to save the l ive s ofthe cattle . The s eleguminous fodde rs give the be s t yie ld i f the land is we llmanure d. If, the re fore , the zamindar we re to p ut up to afifth ofhis land into the se fodde rs eve ry year and we re toc onc entrate his supply ofmanure onthis

_

area, th is valuablerotation would rapidly improve the texture ofthe so il.This in turn would inc rease the yie ld ofwheat and wouldalso rais e the duty ofwate r. A great impe tus will beg iven to this work when the Army take up leguminousfodde rs for’ transport work ons imilar l ine s to thos e re c entlyadopte d in Egypt whe re about tons ofbe rs e em haywe re bale d forthe use ofthe Armie s ofPale stine andSalonika.

The bre ed ihg ofrus t—res is tant varie tie s . Animportants tage in the bre e ding ofrus t - re s istant wheats forIndiahas be en reache d . This

’

work was starte d in 1910 at Camb ridge whe re a numbe r ofIndian pure l ine s we re sown ass pring wheats and c ross e d with some ofP rofe ssor Bitten’snew rus t - re s istant hybrids . From the c ros s e s so obtaine dmany new forms have be en fixed at Pusawhich are charact eriz e d by s trong straw, rust re s is tanc e , good s tandingp owe r and heavy yie ld . The se are now be ing te ste d ona


SCIENTIF IC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHTlials ofnew Pu sa wh eat s at Pu sa, Cawnp ore and Kalianp ur,

1918 -19— c ontd .

Varie ty Cawnp ore Kalianp ur

’

Pusa44 2 496 2 210 2 072

Pusa45

Pusa4

Cawnp ore 13

The trials are be ing repeate d as the season of1918 -19

the Doab was abnormal . The monsoon was a failure atCawnpore while hot winds during the ripening pe riodlowe re d the yie ld ofthe late r kinds ve ry cons ide rably .

III . INDIGO.

In las t year’s report, a somewhat de taile d ac countw as given ofthe work in progre s s onJava indigo . Thisd ealt with a study ofthe c onditions ne c e s sary forgrowth:and fors e e d formation, ofthe fac tors ofimportanc e inroot deve lopment and ofthe princ iple s unde rlying improvement by se le c tion . The s e inve s t igat ions are be ing continne d and extende d . During the past year, a numbe r ofi nte re sting re sults have be en obtaine d many ofwhich bear-onthe prac tical aspe c ts ofthe industry.

Ind igo wilt . One ofthe difficult ie s encounte re d in thecultivation ofJava indi go inBihar is acondition knownas wilt. Afte r the middle ofthe monsoon, it o ften happensthat the Java plant c eas e s to thrive, growth s lows down,the fol iage c hange s c olour and afte rwards be come s progre s s ively re duc e d in amount. This is followe d by the

gradual death ofthe plant. As soc iate d with the wilte dc ond ition during this pe riod is extens ive de struc tion ofth efine roots and nodule s . As the re appeare d to be a connection be twe en the ris e ofthe subso il wate r in Bihar (P lateVI) and the deve lopment ofwilt, a se rie s oflys ime te r exp eriment s was carrie d out in 1918 in orde r to de te rminew he the r ornot the re is any re lation be twe en wate rlogging


from be low and the ap pearanc e ofthis trouble . The lys ime te rs cons i ste d ofc emente d tanks, 10

1

01ofanac re in area,

built above the ground leve l and provide d with drainageo penings which c ould be c los e d oropene d at will. Two

s e rie s ofthre e lys ime te rs we re construc te d. One s e t was

fille d with so il from the Kalianpur farm near Cawnpore ,the othe r with light Pusa soil . The Kalianpur soil ise xc e e dingly rich in “

available phosphate (03 18 p erc ent .)while Pusa soil, when analys e d by Dye r’s me thod, give sve ry low figures foravailable phosphate (0001p erThe re sults obtaine d were as follows

(1) In both Pusaand Kal ianpur so il, the indigo inthelys ime te rs with fre e drainage e scape d wilt.

(2)When the drainage openings we re c lose d andwate rlogging from be low took plac e , all theplants we re wilte d in both Kalianpur and Pusasoil .

(3) The wilt in the Kalianpur so il (rich in availablephosphate ) was much more pronounc e d than inPusa soil (said to be low in available phospha'te ).

(4) The growth in Kalianpur so il was much slowe rthan in Pusa soil .

(5) The s toppage ofdrainage brought about aninte re sting change in the root system ofthe indigoand caus e d the lat erals '

torunnear the surfac e .

Root d evelopment . The systematic examination ofthe“root sys tem ofthis c rop throughout the year, in varioussoils and unde r diffe rent conditions ofgrowth, continue st o yie ld inte re s ting re sults . This work is s till in progre s sand is not ’likely to be comple te d forsome time . The e ffe c tofprevious wate rlogging ons tiff so il onthe root system is

ve ry marke d . Five months afte r sowing, e qual areas onthethe wate rlogge d and c ontrol plots we re taken and the

he ights ofthe plants we re measure d . Onthe wate rlogge dplot, the ave rage he ight of200 plants was 104 cm., onthec ontrol the ave rage he ight ofane qual numberofplantswas 280 cm. When the root sys tem ofthe plants onthe sep lots was examine d, it was found that the firs t effe c t of


wate rlogging was to re stric t the roots to the uppe r laye rsduring the firs t few months ofgrowth and to change thegene ral charac te r ofthe root system. The deve lopment ofthe tap root is soon arre s te d and late r in the s eason one of

'

the late rals afte r bending take s it s plac e . When the sub

soil is more porous, the e ffe c t ofwate rlogging be fore sowingis le s s .

Sele c t ion. Animportant discove ry has be en made andutilize d in the s e le c tion work in progre s s onJava indigo .

Some time ago it was obs e rve d that if any s e t ofAugustsown s ee d plants is cut back during the early hot weathe r,there is a great range in the capac ity ofthe individuals toform new growth . The re is eve ry gradation be twe enabundant and rapid new growth and the deve lopment ofweak wilte d branche s .

Se ed produc t ion. Forthe fifth year in suc c es s ion, thecontinuous Java indigo plot in the Botanical Area yie ldeda fine c rop ofs e e d in spite ofanunfavourable s eason dueto the heavy rains in Augus t just afte r sowing and to theearly c e s sation ofthe monsoon in Septembe r. This plothas neve r re c e ive d any art ific ial manure neve rthe le s s thes e e d c rop continues progre s s ive ly to improve . A good c ropwas also obtaine d ona he ld lent by the Dhol i Es tate , Inthis cas e also no art ific ials we re applie d to the land and thepre sent is the third c rop ofifidigo s e e d which has be enraise d during the last thre e years .In conne c tion with the s e field re sults, the effe c t, onthe

growth and s e e d formation in this c rop, ofalte rations inthe soil texture was inve s tigate d by the modified sys tem of

p ot culture de sc ribe d in apape r read at the Indian Sc ienc eCongre s s at Lahore .

1 In this me thod, the so il conditionsdown to a depth oftwo fe e t canbe alte re d by the additionofsuch ae rating mate rials as sand, broken tile s and leafmould ora combination ofthe se substanc e s . The e ffe c t onthe growt h and s e e d formation is given in Table IV whe rethe re sults are expre s se d in gramme s in te rms of50 plants .

Agricultural Journal ofInd ia, Sp e c ial Ind ianSc ienc e Congre s s Numb er, 1918,



The growth ofindigo. A large amount ofcare fulexpe rimental work has be en carrie d out onthe c onditionsne ce ssary forthe e s tablishment ofthe ordinary c rop .

Sowing should be done early— ifposs ible be fore the hatht'ftin the beginning ofOc tobe r— and the land should be c leanfallowe d and we ll cultivate d be forehand. Late r sowingsare nothing like so suc c e s s ful . As regards the soil c ondit ions ne c e s sary, the addition ofmode rate dre s s ings oforganic matte r, applie d in the hot weathe r oronthe earlyrains, greatly as s is ts in the e s tablishment ofthe se edlingsand in the early growth ofthe c rop . I f sown onve ry poorland, it has always be en obs e rve d that Java indigo e s tabl ishe s with great difficulty and that nume rous blank spac e soc cur . The se re sults indicate the ne e d ofcombine d nitrogenforthe early growth ofth is leguminous crOp , This ,

was c onfirme d by the behaviour ofindigo onplots uniformlymanure d with 15 maunds ofo ilcake to the ac re , a portionofwhich was wate rlogge d fora-month be fore the c rop wassown . It is known from previous expe rienc e ofthe Pusasoil that wate rlogging foramonth during the late monsoonis suffic ient to bring about extens ive loss e s ofc ombine dnitrogen through denitrifi'

cat ion. Onthe wate rlogge d p ortion ofthe plot, the indigo grew with great s lowne s s at thebe ginning compare d with the control and this diffe renc ehas always be en maintaine d through the hot weathe r.Thus the field re sults as we ll as those se cure d by the modifie d sys tem ofp ot culture ,allpo int to the ne e d ofcombine dnitrogen in e stabli shing a good stand ofJaya indigo . Onthe othe r hand, it is we ll known that heavy dre s s ings ofsubstanc e s like s e e th, oilcake,and farmyard manure s t imu

late vege tat ive growth at the expense ofindican ‘formation,a proc e s s which take s plac e be s t if the plant is grown onland somewhat onthe poor s ide . Aninte re s ting field ofinve s tigation is the re fore indicate d . It may be found topay to s timulate the c rop a little by means oforganic matte rso as to e s tablish it rap idly and strongly even ifthe yie ldofindican p er100maunds ofgre en plant is the reby s lightlyre duc e d. The inc reas e d produce ofindigo p erac re might


be found to pay. Such amatte r howeve r cannot be s e ttle dby expe riments onsmall plots onac count ofthe we ll knownd ifficulty in Bihar ofobtaining even land to the depth madeuse ofby this c rop, and ofmanufac turing small lots ofgre en plant . It is amatte r which will have to be dec ide dby gene ral expe rienc e ofwork unde r e state conditions .Pos s ibly the eas ie s t and most e conomical me thod ofte stingthe po int would be to manure forthe previous c rop and torais e the indigo onland in fair'

condition .

IV . DRAINAGE AND CROP PRODUCTION.

In the report of1917 -18, the bearing ofthe so il ae rationfac toronhood irrigation, as prac tise d by the cultivatorsin North -We s t India, was discus s e d . It was shown thatsuc c e s s ful irrigation involve s more than the me re application ofwate r and that the aim ofthe irrigator should bethe provis ionofwat erinsuch a manneras to int erfere aslit tle as p oss ible with the aeration ofthe soil. At theme e ting ofthe Indian Sc ienc e Congre ss at Bombay earlythis year, anothe r aspe c t ofsoil ae ration was dealt with,name ly, inadequate drainage— a matte r of particularimportanc e in many parts of

‘

India. Ove r large areasnourishe d by the monsoon this fac tor bars progre s s . It s

removal, howeve r, is a matte r which often lie s outs ide thes cope ofthe Agricultural Department and it s me re cons ide ration involve s a multitude ofothe r inte re s ts— thoseofthe cultivator, the landowne r, the revenue authoritie s,the engine e r and the sanitarian.

In the‘

plains ofIndia, defe c tive drainage arise s dur ingthe monsoon from two dis tinc t cause s . In the firs t plac e ,whenthe so ils are onthe s t ifi s ide , local ac cumulations ofrain wate r rapidly lowe r the fe rtil ity . In the s e condplac e , the subso il wate r o ften rise s to such anextent at atime when the how ofthe rive rs is impe de d that little orno

_ general drainage is poss ible ove r large trac ts ofthealluvium .

Surfac e wate rlogging has be en‘found to affe c t growthintwo ways— by the de s truc tion ofavailable nitrate s and

E 2


by a profound alte ration in the phys ical texture ofthe so il.When the land drie s afte r a long pe riod ofsurfac e wate rlogging, it is d iffi cult to obtain the ideal c rumb s truc tureand to provide suffic ient room in the so il forroo t deve lopment. The c lods do not readily break down unde r thebeam and the so il is gummy to the fe e l . Colloi dal subs tanc e s appear to be forme d unde r the se anae robic conditions which not only hinde r the formation ofa good mmbut also prevent pe rcolation. It is qu ite common at Pusaafte r a ve ry heavy monsoon to hnd the pore - spac e s near thesurfac e almos t entire ly fille d with ’

wat erforsome cons ide rable time afte r the leve l ofthe rive rs and ofthe

' groundwate r has begun to fall. The sur fac e soil doe s not s eem

to be able to drain. Animprovement in the texture follows i f the surfac e drainage is improve d and in case s whe reorganic matte r has re c ently been adde d t o the so il . The

gummy substanc e s do not then s e em to be forme d to anygreat e xtent and the c lods readily break down. The s ematte rs require exac t and care ful inve s tigation and it isd ifficult to sugge s t a more promis ing field ofwork forthes oil phys ic ist in India.

The effe c t ofthe ris e ofthe subso il wate r lnpreventingd rainage is we ll marke d inNorth Bihar afte r the monsoonhas s e t in. The flow ofthe local rive rs is soon che cke d byt he rise ofthe leve l ofthe Ganges . As a re sult, therive rs overflow and the low- lying areas go underwate r .The ris e in the leve l ofthe rive rs is followe d by a ris e inthe wate r - leve l ofthe we lls . The se movements ofthe

river—leve l and ofthe gene ral ground-wate r are illustrate din the curve s oppos ite (P late VI) which repre sent the condition ofthe rive r at Pusa and ofone ofthe we lls (about aquarte r ofa mile distant from the rive r bank) fortheyears 1910, 1912 1913 and 1914. It will be s e en that thec urve s ofthe ground - wate r leve l vary ac c ording to the year.In some years l ike 1912 and 1914, the curve is even and nogreat osc illations ofleve l oc cur. Inothe rs, such as 1910and 1913 , the re are we ll -marke d os c illations . Thes e osc il

lat ions, from the plant’s point ofview, are ofthe greates t



importanc e as a fall in the leve l ofthe ground -wate r meansa strong downward pull and the temporary re sumption ofdrainage and ofso il - ae ration . In inte rpre ting field exp eriments the re fore in t he monsoon, the amount ofdrainagewhich is poss ible may eas ily prove to be an importantfac tor.The effe c t ofimprove d surfac e drainage onc rop pro

duc tion has be en found to be ve ry cons ide rable in the

BotanicalArea at Pusa. Not only is the loss ofnitrate sby d enitrificat iongreatly re duc e d but good drainage , combine d with the che cking ofe ros ion, has had the effe c t ofmaintammg the fe rtility with a comparative ly smallexpenditure oforganic manure .

“

The behaviour oftwotypical plots in the Botanical Area brings out this po int.c learly . In the cas e ofplot 10, one and three - quarterac re s in area, a typical wheat soil ofrathe r heavy texture ,the re cords show that during the las t 15 years this field hasproduc ed 13 heavy c e real and 2 good pulse c rops while themanurial treatment has cons is te d only ofthre e gre enmanurings with sanai (Crotalam

’

a junc ea) and a s ingledre ss ing ofcas tor cake at the rate of15 mds . p erac re .

The pre sent condition of. the land shows that it hasimprove d unde r the treatment . In 1919, yie lds ofove r 30mds . ofwheat to the ac re we re produc ed in a s eason whichd id not favour heavy c rops . Anothe r plot,No . 1, ofsomewhat lighte r land and about one ac re in area, has given,s inc e 1905, 10 good c rops ofc e reals, thre e ofpulse s andtwo ofindigo s e e d . The manuring forthe se 15 heavyc rops cons iste d ofthre e gre en manurings, a total of15 1

tons offarmyard manure p erac re and a s ingle dre ss ingof10 maunds ofo ilcake to the ac re . The wheat c rop ofthe las t year was ove r 29mds . p erac re , the highe s t so fargive n by the area. He re again the land has inc rease di atherthan de c reas e d in fe rtility. Similar expe rienc ehas be en obtaine d at Que tta whe re anarea oflandabout 3 ac re s in area has be en continuous ly c roppedwith wheat without manure s inc e 1912 . The wheat israised ona s ingle irrigation applie d be fore sowing and


afte r the c rop is reape d, care is taken to plough up the

s tubble s and to expos e the soil to the sunand airduringthe summe r months . The yie ld in 1919was jus t unde r 20mds . p erac re, the highe s t so farobtaine d . Re sults suchas thos e quote d above indicate that alluvial soils , i fprope rly manage d, do not require large quantitie s oforganic matte r to

“ ke ep up the ir fe rtility. That suchyie lds canbe obtaine d at allindicate s that nitrogen fixat ionin the s e soi ls mus t be much greate r than is commonly suppos e d. The re sults obtaine d in the Botanical Area at

Pusaand onthe se ed farms in the Unite d P rovinc e s c learlyindicate that any fears ofso il deple tion in the plains ofIndia are groundle s s . Inc reas e d rathe r than de c rease dyie lds are to be expe c te d as surfac e drainage is improve d,as e ros ion be come s che cke d, as the texture ofthe land isimprove d by the e xtende d us e ofsu itable leguminousrotations and as the conditions ne c e s sary fornitrogen fixation are e luc idate d and applied.

V. THE SUN- DRYING OF VEGETABLES .The work in progre s s at Que tta onthe sun- drying of

vege table s has be en extende d cons ide rably. Towards theend oflast year (1918) this produc t was plac e d onthe

marke t forthe firs t time at Que tta and also at Calcutta.

About hal f—pound tins we re prepare d which found aready sale . The demand at Que tta was extraord inary.The orde rs amounte d to about tins ofwhich onlyabout hy e p erc ent. could be me t . The princ ipalpurchas e rswe re the engine e ring partie s engage d onthe Nushki Extens ion Railway and the various regiments ope rating inM e sopotamia and P e rs ia.

Ane xhibit ofQue tta sun- drie d vege table s was arrange dat the Me dical Conve rsaz ione at Pare l he ld in conne c tionwith the Bombay me e ting ofthe Indian Sc ienc e Congre ss .

As usual, this attrac te d the attention ofa large numbe r ofvis itors . It also le d to the e stablishment ofanagency inBombay forthe sale ofthe p roduc t. The exhibit wasafte rwards shownat the Lucknow Flowe r Show.



VII . TonAc c o, F IBRES AND GRAM .

Tobacco. The demand fors e e d ofType 28 continue sto inc rease both forgene ral cultivation and forc igare tt epurpose s . Indents forabout ac re s ofnew cultivation we re dealt with which has exhauste d the whole ofthesupply ofs e e d . A numbe r oflate indents have be en transfe rre d to 1920. Aneffort will be made this year to growa large r s tock ofs e le c te d se e d . In addition to appli cations fors e e d, a numbe r ofcorre spondents have aske d forsample s ofcure d leaf. It was ’

imp oss ible to supply any ofthe s e as all the land available was use d forproduc ing s ee d.

F ibre s . In addition to it s su itab ility forIndia, theimproved type ofpatwa (Hibis eas cannab

‘

inus L.) knownas Type 3, is doing we ll in othe r countrie s . Afte r the preliminary trials, the Agricultural Department ofth e UnionofSouth Africa cable d forhy e tons ofs ee d ofthis var ie ty.Only a hundre d pounds could be spare d and so the op p ortunityforintroduc ing this type ona large scale into SouthAfricawas los t.

Gram. A comparative trial at Pusa of.some ofthe

more promis ing type s ofgram gave the following re sultsMd s . Se ers29 32 p er27 37

27 22

26 25

25 15

A cons ide rable demand fors e e d ofsome ofthe se type shas arisen,a small portion only ofwhich could be sat isfied

VIII . THE POLLINATIONOF INDIANCROP S .Afurthe r pape r dealing with the pollination ofIndian

c rops was prepare d forpublication during the year. Inthis the following c rops we re cons ide re d— San hemp,

(Crotalarz’

a juncea pigeon p ea (Cajanus indieasJava indigo (Ind igofera arre e ta Sumatranaindigo (Indigofera Snmatrana linse e d (Linnea


us itat is s imum taramira ordaan(Eruca sat iva L ), t il

(Sesamum indicum L.) niger, (Guiz otia abys s inica

jute (Corchoras cap sularis L. C . olitom’

us L.) and rose lle(Hibis ens SabdariffaIn the case ofthe leguminous c rops studie d— sanhemp,

pigeon p ea, Java and Sumatrana indigo— it was foundthat me thods ofpure line s ele c t ibnbase d onthe isolationofs ingle plants are not l ike ly to lead to any improvementIn the s e plants, me thods ofmas s s e le c tion, in which c ro‘

s s

ing is pe rmitte d within c e rtain limits, are like ly to be cons iderably more suc c e s s ful .In Indian linse e d, natural c ross ing was found to be »

greate r than was expe c te d from a study ofprevious obs ervat ions and ofthe me chanism ofthe flower. In c riticalwork onth is c rop, i t will be ne c e ssary to raise all se e dunde r‘ ne t .

IX . PROGRAMME AND PUBLICATIONS .Programme , 1919- 20. Inve stigations will be continue d ’

onthe following c rops onthe line s indicate d in the annualreport s and in the publications ofthe Se c tion—wheat,tobac co, fibre plants, indigo, gram, oil s e e ds, fodde r c rops .

and fruit .Publications . Thirte en pape rs we re written during

the year ofwhich the following have already appeare d1. Improvement s in the Packing and Transp ort ofFruit ih .

Ind ia. Bulle tin2, Fru i t Exp erim ent Station, Qu e t ta. .

Third Edit ion, 1919,

2 . The saving ofirrigat ionwat erinwheat growing . Bulle tin

4, Fruit Exp eriment Station, Qu e t ta. Se c ond Edit ion,1919.

3 . Re p ort for1917-18 onEc onomic Botany forthe Board of'

Sc ient ific Advic e .

4.' Drainage and crop produc t ion in Ind ia. Agricultu

'

ral.

Journal'

ofIndia, Sp e c ial Ind ianSc ienc e Congre s sNumber,1919, p . 377 .

5 . The agricultural development ofBaluchis tan. Bulle t in11

Frui t Exp erim ent Station, Qu e t ta,1919.

<68 SCIENTIFIC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH

REPORT OF THE IMPERIAL MYCOLOG IST.

(E. J BUTLER,M .E.,ELS.)

I . CHARGE AND ESTABLISHMENT .I he ld charge ofthe Se c tion until 8th July,when I pro

c e ede d to the Fe de rate d Malay State s on deputation t o

advi se onsome matte rs c onne c te d with the local Agricultural Department . Dr. Shaw, Se cond Impe rial Mycologist,offic iat e d forme untilmy re turn to India on14thNovember. During this pe riod Mr. Dastur, First As s is tant,offic iat e d as Se c ond Impe rial Mycolog ist .I was appoint e d Jo int D i re c tor ofthe Agricultural

Re search Ins titute , Pusa, in addition to my owndut ie s,with e ffe c t from 20th January . Mr. Dastur was promotedt o the Impe rial Se rvice and appointe d Supe rnume raryMyc ologis t on30th June , 1919.

II . TRAINING.

Mr. M . M itra, M .SC., did a short pe riod ofre searchw ork, as a private s tudent, up to 28th Augus t, 1918, andagain joine d fora comple te course on27th May, 1919.

Pandi t S. D . Joshi,B.Sc .,a private s tudent, is taking thefull course from 12 th June ,1919.

III . MYCOLOGICAL CONFERENCE.The se cond confe renc e ofmycological worke rs in India

“

was he ld last February, and was cons titute d, unde r. theo rde rs ofthe Gove rnment ofIndia, as a s e c tional me e tingofthe Board ofAgriculture . Unde r the se orde rs, whichwe re is sue d as

'

are sult ofthe discuss ions at the Board ofAgriculture me e ting at Poona in 1917, i t is intende d t o holds imilar me e tings biennially in those years in which theb iennial me e tings ofthe full Board do not take plac e . The

me e ting was attende d by prac tically all the myc ologists inIndia and laste d four days . A separate report ofthe

p roce e dings has be en issue d.



Corchori, and the same proportion ofdis ease d plantswas obse rve d on counting only stems which we re 1

inch ormore in thickne s s at the ground leve l. In any jutec rop, howeve r, the re is a c ons i de rable numbe r ofplantswhich are the re sult oflate ge rmination and in which thestems remain thin and re lative ly short. Among stems ofthis s ize the dis ease was prac tically non- existent, and ifsuch plants are inc lude d in the e s timation the proportion ofdiseas e d s tems may be as low as 3 p erc ent. The proportionofdis ease d stems among the large r plants , howeve r, give s amore ac curate measure ofthe extent ofdamage to the c rop .

In Eas te rn Bengal,in Augus t and Septembe r,1918, thefungus was found p re sent in Dac ca), Mymens ingh, Sinjhani andHaldibari . The numbe r ofdisease d stems wasve ry small, howeve r,and unle ss the dis eas e appears earlie rit is evidently not like ly to be a se rious sourc e ofdamage tothe fibre c rop . Aninte re sting fac t obse rve d was that, inDac ca, re d - s t emme

xd varie tie s ofCorchorus cap sularis

s e eme d to be. le s s sus c eptible to attack than gree n - s temme d.

Oh the Raj shahi Farm the c rop was 0 . clitorias , bothredand gre e n - s temme d varie tie s, and in this c rop also the dis eas e was prac tically abs ent. Inoculations now in progre s sdo not, howeve r, support the idea that red - stemme d formsare absolute ly immune . A numbe r ofart ific ial infe ctionsonthe varie ty kakya bombai we re carrie d out in the

field, and ofinoculations upon wounde d s tems 90 p erc entprove d fatal and upon uninjure d s tems 50- 60 p erc ent.re sulte d in the death ofthe plant . The suc c es s orfailureofaninfe c tion upon anuninjure d s tem is probably ve ry ’

c los e ly re late d to the conditions of tempe rature and'

humidity at the time and anendeavour, will be made to»e luc idate the re lative importanc e ofthe se fac tors in the !

suc c e s s of an inoculation . Mic rosc opic examination:shows that the hyphae are capable ofpene trating the

epide rmis dire c tly and se t up a rapid rot and dis integration inthe cortex. This sugge s ts the pre senc e ofa cytoly

t ic enzyme ,and indee d the fungus has be en cultivate d suc

c e ssfully onpure c e llulose in a solution ofinorganic salts .


During the season 1918 a s e ries ofhe ld expe rimentswas carrie d out with the obje c t ofthrowing some light ont he condition affe c ting the spread ofthe dis ease . The

re sults we re -not so d efinit e as was hope d, the expe rimentssuffe ring cons ide rably from the abnormal monsoon of1918,but sugge s te d that the spread ofthe dis ease through spore smingle d with the se e d was not animportant means ofd iss em ination . In this cas e it maynot be ne c e ssary to pe rs ist int he ste eping ofthe Bihar s e e d c rop in a dis infe c tant. Asa

”pre cautionary measure , howe ve r, the treatment withc oppe r sulphate was carrie d out this year with some 40t ons ofs e e d grown in Bihar.While working on the black band disease ofjute , a

numbe r ofcas e s ofdisease,due to infe c tion with the s c le ro

t ial fungus previously id ent ifie d as Rhiz oc tonia SolaniKuhn we re me t with . It is by no means uncommon in theh e ld forboth this fungus and D . Corehom’

Syd . to occur ont he same plant, and at first the natural tendency was toassume that allthe pycnidiawhich we re sofre quently foundas soc iate d with the sc le rotial fungus we re immaturepycnidia ofD . C orchori. In 1917 some jut e plants we reinfe c te d with pure culture s ofR . Solanz

’

and all the -plantsbe came dis eas e d and die d. Upon the disease d portion ofthe s tem small black pycnidia appeare d . As the se infe ctions we re carrie d out onplants in afield in which D . Corchori was rampant, it was thought that we had he re a cas e

ofa natural infe c tion with D . C orehori supe rimpose dupon the art ific ial inoculation ; a brie f mic roscopic examinat ionshowing a c ondition which was c ons ide re d to be

immature D . C orehori . In 1918 obs e rvations at Dac ca

showe d some case s ofd is ease due to R . Solane’ in which the

infe c tion had obvious ly commenc e d at a point 2 3 fe e tabove the ground leve l, and at the time it was by no meansp lain how afungus which was only known in a s c le rotialform suc ce e de d in e s tabl ishing itse l f in this way. Moreove r, the se spe c imens and othe r s imilar case s in the Pusac rop also showe d apycnidium onthe oute r surfac e . The s ep ycnidia and those oc curring onthe infe c tions of1917


we re now subj e c te d to a more c ritical examination. The

field spe c imens from Dac caand Pusa both agre ed wit h thein fe c te d s tems of1917 in the charac te r ofthe pycnidiumand spore s which it containe d. While this re s emble d animmature stage ofD . Corchom’ ve ry c los e ly it was obviousthat, in the case ofthe 1917 infe c tions, s inc e theyWe re atthe time ofthis late r ”

examination nearly a year old,

i f the pycnidia we re those of D . Corchori theyshould ‘

contain mature bice llular spores In all cas es ,

howeve r, the spore s we re hyaline , oval and unic ellular, and the pos s ibility that th is pycnidium was notanimmature c ondition ofD . Corehori but was a s eparatefungus,pe rhaps a s tage in the li fe - history ofthe s c le rotialfungus,had to be inve stigate d . M easurements showe d thatthe spore s from the infe c te d s tem of1917 we re 1611— 3 311.X 5 it

— 911 . In the cas e ofspe c imens c olle c te d in the he ldin Pusa the measurements we re 1611— 251t x 711— 911, and insp ec imens from Dac ca 201t

— 2811x 711— 1011. The spore s

ofD ip lod ia Corehori ave rage be twe en the limits2011

— 29nx10n— 1511; while the re fore the spore s ofD . 007“

chom’

are twic e as long as broad, those ofthe new pycnidiumare about the same length but narrowe r . This distinc t ionis not suffic iently marke d to enable the s e spore s to be readilydistingu ishe d from thos e ofanimmature pycnidium ofD .

Corehori, but s inc e the forme r neve r be come dark coloure dorbic e llular they caneas ily be dist inguishe d, provide d theage ofthe infe c tion from which they are taken is known

The que s tion whe the r this new pycnidium was a s tagein the li fe —his to ry ofthe s c le rotial fungus, ident ifie d inprevious communications as R . Solani, could only be se ttledby culture work. Sinc e this work is in progre ss at thetime ofwriting, it is pos s ible that the c onc lus ions p u t forward he re may be modifie d in the light ofsubs equent knowle dge . Infe c tions we re carrie d out with a pure culture of,the sc le rotial fungus, isolate d in Dac ca, onfour jute p lantsin Pusa. All the s e plants deve lope d sc le rotia and alsopycnidia, containing spore s measuring 16— 24e x7Culture s we re obtaine d onagar from s ingle spore s and from


’


is nec e ssary be fore the conc lus ions ofprevious authors can'

be entire ly ac ce pte d. Spraying expe rime nts with limesulphur, Be rge r’s lime sulphur and Burgundy mixturefaile d to che ck c omple te ly the disease . About 5 p erc ent.ofthe frui t ofa c e rtain varie ty, onboth spraye d and unspraye d tree s, was damage d .

Apple mildew (Podosp hcera sp .) is pe rhaps the most

wide spread ofthe fungal trouble s ofapple tre e s in Kumaon .

This d iseas e s eems to spread rapidly during the monthimme diate ly pre c e ding the break ofthe monsoon . Spraying with lime sulphur during this pe riod was not ve ryeffic ient in c ontrolling the dis ease , although lnone ortwocas e s, in which, at the risk ofdamaging the tre e , a heavyapplication ofdouble summe r ”

s trength lime sulphurwas applie d, the disease was brought unde r control and infe c t e d shoots produc e d a furthe r growth ofhealthy leave s .During 1918 mildew was e spe c ially seve re onone orchardonwhich during that year no spraying had be en carrie do ut . In 1919the spraying uponthis orchard was done witha mixture c ontaining iron sulphide , prepare d ac cord ing tothe formula re c ommende d forthe Pajaro Valley, andmildew was ve ry much le s s than in the previous year. EX

p eriment s will be carrie d out during the coming season tote st the re lative me rits ofiron sulphide and lime sulphur assprays against apple mildew. Ofthe various varie ties ofapple , Northe rn Sp y ”

is the mos t liable to mildew inKumaon,and serve s as acentre ofinfe c tion forothe r variet ie s . It is be ing de s troye d onone orchard .

Fly spe ck and sooty blotch (Lep tothyriam Pomi) is a

disease which, while not ac tually damaging the apple ,affe c ts the marke t value ofthe fruit owing to the uns ightlymarkings which it caus e s onthe skin . This diseas e wasmuch le ss s eve re onthe tre e s which had be en spraye d withlime sulphur than ontre e s which had not be en spraye d at

Peach leaf curl (Exoas cus d eformans ) had be en s e riousin 1918,and in 1919 c e rtain areas unde r peach we re treate d

‘with lime sulphur, Burgundy mixture and Be rge r’s lime


sulphur. All the s e sprays prove d efficac ious and the re wasnot a s ingle case ofthe fungal leafcurl in the spraye dareas . It was ve ry inte re s ting to note that one tre e whichhad e scape d the attention ofthe spraying gang be camecove re d with the leafcurl:

During the progre ss ofthe spraying expe riments inKumaon striking diffe renc e s we re notic e d both in the sus

c ep t ibility ofdiffe rent varie tie s ofapgle to disease and the irliability to spray injury from the diffe rent sprays . Futurespraying expe riments will be large ly influenc e d by the information obtaine d in this d ire c tion .

(4) Ch illi d is eas e s . The s tudy of the disease s ofchillie s has be en c ontinue d -by Mr. Dastur.Furthe r expe riments in the treatment of die - back

caus e d byVermicularia Cap s ic i Syd . did not give any dehnite re sults . The me thods adopte d we re preventive spraying, shade , and late sowing . The re was a failure ofthemonsoon in Septembe r and Oc tobe r, and the conse quentdrynes s ofthe air, at the time when the normal high humidity and the sus cep tible s tage ofgrowth ofthe plantusually c ombine to produc e anoutbreak, prevente d the

fungus from de ve loping, and the c rop remaine d fre e fromattack . It was, the re fore , imposs ible to judge ofthe e ffe c tonthe diseas e ofthe various measure s trie d .Howeve r, itis evident that anattempt to avo id damage from th is paras ite by sowing amonth late r than the usual time , so that thesusc eptible pe riod when flowering oc curs may be de laye d tothe drie r pe riod ofthe cold weather, is not like ly to be commerc ially profitable . The yie ld offruits obtaine d fromthe late - sown c rop was ve ry poo r . Similarly the interculture ofrahar(Cajanus ind icas ) as a shade c rop be tweenthe rows ofchillie s . had the efie c t ofs tunt ing the latte r andcannot be re commended . Furtherexpe riments onthe same

line s are be ing continue d this year.The blos som and twigrot ofchillie s, cause d by Oh-oane

p hora cucurbitarnm (B. Rav.) Thaxt ., which was ment ione d in last year’s report as having done cons ide rabledamage in 1917 -18, was not obse rve d last year ona s ingle


plant. This sugge sts that the diseas e is dependent onhumi dity, the chie f diffe renc e be twe en the two s easons be ingthe abnormal dryne s s ofthat unde r report at the floweringp e riod .

Som’

e damage was done by anew chilli diseas e , the caus eofwhich is unknown . It s tarts from the base ofthe forke dbranche s and is charac te rize d by a dull black discolorationofthe green bark which trave ls up the limbs and d own themain branch . The black bark late r be c ome s chalky -white ,the appearanc e be ing quite distinc t from that cause d bydie - back . Onthe white portions rais e d bliste rs appear andthe s e c rack longitudinally . As a rule the injury is confine dto thos e parts ofthe plant fac ing south . No organism has

as ye t be en det e c te d assoc iate d with the disease d condition .

The e ffe c t onthe plant is to cause the uppe r parts to she dthe ir leave s and gradually die back .

(5) Pythium d is eas e ofginger, tobac co and papaya.The work onthis dis ease , commenc e d about thre e years agoby L. S. Subramaniam, Third Ass is tant,was comple te d toa stage jus tifying publication re ce nt ly, and anac count ofit is now in the pre s s as aM emo ir.

‘

The paras ite was firs t isolate d from tobac co and subs e

quently from ginge r and papaya. In all case s it prove d tobe the same spe c ie s and the s trains from tobac co and ginge rwe re each found capable ofattacking the othe r two hos ts .I t has also be en found in nature to caus e a damping offofc hilli s e e dlings, and art ific ial inoculat ions with culture sfrom tobac co and ginge r gave suc c e s s ful infe c tion ofchilli,cas tor and potato. The strain isolate d from papaya hashithe rto only be en trie d onthe same hos t, but from it s s imilarity to the othe rs , and the readine s s with which thes eattack the papaya and produce the typical symptoms, itmay be exp e c te d that the papaya fungus will also attackthe othe r plants mentione d. The re is, the re fore , so farasthe expe riments go,no indication that the fungus pos s e s se sspe c ialize d rac e s .

Ontobac c o and chilli the attack is a s imple damping off,s imilar to that cause d by Pythium d e Baryanam. Large



Fibre Expe rt to the Go ve rnment ofBengal. It has be ennotic e d during the last few years that the inc i denc e ofwiltin the pe rmanent manurial expe riments onthe farm varie sgreatly in the diffe rent plots, be ing le s s in those that havere c e ive dno manure and more in those that have had mine ralfe rtili ze rs . This oc curre d in both se rie s ofthe expe riments :and was too c learly marke d to be ac c idental . It s examina~

tion has been taken up in the hope that it may throw some

light onthe obscure problem ofre s is tanc e and susc eptibilityto fungous diseas e s inplants . The c ropping hos tory and

’

soil c ompos itionofthe s e plots are particularly we ll known,and they have rec e ive d uni form treatment forthe pas t .

e leven years, so that they are ve ry suitable forthe purpos e .

Two p oss ibilitie s sugge st thems e lve s : e ithe r the treatment ofthe plots has in some way alte re d the c ompos ition,

orcharac te rs ofthe hos t plant, ori t has influenc e d the

paras ite . If the forme r, it should be poss ible to corre c t thede le te rious effe c t ofthe mine ral fe rtilize rs by appropriatemanurial treatment, s inc e it is pre sumably nutritionalForthis purpos e a

]

se cond s e rie s ofpe rmanent manurialexpe riments has be en lai d d own and art ific ially infe c t e d ‘

so

as to produc e a heavy attack ofwilt in all the plots in thefirst year. If the condition depends onsome effe c t ofthemine ral fe rtili ze rs onthe paras ite (which is a soil fungus),it should be pos s ible to de te c t this by regarding the soi l asa culture me dium and examining it s effe c ts onthe vigour or~virulenc e ofthe fungus . Forthis purpos e p ot culture s withsoil from the pe rmanent plots have ' be en starte d and havealready given some inte re sting re sults . Attempts have alsobe en made , hithe rto without suc c e s s, to de te rmine quantitat ively the amount ofthe paras ite in the so ils ofthe diffe rent plots,and it is propos e d to te s t the effe c t ofthe soil solution onthe growth ofthe fungus . Mr. F inlo-w has meanwhile carrie d out a comple te ash analys is ofthe plant fromseve ral ofthe plots . The root deve lopment unde r diffe rentmanurial treatments is also be ing examine d . It is notexpec te d that definite re sults will be obtaine d be fore s eve ralyears .


(7) Sugarcane smut . Mr. Dastur has inve s t igate d themode of. infe c tion ofthe sugarcane smut,Us t ilago SacchariRabenh. It has be en found that dire c t infec tion ofthinvarie tie s ofcane cantake plac e only in two ways : (1)through the young t ende r eye s and (2) through the olde reye s when they are wounde d orinjure d . Thick canevarie tie s canonly be infe c te d in the latte r manne r,and thisi s evidently one ofthe caus e s ofthe i r re lative immunity tosmut. The infe c tion has not be en found to take placet hrough the cut ends ofs e tts orthrough adventitious roots .The hyphae ente r the eye s through the unthickene d scalehai rs, and have not be en obs e rve d to pene trate the spide rmal c e lls dire c tly . Inoculate d plants have given smutte d.shoots in two months, while s e tts cut from cane s , the dormant eye s ofwhich we re infe c te d in the autumn, gave ris eto smutte d stoo ls when sown the follbwing spring . Thise xplains why s e tts taken from s tools which show no external s igns ofthe dis ease can,when plante d, give a smutte dc rop . Furthe r work is inprogre s s but the re sults alreadyobtaine d mark a de c i de d ad vanc e in ourknowle dge oftheae tiology ofthis important diseas e .

(8) Rangoonb ean. The dis ease ofthe Rangoon bean(Phas e olus lunatns ) originally e rroneous ly reporte d inthepre s s as! due to Phytop hthorawas inve s tigate d by Dr. Shawduring the pas t year. The attention ofthe Department ofAgriculture , Burma, was firs t drawn to this dis ease by aEurop ean plante r engage d in agriculture in the KyaukseD is tric t . It is not improbable that the diseas e is oflongs tanding as e ven now Burme se cultivators are re luc tant toreport it s p re sence and ‘

may have had it foryears withoutthe local agricultural authoritie s knowing ofit . The re c entinc rease in the area unde r Rangoon beanand the me thod ofcultivation which is prac tise d,may haveinc rease d the amount ofthe dis ease ,but the re is no means ofjudging ofthe extent ofthe trouble prior to the first report.

The inc rease in the area unde r Rangoon bean, cons equent upon the rise in pric e ofthis c ommod ity during thewvar, le d to the c rop be ing grown in s ituations in which it

80 SCIENTIFIC REPORTS OF THE AGBICULTURAL RESEARCH

would not othe rwise have be en lai d down . In particular,mango gardens we re cultivate d with p ebyugale

”

underthe tre e s, and in such shade d s ituations the dis ease s e ems

yvorse .The me thod ofcultivation take s no ac count ofthe habit

ofPhas e olus lanatas . This plant is a c limbe r . ‘

It is, how

eve r, hardly eve r grown as such,but the s e e d is broadcasted?onthe fie ld and the plant is le ft to form a s traggling growth .

The re sult ofthis, and ofthe heavy sowing rate , is to forma dense mat ofvege tation,about 18 ” ormore thick,allove rthe field . With in this l ight and aircannot pene trate andhumidity is ve ry high . The c onditions within such amatofvege tat ion

'

are ideal forthe deve lopme nt ofany fungus,and particularly fora fungus which make s it s mos t ac tivegrowth at re lative ly low tempe rature s as doe s the pre sentparas it e .

In apublication ofthe Burma Department ofAgriculture (Leafle t No. 47) it is re commende d that the c rop besown in line s 25 fe e t apart. Whe re this advic e has be enfollowe d, l ittle orno dis eas e canbe se en and the yie ld ofbeans is ac tually improve d,as whe re the p iants are wide lyspace d afargreate r numbe r offlowers are borne and come

to maturity.

The fungus posse sse s large black sc le rot iawith a septatemyc e lium bearing a conidial s tage in the genus Botryt is .

Upon damp sand ormoist corn meal the sc le rotia will ger~minate and produce long s talk - like s truc ture s . Sofarthe ses talk - like s truc ture s have faile d to produc e any fruc t ification. During the forthcoming cold season infe ctions willbe carrie d out onanumbe r ofdiffe rent spe c ie s ofPhas eolus ..(9) Otherd iseas e s . The rotting ofs tore d potatoe s is

a se rious problem in s eve ral part s 'ofIndia, both as affe c ting potatoe s store d fors e e d and '

as re stric ting the supplyintende d forconsumptio n . _ Dr. Shaw; vis ite d Poona inNovember' to se e the e tato storing systemworke d out bythe Bombay Departm nf dfAgriculture in c c - ope ration.with‘

a .private firm, and to advise onthe me thods



is not infe c te d with Orobanche , and it was thought thatp oss ibly se e d from this locality might give animmune c rop .

Such, howeve r, was not the case as the c rop grown fromP e shawar se e d was just as bad ly dis eas e d from Orobancheas the crop

'

from local s ee d in the same he ld .

A comparative s tudy ofthe spe c ie s ofHelminthosp oriumfound oncultivate d c e reals and sugarcane at Pusahas be enc ommenc e d. P rac tically eve ry c e real grown he re is attackc d by one ormore ofthe se fungi, but i t is already probablethat some ofthem are c ommon to s eve ral hosts and that thetotal numberofspe c ie s is not large . The work inc lude smorphological study bas e d onculture s as we ll as inoc ulation work to de te rmine the range ofhos t plants ofeachsp ec1e s .

Some work ona Sclerosp ora found onAndmp ogonannalatus in 1918 was carrie d out , with a view to ge ttinga c lue t o the me thod by which the allie d c e real downymildews are transmit te d. This is entire ly unknown. Nore sults have , howeve r,as ye t be en obtaine d.

Comparative s tudie s ofsome spe c ie s ofPhytop hthorahave given re sults ofinte re st. The Ame rican spe c ies Ph.

t erre s tria Sherbakoffhas be en found to agre e with the

earlie r de sc ribe d Indian Ph . p aras it ica by Mr. Das tur.Re cently both this and anothe r spe c ie s have be en discove re dattacking coc onuts in Jamaica, and the latte r has be enfound to be one ofthe caus es ofbudrot in theWes t Indie s .

Culture s sent to the write r have prove d to be identical withhis Ph . p almivora firs t de sc ribe d - unde r the name Pythiump almivoram in Memoirs, Dept. ofAgric . India,Bot . Sen,Vol. I,No . 5, p . 82,1907fIt is evident that one form at

least ofthis mos t de s truc tiveWe s t Indian dis eas e is caus e dby the same organism which has be en so fully s tudie d inIndia,and anold controve rsy i s thus s e ttle d in amanne rsat is fac tory t o us . Some work has also be en done onthespec ie s ofthis genus found onrubbe r,and has strengthene dthe View he ld in this laboratory that the forms hithe rtofound onthis hos t in Indiaand Burmaare allbe longing tothe one spe c ies .

INSTITUTE ,PUSA, FOR 1918-19

.V. MISCELLANEOU S .During the mycological me e ting in February, the great

e s t inte re st was arous e d by the demons tration offungip aras itic onmanand the highe r animals by CaptainFroilano de Me llo, D ire c to r ofBac te riological Se rvic e s,Goa. Captain de M e llo worke d in the laboratory forabouta fortnight with mate rial brought from Goaas we ll as someobtaine d locally, and was able to give a de taile d demons trat ionofthe te chnique re quire d forthe isolation andc ultivationofthe se fungi .Mr. S. NBal,As s istant Profe ssor ofBotany, Sc ience

College , CalcuttaUnive rs ity, spent about a fortnight in thelaboratory in March and April,as he propos e s to take up~

mycological work in Calcutta. Mr. J C .Nag, Senior Profe s sorofBotany, P re s idency College , Calcutta, also vis ite dus with the same obj e c t in

'

view, in June . Economic mycologis t s in India will we lcome the inc reas ing tendency towards the s thdy ofthe subje c t in othe r than -it s e conomichearings in Indian Unive rs i tie s, as the re is a great field asye t but little explore d in this dire c tion . Large colle c tions

«ofname d fungi we re given to Mr.Bal,Mr.Nag, the CentralHindu Colle ge (Benare s ), St . Xavie r’s College (Bombay),BarodaCollege and the Gove rnment College ,Lahore . Some

Indian Loranthae e ee we re also sent to Pro fe ssorWe ir inthe Unite d State s, culture s ofPhytop hthora to variousenquire rs and some fungi paras itic ons cale ins e c ts to theGove rnment Mycologis t, Ceylon .

During the year a deve lopment ofgreat importanc e fort he co - ordination ofmyco logical work in the Empire took

‘ plac e . P roposals by the Impe rialWarConfe renc e for'

the

formation ofanImpe rial Bureau of‘

Mycology to be s i tuate dinLondon we re ac cepte d,and the Gove rnment ofIndiahaveagre e d to subsc ribe £250 annually forthre e years in the

:firs t instanc e towards it s cos t. The line s onwhich suchaBureau could be ofmos t us e to mycologis ts in India we red iscus se d at the me e ting ofIndian mycologists in February,


and a de tai le d note onthe subje c t was submitte d by theme e ting to the prope r authoritie s .The write r has commence d the preparation ofa syste

matic li s t ofthe fungi ofIndia, as the re fe renc e s are atpre sent so scatte re d that it is almost imposs ible to ge t a

gene ral view ofthe compos it ion ofthe fungus hora ofthecount ry.

VI . PROGRAMME OF WORK FOR 1919- 20.

(1) Re s earch work. New disease s ofIndian c rops thatcome to the notice ofthe Se c tion will be inve s tigate d asopportunity pe rmi ts, but the following diseas e s will re c e ivespe c ial attention and will constitute main line s ofinve stigat ion:

(a) Ufra ofpaddy.(5) Black band ofjute .

(e ) Chill i d is ease s .

(03) Fusarium wilts, e spe c ially in re lation to soil andmanurial conditions .

(e ) Sc le rotial diseas e s ofjute , sugarcane , paddy andRangoon bean.

(f) Orchard disease s .

Minor inve st igat ions will inc lude the study ofsome

fruit anthracnos e s, Orobanche ontobacco, rootrot ofcotton,sugarcane smut, salrootrot and Pythium disease ofpapaya,ginge r and tobac co.

(2) Sys t emat ic work. It is hope d to re sume this withthe fac i lities provide d by the propose d Impe rial BureauofMycology in London. Steps will be takento supply theBureau with repre sentative colle c tions from ‘ India. The

preparation ofa list ofIndian fungi will be c ontinue d(3) Training. This will be continue d onthe line s indi

cat e d in the prospe ctus .(4) Rou t ine work. Advic e and as s istanc e will be given

t o P rovinc ial Departments ofAgriculture and othe r de ~partments and to the gene ral public .


‘86 SCIENTIFIC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH

REPORTorTHE IMPERIALENTOMOLOGIST.

(T. BAINBRIGGE FLETCHER,R .N., F .E.S

I. AD M INISTRATION.

The Impe rial Entomologis t he ld charge ofthe Sec tionthroughout the year ende d 30th June , 1919, except forape riod ofone month from 9th Septembe r, 1918, when hewas onprivilege leave . The post ofSupe rnume rary Entomologis t , which had remaine d vacant forfour years, wasfi lled by Mr. M ,AfzalHusain,M .SC” who joine d the Dep artment on6th January, 1919. Mr. Y . RamachandraRao, M .A., Entomological As s is tant in Madras , was ond eputation during the year to work unde r the Impe rialEntomologis t onaninve stigation ofthe ins e c ts which occuronLantana inIndia and Burma; his pe riod ofdeputationwas comple te d on31s t March,1919,afte r which he re turne dt o Madras, and has s inc e submitte d a report onhis invest igat ions, which has bee n s ent in forpublication.

11. TRAINING.

One s tudent,Mr. G . D . Aus tin, depute d by the CeylonDepartment ofAgriculture , was re c e ive d onls t June fora cours e in Economic Entomology .

Mr.H. S. P ruthi, B.Sc ., a s tudent ofthe Gove rnmentC ollege at Lahore , was also rec e ive d towards the end ofthe year and is working on the anatomy ofDysd ereusc ingulatas .

Four students comple te d a short course ofins truc tioninse riculture and two in lac - culture .

III . INSECT Pns 'rs .

A summarize d ac count ofourknowledge ofIndianC rop - pe sts was given in a lengthy pape r by the pre sentwrite r read at the Third Entomological Me e ting he ld atPusa in February, 1919, and this information was supple

PLATEV11°

Acro c erc op s s p .

8 , Co t t onbranc h at tac ke d by larva.

b , Larva, d ors alv1e w ,nat uralSlz e and magnifi e d .e , Pupa,nat ural s 1z e and magnifi e d .

d , Mo t h ,nat uralS i ze and magnifi e d .


‘

8 8 SCIENTIF IC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH

Ric e . W'

ork on the bore r pe s ts ofric e has bee ncontinue d . By continue d obs e rvation ofthe c rop throughout

_

the year and by ac tual counts it has be en as c e rtaine dthat the pe rc entage ofdamage i (about 29 p erc ent. ontheave rage ) givenin las t year’s Report was exagge rate d, dueto the fac t that this figure was arrive d at by examination

p o t the s tubble only . Ac tually the damage done in the

vic inity ofPusa doe s not s e em to exc e e d about 4 p erc ent.,but this cannot be taken as a normal figure forthe moreimportant ric e - growing dis tric ts ofIndia. The pre senceofunusually large numbe rs ofthe thre e princ ipal bore rsin the s tubble (vie , Schaenobius bip une tifer, Sesamia inj erens and Chilo) is due to the large pre —winte r broodswhich, howeve r, are not capable ofdo ing much damage tothe rip ening c rop .

A new ext ernal agent ofdamage has be en dis cove re dinthe form ofa Chrysome l id (Halt ic ine ) grub which bore sinto the s tems ofric e and mille t se e dlings from outs ide andcaus e s a regular dead - heart. This inse c t has oc curre d insome numbe rs and ranks as a pe st .

Sugarcane . .W'

ork on the bore r pe s ts ofsugarcaneand othe r gramineous plants was continue d (1) to as c e rtainthe e ffe c t oftreatment ofattacke d cane s by the cutting out

of dead - hearts.” (2) to asc e rtain the spe c ie s ofbore rs incultivate d as we ll as in wild gras se s, (3) to dis c riminatethe various spe c ie s hitherto confus e d unde r the

“

name ofChile s imp lex moth - bore r (4) to hnd out the alte rnative foodp lant s ofthe s e various bore rs , (5) to trac e out

the ir s easonal l i fe - historie s and habits, and (6) to s tudyo the r ins e c ts which are not ac tual bore rs but which affe c tthe c rop, e spe c ially the young sugarcane c rop, in such away as to produc e e ffe c ts s imilar to thos e caus e d by theac tual bore rs ; as the se othe r ins e c ts oc cur along with thebore rs, the ir study is ne c e ssary in orde r to allocate the

damage done to the ac tual agents .As note d above , the pre liminary results attaine d have

been incorporate d in a pape r, by the pre s ent write r andC . C . Ghosh, read at the Third EntomologicalMe e ting,


and it is the refore only nec e ssary to give he re a br iefsummary toge the r with additional fac ts e l ic ite d s inc e thepreparation ofthe pape r re fe rre d to.

Ourexpe rienc e , unde r conditions at Pusa, is that the“treatment ofbore rs" by means ofcutting out of deadhearts is ofno avail in sugarcane , e spe c ially in the case

ofthe young c rop, which is bes t le ft to grow undisturbe d .

Treatment by removal of dead - hearts se ems dis tinc tlyinjurious to the young c rop by inte rfe ring with prope rt ille ring . The bore rs which oc cur at Pusa (with the exception ofSc irp Op haga xanthogas trella which bores in the

. top- shoots ) do comparat ive ly litt le damage to the grown

cane s .Re ckoning all the dipte rous maggots as one , s inc e it

has not ye t be en found poss ible to dis c riminate the diffe rentspe c ie s ofd ipte rous bore rs. ove r thirty diffe rent inse c tshave so farbe en dis cove re d to bore in sugarcane , rice ,maize , jaar(A. Sorghum), the smalle r mille ts, and the various w ild spe c ie s ofSaccharum. Ofthe se , e leven oc cur insugarcane , s even in ric e , s ix in mai ze and jaar, and fourin the smalle r mille ts . The bore rs in the wild spe c ie s of

Sae'

chamm mus t be looke d upon as potential enemie s ofthe cultivate d gras se s also .

Up to. the pre s ent, twe lve diffe rent spe c ie s have be endisc riminate d amongs t thos e previous ly lumpe d toge the ras ChiZo s imp lex moth - bore r A key to the larval andpupal stage s ofsome ofthe s e was given in las t year’sR eport and amore c omple te key has be en given in the pape rre fe rre d to above . It ne e d only be note d he re , the re fore ,that the form re fe rre d to in las t year’s Report as Chilo

s p . in ric e (0. S. 1768) has s inc e be en found t o be identicalwith the D iatreea sp . in sugarcane at Dacca (C . S. 1674;t . 7,ff. 1, and that Diatrcea sp . (C . S. found insugarcane fat Dac ca and Pabna, has s ince be en name dArgyria tumid icos talis by SirGeorgeHampson.

The alte rnative foodp lant s ofthe various spe c ie s haveb e en given in the pape r refe rre d to . A new alte rnativefoodp lant , via,Sac charumfas eam.ofSoirp op hagaxantho


gas trell'a has s inc e be en dis cove re d ; this is in addition t osugarcane , Sac charum sp ontaneum and S. arand z'nac eum.

The s earch foralte rnative foodp lant s has be en continue d as i t has be en obs e rve d in the cas e ofs eve ral bore rs .

that the pre senc e orabsenc e .o i alte rnat ive foodplant sinfluenc e s to a great extent the prevalenc e ofthe s e bore rsin cultivate d gras s es . I t s e ems pos s ible that, by the use of‘

the s e alte rnative wild foodp lant s, the pre valenc e ofat leastsome ofthe bore rs may be re duc ed cons ide rably in .cultivat e d c rops, but cons ide rable furthe r inve s tigation along

,

thes e lines is nec e ssary .

Q !

The comple te seasonal l i fe - historie s oftwenty spec ie s .

ofthes e bore rs has be en trac e d out and incorporate d inthe pape r re fe rre d to .

With regard to the exte rnal agents ofdamage , some /

furthe r work has be en done to attempt to find out whatleads to the prevalenc e ofte rmite s in c e rtain so ils . Analyses ,

ofinfes te d and non- infe s te d s oils have bee n made by thekindne s s ofthe Impe rial Agricultural Chemis t but furthercomparisons are re qui re d be fore anything more canbe saidonthis subj e c t .In April 1919, thre e spe c ie s ofDynas t ine be e tle s, vie ,

Alissonotwm impre s s ieolle , A. p ic eum andHe t eronychassubleevis, caus e d se r1ous damage to sugarcane on the

Kamrup Farm in Assam. Mr. C . C . Ghosh was s ent to»

inve stigate t he outbreak and as c e rtaine d that the be e tle swe re bre e ding in larg e numbers among s t the roots ofthevarious kinds ofwild gras se s growing ove r mile s and milesofthe waste land in the mids t ofwhich the Farm is s ituate d, and apparently the y oc cur the re e ve ry year withoutdo ing noticeable damage to the cane c rop . This year, onac count ofdrought, the eme rgence ofthe be e tle s was defe rre d until rain fe ll in March, when anunusually largenumbe r ofbe e tle s oc curre d and attacke d the c rop,e spec iallythose portions ofi t whe re the ge rmination had bee n re tarde dby the drought. He t eronychas sac chari has be en re corde das damaging sugarcane but this is the first re cord in ourexpe rienc e ofsuch extens ive damage by adult be e tle s .



known by the pre s enc e ofants (Monomorium ind icum)which attend the scale - inse c ts forthe sake ofthe ir honeyd ew.

A short ac count ofthe Tukra diseas e was prepare dand read by Mr. C . S. Mis ra at the Third EntomologicalMee ting .

Fruit Pe s t s . Spe c ial attention was paid during the

year to the colle c tion ofinformation regarding frui t - pes ts .AnIndex to Indian Fruit P e s ts , summarizing the ' informat ion to

,dat e unde r eac h plant attacke d, was prepare d and

read by Mr. C . S. M1sra at the Third EntomologicalMe e ting, and the information unde r the various inse c tswas also inc lude d in thc Annotate d List ofIndian Cropp es ts prepare d by the pres ent write r forthe same Mee ting.

The information unde r this head has , the re fore , beenwritte n up already, but the following short notes onnewpe sts may be ofinte re st .Ale id e s malt, M shll. MS. (Curculionidae ), was found

at Shillong, the larva boring shoots ofapple and caus inga gall - l ike swe lling. The adult we evil make s s eve ral,usually four, holes with it s snout in arow in a tende r shootofapple and in one ofthes e holes , and only in one , itd epos its anegg. The larvae tunne l inthe s tem, whichbecome s swollen in consequenc e . Pupation take s plac e inthe larval tunne l . Control is prac tis e d by co llec ting theadult bee tle s as they re s t onthe twigs and by cutting offthe twigs which show the punc ture s orthe swe lling caus edby the enc lose d larva.

Acle e s cribratas , Gyl (Curculionidae ), was found at

Shillong in June -July 1918, the larva boring into the mains tem offig (F ions cariea) and do ing cons ide rable damage .

The adult be e tle s oc cur onthe s tems by day and may becolle cte d by hand although they readily drop to the groundwhen dis turbe d .

De irad ognathas (n. g., Curculionidee , Mshll. MS.)n. sp .,was found at Shillong in June —July 1918, the adultsoc curring on mulbe rry, apple , pear and fruit tre e s

INSTITUTE . PUSA, FOR 1918 -19

g ene rally, nibbling hole s in the leave s and do ing cons iderable damage , be ing pre sent in ve ry large numbe rs .

Dys c erus malignas , Mshll. MS. (Curculionidae), was‘ found at Shillong in June 1918 . It is brownish - black witha c onspicuous grey patch onthe pos te rior portions ofthe«e lytra. The adult we evils fee d onapple fruits, eating smallpunc ture s into them, and ovipos it in small ( excavations

.along the e dge ofsuch patche s . The e ggs are large for

.t he Si ze ofthe inse c t,about mm. in diame te r, and are_pearl -white in colour. The grub bore s about in the inte rior?bfthe fruit and damage s it cons i de rably. Pupation take splac e ins i de the attacke d fruits, which in the in itial stage sofattack are exte rnally s carc e ly dis tinguishable fromhealthy fruits, but the invariable pre senc e ofa numbe r ofsmall wh itish dots onthe surface ofthe infe ste d fruitsmarks the se as attacke d . The s e small dots are really holest hrough which the tunne ls ofthe grubs communicate witht he open air, and as a rule the s e tunne ls originate at the.apical end ofthe fru it, somewhe re near the flower- s car,whenc e they rami fy throughout the inte rior, branche s be ingg iven offat inte rvals towards the surfac e whe re the ir t ermination is marked by the small dots mentione d above . Int he late r stages ofattack, the s e hole s be come much large rand o ften exude a frothy liquid which attrac ts Sarcophagidfl ies .

This we evil was also found bre e ding in the fruits ofPranas nepalens is , a wild indigenous p lum

'

whos e frui tsare e dible when ripe .

Dys e eras fle t eheri, Mshll. MS , was also,found at

Shillong, the larva boring in apple fruits . The adultwee vil is a re ddish - brown spec ie s with scatte re d patche sofgreyish s cale s . I t is rathe r large r than D . malignasbut attacks apple fruits in exac tly the same way, but pupat ion s e ems to take

i

p lac e some t ime s outs ide ofthe frui t.The egg is about 1mm. indiame te r and rathe r dull - brownin

.

colour. The larva s e ems qu ite s imilar to that ofD .

malignas . The adults appear to be long - l ive d, as an(2 2

94 SCIENTIF IC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHindividual caught in Shillong about 15 th June and broughtto Pusa, l ive d in the Ins e c tary until 15 th Oc tobe r.Linda,nigros ou twta, Fairm. (Lamiadae ), was found at

Shillong whe re the adults oc cur fairly c ommonly onapplet re e s in June and July, and we re gene rally found re stingonthe shoots orleave s and oc cas ionally fe e ding onthe

latte r. In captivity the be e tle s fe d onthe leave s and also }

onthe bark ofapple twigs, but did not ovipos i t. Unde rnatural condit ions,howeve r, the be e tle girdle s the twig moreorle s s (usually rathe r les s) comple te ly,makes a s li t at rightangle s to the girdling and above it , _

slight1y de tache s the:bark onone s i de ofth is s lit and thrusts in anegg unde r ‘

this loosene d bark . The larva onhatching bore s upwardsinto the twig and thrus ts it s long ish pe lle ts offrass outthrough hole s cut in the twig, wh ich ofcours e ' die s ofi andishrive ls up . Th is is a s e rious pe st, do ing cons ide rabledamage . The only c ontrol me thod poss ible is hand - c olle etion ofthe

'

be e tle s and cutting out ofattacke d twigs . No’

alte rnative foodplant is known as ye t .Chelid onium c inc tum, Gue r. (Ce rambyc idae ), was sent

in from Bangalore by Mr. R . D . Ans tead who found thelarva boring into orange branche s . The eggs are depos ite fiin June in t he axils ofyoung living twigs and neve r ondead wood orold branche s . The young larva bore s into,

the twig and wo rks upwards fora dis tanc e ofabout hal fan- inch to aninch - and - a- half and then make s two tiny hole sabout the s ize ofa pin’s head it then turns back and bore sdown the twig, oc cas ionally making small openings ; finallyit ge ts into the main branche s whe re it make s tunnels aquart e r ofan inch in diame te r. The young twigs thatare - bo re d at onc e die and turn black, so that they arec onspicuous and canbe cut offwith the larva ins ide them.

By doing this and by hand - colle ction ofthe adults the

attack canbe controlle d to a large extent.Oxyambulyfv s erioe ip ennis , But]. (Sphingidae), oc cur

re d in some numbe rs at Shillong in July 1918 onwalnut,each larva de foliating cons ide rably, so that the damage maybe fairly large in the cas e ofyoung tre e s .


PLATE VIII .

Th ere tra gnoma.

a, Larva,fe e d ing ongrap e - vm e le af,naturals ize .

b , Pupa,nat uralS i z e .

(9, M o t h ,naturalSlz e .


l ere tm gnome , Fb. (Sphingidae ), oc curre d ongrapey ine at Pusa (Plate This is a regular fe e de r-ongrape - vine and is a minor pe s t at t ime s . It has alsob e en reare d at Pusa and Poona onleave s of e lephant’sfoot.”Anunde te rmine d Sphingid was found at Shillong as a

se rious pe s t ofapple ,and to a le s s extent ofpear,about theend ofJune . It doe s cons ide rable damage , as the larvaeare not easy to Se e in spite ofthe ir large s ize ,and one larvawill s trip a whole branch ofleave s . Pupation probably

” takes plac e unde r dead leave s in natural conditions . The reis only one brood annually, the pupa hibe rnating . Wehave also had this ins e c t sent in as infe s ting apple in Kulu.

The moth has not ye t been bre d, but is probably Langiaz enz eroid es .

Ac t ias s elene,TIb . oc curs as a pe s t of.apple in the Khas iHills and Kumaon. It fe e ds onvariouso the r p lants and has be en found ‘

onpear and walnut, aswe ll as onBe tulwalno id e s Od inawod ier, e t c .

Antheraearoyle z’

(Saturniadae ) was also found attack~

ing apple and pear at Sh illong .

He t erogmp his bengalella, Rag. (Pyralidae ), oc curs at

Pusa e ve ry year as aminor pes t ofcus tard - apple , the larvaetunne ll ing in the fru its . I t appears to be common throughout Bengal .Meridarchis reprobata, M eyr. (Carp os inidae) was sent

infrom Kashmir as boring and damaging cultivate d olive s .

The larva fe e ds in the P lains in the fruits ofEugenia

jambolana.

Anunident ifie d Eucosmid larvawas found boring applefluit s at Ramgarh (Kumaon) in much the same way as the

notorious Codling Moth (Lasp eyre s ia p omonella), fromwhich, howeve r, the Indian spe c ie s se ems to be dist inc t.’

The moth has not ye t be en reare d out . This is like ly toprove animportant pe s t i f i t attains ac c e s s to othe r applegrowing dis tric ts .

Acroc e ‘rcop s hierocasma, Meyr. 7 (Grac illariadae), oc

vc urre d in numbe rs in litchi fruits at Pusa in May 1919.

96 SCIENTIFIC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHA. hierocosma has bee n reare d at Pusa in Septembe r and~

Oc tobe r from larvae mining’ leave s ofNlit chi . Only onemoth could be reare d from the larvae in the fruits and thisis s lightly diffe rent from the leaf -mining form, althoughit is probably the same spe c ie s . This fru it - infe sting larvais re fe rre d to in Ind ianMus eumNo t e s ,Vol.V, p p . 121- 122,

t . 15, if. 4,4a,whe re it is unname d .

Life - h is torie s ofIns e c t s . Be s ide s the various ins ec tsmentione d above ,a large numbe r ofins e c ts has be en reare d ‘

during the year and obs e rvations made onli fe - historie s andhabits . In a Report ofthis nature it is only poss ible tomention afew ofthe se e ven by name .

(1) Monohammus vers t e egi . Eggs ofthis longic orn~be e tle bore r inorange s tems we re colle c te d in June 1918 atHaflong inNorth Cachar. The adult has be en reare d outand found to have one gene ration annually.(2) G rubs ofa longicorn bee tle bore r in jak s tems

(P late IX, fig. we re colle c te d in Sylhe t in June 1918 .

The se are still (July 1919) fe e ding and will probably liveanothe r year, so that the larval s tage extends ove r a pe riodoftwo orthre e years in this cas e .

(3) Cryp torrhynchus grams . This se rious pe st of‘

mango fruits in Easte rn Bengal and As sam was forme rlysuppose d to lay it s eggs in the flowers . This year it wasdefinit ely as c e rtaine d that the e ggs are lai d, not in the

flowers, but in the fruits, even we ll - grown ripening fru its .

not be ing immune . The pe riod ofovipos i tion is anextendc d one . The shorte s t pe riod forcomple t ion ofthe l i fe - cyc leis about three weeks oreven le s s . Local observations ande xpe riments extending! ove r a whole year are nec e s saryforthe sugge stionofpreventive orreme dial measure s .

Balaninus c -album. Short de tails ofthe li fe - his

tory ofthis we evil infes ting Eugenia jambolcma fruitswe re given in last year’s Report. A quantity ofinfe ste ds e e d was kept burie d at a depth ofabout two fe e t ;no we evilsuc c e e de d inemerging from the s e s e e ds . Colle c tion andadequate burial ofthe s ee ds should the re fore ke ep thiswe evil in check .

‘


EXPLANATIONOF PLATE IX .

F ig. 1. Longic ornbe e tle borerinjak s t ems

a S e c t ionofjak s t em , showing larval tunnel.b, F ull-grownlarva,natural s ize .

0,Be e tle ,natural s iz e .

F ig . 2 . Ce c idomyiad onmango leaf.a, Mango leaf, showing galls .b,Adult fiy,natural size and magnifie d.



IV . BEE S, LAC AND SILK.

Be e s . The work with the local varie ty ofthe IndianBe e (Ap is ind ica) has be en continue d . The re have be ennume rous inqui ri e s onthis subj e c t during the year fromre s idents in allparts ofIndia. Improve d hive s have be enprepare d locally and supplie d to various corre spondents .Two show - case s , illus trative ofbe e - ke eping, we re prepare dand supplie d to the Agricultural As soc iation,Muz afiarpur.ABengali Bulle tin onBe e ke eping was publishe d during

the year and the firs t e dit ionhas already be en nearly soldout .

A pape r on Be e - ke eping in India was read by Mr.C . C . Ghosh at the Third Entomological Me e ting.

Lac . The eme rgenc e oflac larvae took plac e at Pusaon14th Oc tobe r, 1918, “and 20th June , 1919. A smallquanti ty ofber(Z iz yp lms jujuba) brood - lac was obtaine dfrom Malda, Bengal, t o plac e onthe tre e s . The Oc tobe rc rop was fairly good but the June c rop was poor, havingbee n adverse ly affe c te d by the unus ually hot weathe r during

Two s tudents we re traine d in lac - culture , and broodi

- lac

was supplie d to various applicants .

A note onlac - culture was prepare d and read by Mr.C . S. M isra at the Third Entomological Me e ting, and inApril Mr. M is ra attende d the Me e ting ofthe Board ofFore s try whe re the que stion ofdeve loping the Lac Industryin India was dis cus se d .

Silk . The Se ricultural e s tablishment is s till ona t emp orary foot ing Which has bee n extende d up to 31s t March,1920. In the meantime work is be ing continue d with thetwenty mult ivoltine mongre l rac e s ofmulbe rry s ilkwormswhich

,have bee n es tablishe d by c ros s ing univolt ing and

multivoltine rac e s . In the se mongre l c ros s e s it has be ennot ic e d that the yie ld ofs ilk from the first gene ration ofcrosse s is always be tte r than that in late r gene rations,which s e em to de te riorate gradually . .Attempts are be ingmade to prevent this de terioration by the in fus ion ofnewblood in the mongre l rac es .

”We appear to have suc cee de d


ine s tablishinga rac e which, onc ross ing with univoltinerac e s, change s the re sultant mongre l rac e s into mult ivoltine s in five ors ix gene rations , so that any univoltine race scanbe made multivoltine in a comparative ly short time .Eggs ofunivoltine Chine s e , Japane s e , French and Ben

gali rac e s and ofa Japane s e bivoltine rac e we re s ent forcold s torage to Guindy, Shillong and Mukt e sar, and we res uc c es s fully reare d at Pusa in Oc tobe r and March .

Mulbe rry s ilkworm eggs have bee n supplie d to Indore ,Gwalior, Mysore, Banganapalle, Travancore , Mahlog

(Simla), North -We s t Frontie r Provinc e , Northe rn ShanState s,Nagano Se ricultural College (Japan), to the diffe r~ent Salvation Army s ilk c entre s and to about 110 othe rappl icants in all parts ofIndia. Eri s ilkworm eggs havebe en supp lie d to Egypt, British East Africa and Japanand to about 75 applicants in India. Castor s e e ds andmulberrys ee ds and cut tings we re also distribute d to about19applicants . One Pusa ree ling machine was supplie d t ot he Agricultural Department,New SouthWale s, and ano the r to Indore State . Silk exhibits we re s ent to variousagricultural exhibitions and comme rc ial mus eums . Onereare r and one re e le r we re s ent to the Saunde rs WeavingSchool at Amarapura (Burma), and one reare r and onemulberry gardene r we re s ent to the Northern Shan State sto s tart s e riculture the re . Many inquiries regarding rearing, re e ling ; dye ing, bleach ing, spinning and twistinghave be en dealt with, and s ilk sample s and bulle tins ons e riculture have be en dist ribute d to nume rous corre sp ondents . Silk p iec e s and castor s e e ds to the value ofRs . - 3 -4 we re sold and the proc e e ds c re dite d to Government , s ilk pie c e s t o the value ofRs .

- 9- 0 havingb e en woven during the year.Four s tudents , two from Bihar and two from Bengal,

c omple te d short course s in s e riculture during the year.

V. ILLU STRATIONS .Coloure d pla’te s i llustrating the l i fe - his tories ofthe

following inse c ts we re prepare d during the year, via,


Lap hygma exigua, Oaryambulyw s eric e ip ennis , Langia z en

z eroid e s , Alc id e s mali, Brahmoea ? mllichii and a sawflyattacking ros e . Bes ide s the se , ove r four hundre d illustrat ions

'

inblack and white we re prepared in the cours e oftheyear and many ofthe se have be en s ent in forpublicationin illustration of various pape rs read at the ThirdEntomologicalMe e ting.

Cons ide rable difficulty has be en expe rience d in conne ction with the preparation ofc oloure d lante rn - s l ide s —

c fins ec t - pes ts , iorwhich there is a cons ide rable demand onthe part ofthe P rovinc ial Agricultural Departments . To

wards the c los e ofthe year some sample s lide s, preparedby anew proce s s , we re obtaine d and, i f the se prove sat isfac to ry, it is hope d that demands may be me t .

VI . MISCELLANEOU S .Corresp ond ence . A total of74 parc e ls ofspe c imens,

mostly ofc rop - pe sts, was re c e ive d during t he year for'id ent ificat ionand advic e , whils t 805 le tte rs we re rec e ive dand issue d ; the se numbe rs show a sl ight de c rease onprevious years but are exc lus ive ofa large amount ofroutine corre spondenc e which take s up a cons ide rable proportion oftime which should be devote d to more s c ient ificwork .

VII . INSECT SURVEY.

Steady progre s s has bee n made in additions to, andarrangement and ident ificat ionof, the colle c tion which is ‘

now a large and important one and c ontinue s to expandat a rapid rate . In view ofthe great value ofthis colleetion, both from ane conomic

.and sys temat ic p oint ofView,

to future s tudents ofIndian Entomology, eve ry effort ismade forthe proper p res e rvation ofthe large mas s ofspec imens , a task which is by no means easy in a c limatesuch as that ofPusa. The more irreplaceable portionsofthe c olle c tion and thos e liable to mos t damage are the refore be ing plac e d in cabine ts which are be ing obtaine d asrapidly as pos s ible . The s taffrequire d forthe upkeep(which inc lude s the sorting and ident ificat ion, as we ll as:



(xvi) Anthribidae to Dr. K. Jordan.

(xvii) Rhynchota t o Mr.W. L. D istant.(xviii) Te triginae to Dr. J L.Hancock.

(xix) C ic inde lidae to Mr. S.W. Kemp .

(xx) Aquatic Rhynchota to Mr. C . A. Paiva.

(xxi) Bruchidae t o Dr. G . A. K. Marshall .(xxii)Hispinae and Cas s idinae to Profe s sor S. Maulik.

Various collec tions ofIndian inse c ts have be en re c e ive dand name d and re turne d as faras pos s ible . Thes e inc lude dc olle c tions s ent by the Fore st Re s earch Ins titute , the Provinc ialAgricultural Departments and by nume rous corre sp ondent s .

VIII . THIRD ENTOM OLOGICAL MEETING .

The Third Entomological Mee ting was he ld at Pusa

from 3rd to 15th February, 1919, and was we ll attende dby de legate s and Vis ito rs from India, Ceylon and Egypt .Ove r nine ty subj e c ts,mostly dealt with in writ ten pape rs,we re lai d be fore the Me e ting which may be said to havebe en highly suc ce s s ful . A short ac count was written forthe April (1919)Numbe r ofthe Agricultural Journal ofIndia, and a full Report ofthe P roce e dings has be ensubmi tte d forpublication, so that it se ems unne c es sary tosay more he re exc ept to affirm that such M e e tings are ofve ry real value and inte re s t to allconce rne d in the s tudy ofIndian ins e c ts .

IX. PROGRAMM E orWORK FOR 1919- 20.

filajor.This Will follow gene rally onthe line s ofwork ofthe

c urrent year and will inc lude gene ral inve stigations ofc roppe sts and '

e sp e c ially ofthe pe sts ofsugarcane, rice andc otton, offruit- tree s, and ofstore d grain.

M inor.Re sults in various line s ofwork require to be written

up and publishe d as faras poss ible . Work and exp eriments in s ilk, lac and be e - ke eping will be continue d and


new inse c tic ide s and ins e c tic idal me thods te ste d as oc cas ionaris e s . Sys tematic work onIndlan1ns e c t s will be carrie dout with ourownre sourc e s and the he lp ofspe c ialist corre spondents . Advic e and as s istanc e will be given as faraspos s ible to P rovinc ial D epartments and to all inquire rs onentomological subje c ts .

X . PUBLICATIONS .The following publications , e ithe r written by the Pusa

s tafforbas e d onmate rial s ent from Pusa, have be enac tually is sued during the yearDut t , G . R . D e s crip t ions ofthre e male Mut illids from

India. (Re c . Ind . Mu s ., XVI, 259Agricultural Entomology. (Annual Re

p ort, Board Sc i . Advic e for India,1917

The Third Entomological Me e t ing . (Agric .

Journ. ofInd ia,AprilThe hitherto und e scribe d female of the

dragonfly,Hemic ordulia asiat z'ca. (Jown.Bombay Nat .His t . Soa , XXVI,“Bengali Bulle t inonBee ke e p ing .

Exot ic Microle p idoPt era,Vol. II, Part s 6- 7 .


REPORT OF THE IMPERIAL PATHOLOG ICALENTOMOLOG IST.

(F . M .HowLETT.)I was in charge ofthe Se c tion forthe year, exc ept for

anabs enc e onprivilege leave from 9th to 23rd De c embe r,1918, when Mr. Pate l was in charge .

Forprac tically the entire pe riod, howeve r, I was onspe c ial duty, in c onne c tion, firstly, with the prevention ofsurra- transmis s ion by Tabanidae , more particularly amongt ransport came ls, and, se condly, with the improvement ofe xi s ting culi c ifuge s formilitary us e . Reports onthe workdone in the s e two dire c t ions have been separate ly submitte d.

Little has been done outs ide the s e spe c ial enquirie s, butMr. Pate l,be s i de s continuing his work onmidges and comp le t ing the manusc ript ofabook oncattle - flies , has s tudie dt he paras ite s ofsome animals and bird s like ly to be assoc iate d with human be ings , and has made seve ral new d is

coverie s, inc luding a blood - sucking muscoi d larva withhabits comparable to thos e ofthe notorious Congo floormaggot.” M es srs . Senand Shanna have continue d, Whenc i rcums tanc e s pe rmitte d, the phys iological work onmos

quitos re fe rre d to in the programme forthe year.In Jannary I attende d the Sc ienc e Congre s s in Bombay ;

in March the Ve te rinary Confe renc e at Lahore ; in Apriland Mayme e tings ofthe Drugs Committe e at Simlaand theSurraRe search Committe e at De lhi .

The following pape rs we re read at the s ixth s e s s ion of.the Indian Sc ienc e Congre s s held at Bombay

Post -warZoology (Pre s i dential Addres s to Z oologicalSe c tion) . F . M .Howle tt.

Tac tic s against Inse c ts (Evening le c ture). F . M .Howle tt .Li fe - history ofa midge , Culicoid e s ox

’

ys toma, withsome remarks on the early s tage s ofC em to

p agan.

”

P . G . Pate l.



REPORT OF THE IMPERIALAGRICULTURALBACTERIOLOGIST.

(C . M .HUTCHINSON,B.A.)

I . ADM INISTRATION.

I was in charge ofthe Se c tion during the year exc eptforone month’s privilege leave during Septembe r, 1918.

Captain J.H. Walton, Supernume rary AgriculturalBac te riologis t, re turne d frommilitary duty in Me sopotamiaand Pale stine afte r anabsenc e ofabout four years ”

,

II . TRAINING.Mr. K. AdinarayanRao, a student from Mysore State ,

is unde r training in agricultural bac te riology, from 12th

June , 1918 .

Mr.H. S. GovindaRao,a s tudent depute d by the MysoreGove rnment, to unde rgo training in laboratory te chniquein conne c tion with s ilkworm dlsease s, worked in thisSe ct ion from 17th De c embe r, 1918, to 26th June ,1919.

III . SOIL BIOLOGY .

Nitrifi cat ion. Fie ld and plot obse rvations ofseasonalvariation in nitrificat ion in soils unde r c rop

“and fallow

we re maintaine d ; the re sults obtaine d confirmed the opinionthat movement ofsoil wate r e ithe r upward ordownwardconduc e s to inc rease d formationofnitrate s ; such movement may be cause d by drainage , by surfac e evaporation,orby plant absorption (transpiration), this last fac torac counting forthe greate r total nitrificat ion found inc roppe d as compare d with fallow plots . Animportant po intaffe c te d by soil management s eems to be the annualre —e stablishment ofnitrifying flora to take the place ofthat eliminate d by adve rse conditions, such as wate rlogging, duringthe monsoon ; the succ e ss ofthis ope ration depends upon


re cognition ofthe fac t that nitrifying bac te ria canpe rformthe ir sp e c ific func t ion unde r conditions adve rs e to the irmultiplication ; such conditions inc lude not only the pres enc e ofsp e c ific toxins but ofexc e s s oforganic matte r orofammonia; the imme diate oxygen requirements of the

nitrifiers are gene rally sat isfie d in almos t any so il but wate rlogging during the monsoon not only c onduc e s to the

deve lopment oftoxin - produc ingbac te r iabut to the bringinginto solution ofexc e s s ive amounts oforganic matte r, allofwhich tend - to depre s s the nitri fying flora as anind ire c te ffe c t ofanae robic c ond i tions . The addition ofine rt material oflarge sup erfic ialarea such as broken brick orc linke rappears to provide a suitable nidus forthe deve lopment ofnitri fying bac te ria,not so much in the soi l as onthe surfac eofthe broken mate rial, thus s e tting up conditions s imilarto that in a s ewage filt er, Whe re solu t ions c ontaining c oncentrat ions oforganic matte r t oo high t o allow ofdeve lopment ofnitrifying flora are neve rthe le ss nitrified by the

organisms previous ly e stablishe d onthe broken surfac e s .It is ofinte re s t to note that in expe riments deal ing withthe addition ofbroken brick and potshe rds to soil it isne c e s sary to make allowanc e forthe fre quently high content of‘ nitrate , gene rally as saltpe tre , found in suchmate rials in Bihar.A c ons ide rable amount ofwork was done by the Firs t

As s istant onthe diffe rent rate s ofnitrificat ionofvariousorganic mate rials in soil . The s e inc lude d various greenmanure s and othe r plants , and oilcake s, and it was foundthat the non- nitrogenous portion had aninhibiting ac tionupon the nitrificat ion ofthe nitrogenous frac tions . Apape r onthis subj e c t was read by the First As s istant atthe Indian Sc ienc e Congres s , Bombay (January,Furthe r expe riments onthe inhibition ofnitrificat ion

by toxins re sulting from anae robic incubation ofso ils we recarrie d out ; it was found that nitrificat iondid not beginfort enwe eks in Omelianski solution made up w ith wate rextrac t ofanae robically incubate d so il,whe reas nitrificat ionwas c omple te in e ight we eks in a s imilar solution but

H

IO8 SCIENTIFIC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH

from anae robically incubate d soil . Similarresults we reobtaine d when us ing pure culture s ofnitrite forme rs s ee d e dinto the se me dia.

The effe c t ofexc e ss ive quantitie s ofnitrogenous matte rininhibiting nitrificat ionwas te ste d in Various soils ; inPusa so il 60 mgm.Np er100 gm. soil was found to be themaximum amount allowing complet e and normal nitrification, e ithe r as ammonium Sulphate oro ilcake ; whenappl ie d as amixture ofthe se two, howeve r, it is poss ibleto rais e the c ombine d amount to 90 mgm . without prejudic ing the nitrificat ione ithe r by los s ofammonia orbyde lay: It is of, inte re s t to note that nitrificat ioncantakeplac e even in a soil in which the re is suffic ient fre eammonia to be de te c te d by sme ll and l itmus reac tion.

Gre en—manuring. The gre en -

l

manuring expe rimentscarrie d out in collaboration with the Impe rial Agriculturis tonthe Punjab expe rimental plots we re continue d. Thes eexpe riments begin to show the valuable res idual effec t ofsuch treatment. onPusa soils espec ially with fe rmente dgre en manure (Crotalaria junc ea). Inc identally most valuable

'

and inte re s ting light has be en thrown upon the inte rpre tat ionofthe results offield expe riments onsuch soilsand in such a c limate ; the re sults obtaine d show c learly

.

firs t ofallthe ne c e s s ity ofpreviously asc e rtaining the re lative fe rtility ofthe plots be fore treatment and the absoluteworthle s sne s s ofmos t manurial expe riments without thispre caution,and, s e c ondly, the e qual ne c e s s ity oftaking intoac count the effe c t

'

ofs easonal variation from one year toanothe r. The s e po ints as illustrate d by the gre en -manuring expe riments re fe rre d to, are discusse d in anartic le onthis subje c t in the Agricultural Jcurual ofIndia nowin hand .

Biological analys is ofsoils . Furthe r work was doneonth is subje c t and the que s tion ofthe use ofa s tandardize dme thod was dis cus s e d at the Confe rence ofAgriculturalChemists and Bac te riologists at Pusa in February. Aspe c ial s tudy was made ofc e rtain infe rtile soils (Manat)from the Konkan D ivis ion (Bombay). The First As s istant


110 SCIENTIF IC REPORTS OF THEAGRICULTURAL RESEARCHby the F i rs t As s is tan t . It was found that in cas e s , whe renodule formation d id not oc cur owing to the us e ofstrainsofthe radic ic ola organism fore ign to the plant, the latterneve rthe le ss benefit e d by the supply ofnitrogen a- symbi

'

ot i

cally fixe d inthe so il to which,such organisms had be en

adde d artific ially. Similar re sults we re obtaine d withazotobac te r inoculation and by the growth of legumebac te ria in art ific ialme dia separat e d from the so il containing the growing plant by porous cylinde rs . Aninte re s tingand important point was notic e d,name ly, that inthe case of’B.rad ic icolano re s idual nitrogen was found in the culturesand sugge s t ing that fixat ionofnitrogen proc e e de d par“;passu With it s removal by the growing plant,whe reas withazotobac te r this was not the case . A mod ified me dium(soil extrac t— mannite , -asparagin agar) was found to

allow ready isolation ofthe organisms dire c t from so il.

IV. INDIGO .

The isolation ofcons ide rable quantitie s ofpure indicanin the laboratory ofthe Indigo Re s earch Chemis t pe rmitte dthe us e

‘

o f synthe tic me diaforthe cultivation ofthe variouss trains ofind icanhydrolyzing bac te ria already isolate d inthe Bac te riological Se c tion during two previous seasons onagar made upWith indigo leaf extrac t . It was found thatve ry little growth orhydrolys is took plac e in me dia inwhich indican was the only sourc e ofnitrogen,whe reas theaddition ofsmall quantitie s ofleaf extrac t ac t ivate d thisat onc e . Study ofthe phys iological aspe c ts ofth is que stionis be ing carrie d on.Manufac ture . Furthe r expe riments we re carrie d out

the expe rimental fac tory onthe hot wate r extrac tionme thod . Ve ry good re sults we re obtaine d by the us e ofl ime pre c ip itation following extrac tion and prec e ding inoculation with hydrolyz ing bac te ria; the improvement notonly inc lude d highe r pe rc entage extrac tion ofthe indicanpre s ent in the plant, but greate r purity in the produc t .Expe riments we re initiate d in the us e ofhypochlorite ste ri


liz at ionofthe wate r and plant as analte rnative to hotwate r extrac tion ; this would be ave ry much cheape r me thodofe liminating unde s irable bac te rial flora than .the use ofhot

fwat er, but i t is not ve t c lear whe the r it will be pos s ible

t o obtain the high pe rc entage extrac tion ofindican givenby the latte r proc e s s .A po int ofgreat prac tical inte re s t arose during the firs t

days ofmanufac ture . It was found that owing to the

weathe ring ”

ofthe c ement - lining surfac e s ofthe vatsduring the months inte rvening be twe en one manufac turings eason and the next following one , l ime was set fre e by disintegration in suffic ient quantity to produc e analkalinereac tion in the ste eping wate r ofsuch a degre e as to inte rfe re se riously with the growth and ac tivity ofthe hydrolyz ing bac te ria; inth is way fe rmentation was de laye d to

such anextent that e ven afte r twe lve hours this proc e s sthen normally comple te was only just beginning . It was

‘ found ne ce s sary to add cons i de rable quantitie s ofac id(250 c c . of50 p erc ent . sulphuric ac id p er600 gallons) t oneutral ize th is alkalinity . The re canbe no doubt that as imilar ac tion take s plac e in all fac torie s us ing c ementwalle d vats , and that the warming up ofthe vats com

monly notic e d at the be ginning ofeach season is due partlyto the removal ofthe dis integrate d l ime from the walls aswe ll as to the gradual e s tabl ishment ofthe ne c e ssary bact erial flora.

It is ofinte re st to note he re that numerous reports havebe en rec e ive d from indigo fac tories ofimprove d yie ldsre sulting from the us e ofc ros s walls orothe r me thods ofinc reas ing the wall areaofthe vats, re commende d (1917 -18)as a re sult ofthe dis c ove ry ofthe importanc e ofbac te rialac tion in the fe rmentation ofthe indigo plant .

V. PEBRINE .

Furtherstudy ofthe problem ofe limination ofthisd isease ofthe s ilkworm in India, inc lude d trial ofthe effe c t.ofhill - rearing upon the natural re s is tanc e ofthe larva to


infe c tion . Expe riments we re carrie d out at Shillongduring Augus t and Septembe r ; layings ofeggs from Pusa

we re divide d, hal f be ing reare d at Pusa and hal f at

Shillong ; art ific ial infe c tionwas carrie d out at both plac e sand it was found that even in the firs t gene ration a c ons iderable inc rease in re s istanc e to in fe c tion was obtained inthe hill - reare d larvae . Eggs from the latte r we re transfe rre d to Pusa both from infe c te d and from dis eas e - fre emoths , and furthe r re s istanc e to infe c tion in the plainswas note d in the lat t er,

'

whi1s t in the forme r a smalle rpe rcentage ofinfe c te d larvae re sulte d from the hatchingout ofs e e d from the dis eas e d moths ; the infe c te d larvaealso survive d through a greate r numbe r ofmoults and a

large r pe rc entage ofthem attaine d maturity than is usualin such case s . It was also note d that the hill - reare d wormsproduc e d be tte r cocoons . It is propos e d to continue this .

line ofexpe riment and to re commend the institution ofac entral s e e d station at Shillong to provide ame liorate dse e d forthe Indian ind’ustry. The revise d me thod ofexamination ofmoths previously reporte d has be en adopte dby various grainage s in India; the Se ricultural Sup erintendent at Be rhampore (Bengal) has reporte d favourablyonhis expe rienc e ofit s us e during the las t season . It is ,

abundantly c lear that owing to the us e ofmultivoltine rac e sin India and the gene rally insani tary conditions unde rwhich rearing is carrie d out it is e s sential forthe reare rto begin his season with dis ease - fre e s e e d, in de fault ofwhich the rapid cumulat ive effe c t ofany small pe rcentageofdiseas e initially pre sent, in the course ofrearing the

nume rous broods charac te ris tic ofthe multivoltine race s,will inevitably re sult in the failure ofa fatally largeproportion ofthe worms . Forthis reason it is ne c e s saryto adopt in India a much highe r s tandard ofpurity ih ‘

the s e e d is sue d by grainage s than is customary in EuropeA le c ture onthis subj e c t Was given at the EntomologicalConfe renc e he ld at Pusa in February,1919. Amemoir ou '

the me chanism ofinfe c tion and the e limination ofpebrine :inIndia is now in the pre s s .



l ike ly to be enc ounte re d . Furthe r work is now be ing doneto as c e rtain the mos t effic ient form ofapparatus forproduct ion ofthis solution ona prac tical s cale .

VII . PROGRAMME orWORK FOR 1919- 20.

Majorsubj e c t .1. Nitrogen fixat ionin Indian soils .

Sp e cial enquirie s .

2 . Indigo manufac ture .

3 . Pebrine disease ofs ilkworms .

4. Ste rilization ofwate r .

M inorsubj e c ts .5 . Bac te rial dis eases ofplants .

6. Biological analys is ofso ils .

VIII . PUBLICATIONSHut chinson, C . M . Rep ort onAgricultural Bac t eriology, 191718, forthe Board ofSc ient ific Advic e .Hut chinson, C . M . NitrogenF ixationinIndianSoils . Agr

'

ic .

Journ. ofInd ia, XIV, 2 .Hutchinson, C. M. Nitrogenous F ert iliz ers : The iruse inIndia.

Agric . Journ. 07 India, XIV, 2 .

Joshi,N.V. Rat e ofNitrification ofd ifferent Gre enManure s and part s ofGre enManure s andthe influenc e ofcr0p re s idue s onnitrificat ion. Agric . Jown. ofIndia, Sp e c ialIndianSc ienc e Congre ss Number, 1919.


REPORT OF THE IMPERIAL COTTONSPECIALIST.

(G. A. GAMM IE,

I. CHARGE .

I was in charge ofthe pos t throughout the year .II . COTTONS INTHE PROVINCES.

Bombay Pre s id ency.

Khand e sh. Onthe Jalg '

aon.Farm, in Eas t Khandes h,e xpe riments have . be en continue d to te st the ac tual value sofsome ofthe infe rior components ofthe local mixture ,and ofthe Sindewahi Cross which was deve lope d in the

C en tral P rovinc e s .The local N. R . (Khande sh negle c tum ros eum) is

de c lare d to be good forspinning l0’s . PoonaN. R . and thelocalN. R . C . have no s taple and, although the proportionoflint to s e e d is high,ne ithe r is worth any enc ouragementand they should be thrown out .

The cottonofthe Sindewah i Cros s is reporte d to be

near berar- oomm . It is s ilky,ofgood s taple , though rathe rvariable , and ' it canspin 16’

s .

The money value p erac re works out as follows :N. R. C ., Rs . 72—7 N. R., Rs . 69-10 0; and SindewahiCross , Rs . 62 -12 -0. The se figure s prove that, i f cottonsofbe tte r s taple are de s ire d by the trade from Khande sh, i tmust be prepared to pay a premium to compensate forthesmalle r yie ld to the cultivator who othe rwise will continueto grow the c otton which give s him the greate r profit . Iwould emphas ize the ne c e ss ity ofmaintaining on the

Jalgaon Farm te sts with the more valuable ye llow -floweredforms ofnegle c tums which do posse ss some thing in the

nature ofa s taple .

Sample s from five local itie s onthe Nizam’

sHyde rabadGodavery Valley Railway we re grown forcomparison onthis farm. Me s s rs . Tat'a Sons Co. care fully examine d


the cottons grown from the se sample s and reporte d as

follows : We have examine d thes e five sample s and allse em to have greatly improve d onthe JalgaonFarm. Wewould s trongly re commend the cultivation ofmoglai cottons e e ds in the Khandesh trac t. The sample s have allobtaine dthe charac te ris tic s ofmoglai cotton which is cons ide re d tobe ofgood staple . That from Dharmabad come s firs t ; fromPurna, s econd ; fromNande r,third ; from Parbhani, fourth ;andJalna, fifth. This judgment confirms the opinion thatwe expre s se d some years ago that a steady inc rease inquality oc curs from Jalna onwards to Dharmabad.

InNande r, the re is such a great mixture ofvarie tie sofcotton that only a small numbe r ofbale s ofpure goodlong - s taple d Nande r is available .

This year the rat e s ofmoglai cotton, such as Nande r,e tc ., are about Rs . 70 lowe r than broach rate s, but ordinarily they use d to be ve ry nearly e qual orabout Rs . 10

lowe r . All thes e samples are good forspinning l6’s to

20’

s .

”

The value p ercandy (784lb.) ofthe se sample sranfromRs . 460 t o Rs 480, while thos e ofthe se le c tions ofN. R .

cotton onthe JalgaonFarm range d from Rs . 390 to Rs . 400,the value offine khand e sh cotton s tanding onthe same dayat Rs . 445 . We have , however,no informat ion regardingthe ac reage value s ofthe s e moglai cottonsWe have arrange d forthe te s ting ofye llow—flowere d’

type s ofthe local c rop and the Sindewahi Cros s agains tthe infe rior white - flowere d type s inalte rnat e strips ofmode rate s ize , and the s e trials willhave _ t_o be repeate d fors eve ral seasons .

Sou thernMaratha Country. The type ofcotton gene rally cult ivate d in Sholapur is the yam mixture ofnegle c tums prevailing in Khande sh and Be rar ; in th is mixturethe re are stray plants ofherbac eum (jowari hat t i) andUpland. The ne ighbouring trac ts ofthe Nizam’

s Domin ions produc e a ve ry high c las s ofcotton from a type , inwhich bani pre dominates , known as karkheli.” Be forei t is finally de c ided t o introduc e N. R . into this tract to the



At the Gadag Farm, expe riments are c onduc te d withd iffe rent forms ofUpland cottons known as DharwarAme rican which, as has be en s tate d, require both monsooms . The ir cultivation is naturally re stric te d to the trac tswhe re the s e c limatic conditions prevail . They e xis t in thefield s mixe d with jowari hat ti (kump ta) round Ranibennur.This mixture ofDharwar -Ame rican and kump ta cannotbe treate d as fraudulent, but must be taken as a precautionary measure onthe part ofthe cult ivators to ensurea c rop from at leas t one varie ty . In a normal year theDharwar -Ame rican ripens firs t and the c rop is mos tly offthe land be fore the kump ta comes in so that both '

canbemarke te d at diflerent time s . The local department oughtt o work out the ac tual ec onomic s ignificanc e ofthis mixe dc ropping. The doubtful varie ty 1s Dharwar -Ame rican,as kump ta is more gene rally grownpure .

In1912 - 1913, I po inte d out that the de te rioration oft he Dharwar -Ame rican c otton had be en cause d by the“

mixture ofUpland and New Orleans type s ofcotton, andarrange d with the D irec tor ofAgriculture forthe te s tingofthe same . As a re sult ofthis te st the Upland type hasprove d farmore promis ing in outturn, g1nn1ng pe rc entage ,and the quali ty offibre than the New Orleans type . The

Upland type , onanave rage , give s 60 lb. more kapas p erac re than the ordinary Dharwar -Ame rican mixture , gins3 p erc ent . highe r, and in value commands , Rs . 15 morep ercandy of784 lb. The following s tatement give s theave rage outturn and ginning pe rc entage ofthe three types ,which will be found to be ofinte re st

Average ginningame ofvarie typ erc entage

Dharwar-American (ordinary)Upland typ eiNew Orleans typ e


Sample s from the Gadag Farm we re arrange d in thefollowing order

Dharwar -Ame rican, Upland type s e le c tion, gave anac reage re turn ofRs . 142, a ginning pe rc entage of36,anda value ofRs . 640. The quotation forsaw -

ginne d c ottononthe day was Rs . 615 . A sample ofordinary DharwarAme rican gathe re d forcomparison gave anac reage re turnofRs . 92 - 8, a ginning pe rc entage of314 and a value ofRs . 620 p ercalmly.

Dharwar -Ame rican,New Orleans type , gave anac reagere turn ofRs . 88 60, a ginning pe rc entage of32, and wasvalue d at Rs . 630.

All the s e c ottons are good forspinning 20s to 30’s .

In orde r to asc e rtain whe the r the qualitie s offibre ,ginning pe rc entage , e t c ., have any direc t conne c tion withthe condition ofthe so il, a numbe r ofsoil sample s from.

repre s entative trac ts we re taken and sample s ofcottonwe re also taken from the same lands .

The soil sample s we re submitte d to Dr. Leathe r whomade the following remarks afte r the i r examination :

The soils may be divide d into two groups from the

chemical s tandpoint, name ly, those containing high proportions ofcarbonate oflime which are from the V illage sBhilavadi, Miraj, Sangli and Bijapur, and the remainderwhich c ontain ve ry much le s s . The forme r contain notonly a h igh proportion ofcarbonate oflime but also a

ve ry low p e rc entage ofavailable phosphate and availablepotash . The othe r group cons is ts of the remainde r,name ly, soi ls from vi llage s Pachhapur, Dharwar,HuilgolandHalgali. All the s e soils contain, comparative lyspeaking, low proportions ofcarbonate oflime but rathe rmore available phosphate and potash ; at the x same time ,although the proportion ofcarbonate of11me in the soilfrom the se four Village s is low forblack cotton soil, it issuffic ient forordinary agricultural ne e ds .

You will se e that the chemical analys is doe s not dividethe soils exac tly as the phys ical analys is did, though one

120 SCIENTIFIC REPORTS OF THEAGRICULTURAL RESEARCHc ans e e the same clas s ificat iononlooking ove r both the~e lutriation and pe rcolation te sts figure s . The so ils fromBhilavadi, Sangl i and Bijapur are phys ically impe rfe c tand are in ne e d ofphosphatic manuring ; the so il fromvillage M i raj may not be phys ically impe rfe c t, but it doe srequlre phosphat ic manuring . Ofthe othe r group, so ilsfrom Pachhapur and Balgal i village s s e em to me to be

like ly to dry up ve ry quickly but are from the chemicals tandpoint be tte r 011 thanthe othe rs . The so ils fromDharwar andHuilgol rvillages although c hemically and

p robably geologically the same as those from Pachha'purandHalgali, are phys ically diffe rent, e spe c ially that fromD harwar . I shall be ve ry inte re s te d to hear from you whatt he agricultural difierenc e s are . I would c e rtainly havet hought t hat the soils from village s Bhilavadi and Sangliwe re agriculturally diffe rent fromM i raj soil,although theyare chemically so ve ry s imilar;and in the same way I wouldhave expec te d Pachhapur and Balgali so ils to be agriculturally diffe rent from that ofDharwar,although he re againc hemically they are so s imilar.”As regards the clas s ificat ionofthe so ils by Dr. Leather,

i t will be s e en that he divide s them into two s e c t ions . The

valuations ofthe c otton sample s from the same field s provethat they arrange themse lve s almos t exac tly in the same

o rde r . Thus in Sec tion I, Bhilavadi c otton was value d.at Rs . 272,M iraj at Rs . 280, Sangli at Rs . 285,and Bijapurat Rs . 265 ; and in Sec t ion II, Pachhapur at Rs . 300,

Dharwar at Rs . 280,Huilgol- Gadag at Rs . 290,and Balgali(Ranibennur) at Rs . 270. The rate oford inary kump taforthe day was Rs . 275 .

Gujarat . At Surat, attention is conc entrated onthe

d ifficult problem ofhow to improve the surat d e shi cottonwhich is very homogenous in charac te r and is already thebe st ofthe indigenous cottons . Thre e s trains have be enisolate d and s tudie d : (1) 1027 ALF, (2) Se lec tion IA, and(3) Se le c tion II . Forthe firs t pe riod offive years , theginning pe rc entage s we re : (1) 367, (2) 360 and (3 ) 35 7,respec tive ly, and forthe second pe riod ofthe las t thre e



the re is a poss ibility ofthis . I f it canbe prove d that thecultivator lose s nothing by abandoning ghogari, the

authoritie s will be jus t ifie d in prohibiting it s cultivat ion.

Me ss rs . Tata Sons had the following remarks to offe r onsome sample s ofghogam

’ taken from the Broach FarmThey have no s taple at all (exc ept one which s e ems

to have a little ) and they re s emble bengals more than anyothe r varie ty. We are given to unde rs tand that this typehas not only taken a firm hold in the broach cotton trac tbut i t has also extende d into the Surat D istric t . I f thisis the fac t, i t is greatly to be regre tte d, s inc e it is not atall de s irable that such a short- s taple d type should be

encourage d in Broach and Surat D istric ts . We wouldthe re fore s trongly recommend that the department shouldtake rigid s teps to dis courage the growth ofsuch type s inBreach and Surat .I think ’

that the pos s ibility ofidentity be twe en wagadand ghogari should be inve s tigate d by a local inte rchangeofs e e ds, o iz ., by te s ting ghogari (unde r prope r re s tric tions)somewhe re nearViramgaumand wage d at Jambusar. Iem also ofopinion that, at Dohad Farm in the PanchMahals , exp e riments should be c onfine d to the te s ting ofherbac eum cottons ofwhose trac t this area is a naturalextens ion, and that it is not de s irable to allow negle c tumc ottons a footing in a s taple cotton trac t .At Ajup ura, in the Kaira D is tric t, Se le c tion IA from

Surat, yie lde d 472 lb. ofs e e d cotton (value Rs . 131p erac re )with a ginning pe rc entage of37 ‘2, waged gave 456 lb.

(value Rs . 131) with a g inning p e rc entage of368, ghogam’

gave 411lb. (value Rs . 117) With a ginning pe rc entage of36-8, and the local 77077777 gave 398 lb. (value

'

Rs . 114) witha ginning pe rc entage of38 .

Central Ind ia.

Sample s offour c ottons we re re c e ive d from the IndoreFarm forvaluation and remarks . They s tood in the following orde r

(1) Cambod ia. Value p erac re Rs . 137- 7 - 0, outturn710 lb. s e e d c otton, ginning pe rc entage 33,


valuation Rs . 460 p ercandy. This was sownunde r irrigation in May. This cotton has notgo t the appearanc e ofCambodia; the fibre s areweak and s taple short, about {>Linch long. Onthe bas is ofujjainat

'

Rs . 520 onthe day thismay be value d at Rs . 570, Madras Cambodiase ll ing forRs . 650. A good sample ofmach ineginne d Cambodia has a nic e golden t inge anda soft fe e l . The s taple is about aninch long,spinning up to 40

’

s . Gadag - Cambodia (rolle rginne d) is only s lightly infe rior to the MadrasCambod ia but a saw-

ginne d sample is farint e rior as the fibre s are torn .

K 22 (anindigenous cotton evolve d by Mr. Leakeat Cawnpore ). Value p erac re Rs . 60- 7 - 0, s e e dcotton 336 lb., ginning percentage 34, valuationp ercandy Rs . 415, good forl0’s .This also has de te riorate d in the Central

India so il and has acquire d bengals tyle, havingharsh fee l and short s taple .

(3) Local Malvi. Value p erac re Rs . 58 - 9- 0, se e dcotton 356lb., ginning pe rc entage 30, valuat ionRs . 430,and good forl0’s .

(4) Marwad i. Value p erac re Rs . 48, se e d cotton240 lb., ginning pe rc entage 33, value p ercandyRs . 475, good for20’s .

As regards future work in Central India, it should beemphas ize d that from the firs t the s taffin charge shouldhave a pre c ise knowle dge ofwhat cot tons ac tually exist inthe trac t and s e le c t ions ofall forms found in the he ldshould be studie d and te ste d onthe expe rimental farm byoific ers who have had pre liminary training in cotton inve st igat ion. The ve ry fine varie ty malvens is is we ll worthde taile d re s earch and forms ofit with a highe r ginningpe rc entage will undoubte dly be found i f the s earch is conduc te d exhaus tive ly.Thanks are due to Mes s rs . Tata Sons Co., Bombay,

forthe i r gene rous he lp in valuing the sample s submitte d

SC . REPTS. OF AGRIC. RES. INST ., 1918 -19

to them. This work take s up much valuable time whichthe ir s taff have given ungrudgingly to as s is t us in the uphilltask ofeffec ting improvement in the Indian cottons .

III. PROGRAMME orWORK FOR 1919- 20.

Major.(1) To vis it and advis e onpo ints regarding c otton and

its cultivat ion wheneve r requ ire d to do so bythe Provinc ial Departments ofAgriculture

M77707 .

(2) An enquiry into the manurial requirements ofc otton will be made .

(3 ) Re searche s onthe botany ofco tton will be cont inued .

m ourn: m nmnRI sum 'r. oovr. pam'rmo, mum, 8,HASTINGS '

STBEET.


SCIENTIFIC REPORTS

OF THE

AgriculturalResearch Institute,Pasa

( Iwelua’z'

ng z‘

lz é R efiom‘cfM e Se cre tary,

1919- 20

SUPERINTENDENT GOVERNMENT PRINTING, INDIA


TABLE DE CONTENTS1.

I . Re p ort ofthe Dire c tor,Agricultural Re s earch Ins t itute ,Pusa

I . Charge and s tafi

II .Work ofthe Ins titut eSc ient ific workTraining

III . Publicat ionsIV. Ac count sV. Conferenc e

Re p ort of. the ' Imp erial AgriculturishI . ChargeII . GeneralIII . Publicat ionsIV. Training c ours eV. PuSa farm “

VI . Permanent exp eriment sVII . Imp lement s and machineryVIII . Pe digre e dairy herdIX . Sale sX . StaffXI . Programm e ofwork for1920-21

Re p ort ofthe Imp erial Agricultural Chemis tI . Adminis trat ionII . Educat ionIII . Me t e orology and drain-

gauge s

IV. General analyt ical work and as s is tanc e givento otherSe c t ions

V. Me thods ofanalys isVI . The re t ent ionofsoluble phosp hat e s incalcareous and non- calcare ous soils

VII . The windrowing of. sugarcaneVIII . The excre t ion of toxins from the ro ots of

p lant s0

IX . Carbond ioxide in soil airX . Tobac c o exp eriment sXI . Pad dy manurial exp eriment sXII . Programme ofwork for1920-21

XIII . Publicat ions

Re p ort ofthe Imp erial Ec onomic BotanistI . Introduc t ionII .Wheat

Spread ofPusawheat sPusa wheat s inAus tralia

III . Ind igoLys eme t erexp eriment sRoot - d eve lopmentSe e d s e le c t ion

IV. Lins e e dV. Tobac c o, grams,Hibiscus, e tc .

VI . Ric eVII . Jut eVIII . Programme and p ublicat ions

ofthe Imp erial Myc ologis tCharge and e s tablishmentTrainingDis ease s ofp lant s(1) Blac k band d is eas e ofju t e(2) Fruit work inKumaon(3) Cereal diseas e s(4) Pythium d iseas e ofginger other

crop s(5) Potato s t orage rot s(6) Root rot ofc ot ton

Sys t emat ic workProgramme ofwork for1920 21Publicat ions

Re p ort ofthe Imp erial Entomologis tI . Adminis trat ionII . TrainingIII . Inse c t p e s t s

Cot tonRic eSugarcaneMulberryFruit p e s tLife -historie s ofinse c t sStored grainp e sts



(Includ ing the Rep ort ofthe Se cre tary, SugarBureau)

REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR.

(S. MILLIGAN,M.A.,B.80., AND G . S. HENDERSON,

I. CHARGE AND STAFF .

Charge . Mr. G . A. D . Stuart, held'

charge ofthe offic e ofAgricultural Advise r to the Gove rnment ofIndia and D ire c tor, Agricultural Re search Ins titute ,Pusa, up to the 23rd Oc tober,1919, and M o. J Mackenna,

from - the 24th Oc tobe r, 1919, to “

the 30th

Apri l, 1920. Onthe trans fe r ofMr. Mackenna to Burmaas Deve lopment Commis s ione r, Dr. E. J Butle r,M .E.,

he ld charge from the 1s t May till he was re lieve dby Mr. S. Milligan onthe 18th June , 1920.

Dr. E. J Butle r he ld the pos t ofJo int D irec tor oftheIns titute until the c lose ofthe year, but subsequentlyproc e e de d onleave , Mr. G . S.Hende rson, Impe rial Agriculturis t, re li eving him ofhis dutie s as Joint D ire c tor.

Staff. Dr. W.H.Harrison proc e e de d onleave for18 months from ls t

'

May, 1920, when Dr. J Sen, M.A.,

PH.D ., Supe rnume rary Agricultural Chemist, as sume d

charge ofthe dutie s ofImpe rial Agricultural Chemis t .Dr. Sen’s deputation unde r the Unite d Provinc e s Gove rnment te rminate d onthe 3rd De c embe r, 1919.


Mr. A.Howard, M.A.,and Mrs . Gabrielle L. C .Howard, M .A. Impe rial Ec onomic Botanis ts , went onleave from the 26th Novembe r, 1919. Mr.M.A., B. Economic Botanist t o the Gove rnment ofBengal, has offic iat ed as Impe rial Economic Botanist s inc ethe 2oth De c embe r, 1919.

Mr. JH.Walton,M.A.,E.SC .,Ass istant AgriculturalBac te riologis t, has be en appo inte d to ac t as Impe rial Agricultural Bac te riologis t from the 11th April,1920, the

‘

date

from Which Mr. C . M .Hutchinson, B.A., proc e e de donleave for18 months . Mr. N.V. Joshi, B.A.,

L.AG ., Firs t As s is tant to the Impe rial AgriculturalBac te riologis t, ac ts as As s istant, Agricultural Bac te riologis t from the same date .

Dr. F J F . Shaw, Se cond Impe rial Mycologis t, hasbe en on11months ’ leave from the 5th February, 1920.

Mr.Wynne Saye r, B.A., ac te d as Impe rial Agriculturis t up to the 4th January, 1920, when the pe rmanentincumbent,Mr. G . S.Hende rson, re sume d charge onre turnfrom leave .

At the c los e ofthe year unde r report,Mr. J F . Das tur,M .s c ., Supe rnume rary Mycologis t, was s till on deputation in England fortraining .

Mr. AfzalHus sain,B.A.,M .SC ., Supe rnume rary Entomologist , was trans fe rre d as Entomologis t to the PunjabGove rnment onthe l6th Septembe r, 1919.

Mr.W. A. Davis, Indigo Re searchChemis t,was onleave from the 11th Oc tobe r, 1919, to the2 5 th April, 1920.

Dr. A. P . Jame son Who has be en appo inte d Protoz oologis t at Pusa,Jome d his dutie s onthe 17th Oc tober,1919.

Subse quent to the c lose ofthe year unde r report,Mr. F . M .How1e tt , B.A. F E.S., Impe rial PathologicalEntomologist died at Mus soorie onthe 20th August,1920,afte r a se rious ope ration . His d eath is a se rious los s tot he Ins titute and the Ind ian Agricultural Se rvice .



ChemicalSe c t ion. As re commende d by the Confe renc eofAgricultural Chemis ts,aninve s tigation into the me thodsofanalys is ofnitroge n and phosphoric ac i d in manure sand fe rtilize rs has be en unde rtaken by the ChemicalSe c tion: The

‘ important inve stigations regarding the

re tention ofphosphoric ac i d in calcareous and non~

calcare ous soils reache d a s tage which enable d Dr.Harrison to submit the re sult forpublication . The workonwindrowmg ofsugarcane s s tarte d at P e shawar wasc ontinue d at Pusa whe re i t was found that the

"

cane swe re capable of be ing windrowe d unde r c onditionsoftempe rature much highe r than those obtaining inthe NorthWe st Frontie r P rovinc e . The que stion as t owhe the r the roots ofc e rtain c rop plants excre te toxic sub

stanc e s, and the comparative e ffe c t ofammonium sulphateas amanure forpaddy use d alone and m combination withgre en manure s , forme d some ofthe othe r important inve stigat ions made by this Se c tion .

Botanical Se c tion. Botanical work onwheat, indigo,linsee d, tobac co, patwa (Hibis eu‘

s cannabinus ) and safflowerhas be en continue d . In addition to this, work onric e andjute 1e c e ive s mention in the report ofthe Offic iat ingEconomic Botanist . Reports from the Unite d P rovinc e sindicate that some ofthe new Pusawheat c ros ses s ent outfortrial may prove e ven highe r yie lde rs than the we lle stablishe d Pusa12, showing animprovem‘

ert in the dire ction ofa s tronge r

,s traw and be tte r grain - holding pro

p ert ie s . Botanical work onindigo was c onfine d mainly toa c ontinuation ofobs e rvations onplants grown in draine dand undraine d lys ime te rs, t o the ,

monthly examination ofroots , and to s e e d s e le c tion . Definit e re sults have be enobtained from the work onlins e e d, indicating the line s onwhich improvement ofthe Bihar varie tie s must proc e e d.

The Offic iat ing Ec onomic Botanist, in Collaborationwith the Fibre Expe rt to the Gove rnment ofBengal, c ontinue d the inve stigations into “

chloros is ” in jute whichpromise to have important prac tical re sults in e liminatingthis dange r to the Bengal jute c rop .

INSTITUTE, PUSA, FOR 1919- 20

The Myc ological Se c tionwas short - hande d during thegreate r part ofthe year owing to the abs enc e oftwo ofthes upe rior s taff. The work onthe black band disease ofjute ,rot in potatoe s during s torage ,and onthe diseas e s offru itin Kumaon have , howe ve r, yie lde d important re sults .D is eas e s ofc e reals have be en unde r inve s tigation and cons iderable progre s s has be en made in the enqu iry which islike ly to extend ove r s eve ral years . Obse rvations at Lyallp urofthe rootrot ofcotton have le d to the conc lus ion thatthis dis ease which oc curs sporadically in Northe rn andWe s te rn India is a non—paras itic one and is assoc iate dwi th s ome unknown soi l c ondition Which will re quires pe c ial s tudy .

EntomologicalSe c tion. In additi n to sys tematic workon ins e c ts, the Entomological Se c tion continue d the

inve stigation ofthe re lative immunity ofvar ie tie s ofcotton from bollworm attack, ofbore r pe sts ofsugarcane ,ric e and othe r c e reals, and ofOthe r agents ofdamage tot he se c rops which produc e effe c ts s imi lar to those cause dby bore rs . The Impe rial Entomologist, in emphas iz ing theimportance ofthe s tudy ofthe s tem bore rs , e s timate s thatt he ave rage los s ofsugarcane in India through the ac tionofbore rs amounts to 10 p erc ent . ofthe total c rop . Cons iderable mate rial has be en ac cumulate d regarding inse c tpe s t s offru it tre e s . The re sults ‘

oft he prolonge d exp eriments and the de tails ofthe suc c e ss ful me thods onthes torage ofgrain against inse c t attack have be en fullyde sc ribe d in a pape r by Mr. Fle tche r and Mr. C. C .

Ghosh . Furthe r work on pe sts of s tored grain was

mainly dire c te d to finding whe the r the re is any infe s tat ion inthe field and, i f so, to what extent . Lac and se ric ulture also c ontinue d to engage the attention ofthisSe c tion .

PathologicalEntomologicalSe c tion. Onthe conc lus ionofhis deputation to inve s tigate the mosquito repe llents,t he late Mr.Howle tt worke d onthe e ffec ts ofalkaloidalpolsons onrats and ofX - rays onmosqu ito larvae in collahoration with Captain Barnard ofthe ColabaHospital .

SCIENTIF IC REPORTS OF THEAGRICULTURAL RESEARCHAttempts we re also made to discove r the inse c t- carrie r ofa short pe riod feve r whic h was se rious ly impai ring the

effic iency ofship ’

s c rews in the Bombay Docks . At thetime ofhis death Mr.Howle tt was engage d ona survey ofhie s inthe Punjab and the North -We st Frontie r P rovinc ein c onne c tion with the transmis s ion ofsurra amongs tcame ls .

Bac t eriological Se c t ion. A large amount ofwork onnitrificat ionand fixat ionofnitrogen has already be en doneby the Bac te riological Se c tion . During the year underreport, inve stigations we re carrie d out re garding the nitrificat ionofcow - dung, c ow - urine and she ep fold manure ,along with the i r effe c ts onplant growth . The los se s ofnitrogen during the s torage ofthe s e manure s are be ingfurthe r inve stigate d. A s tudy ofthe w i de variations inthe ac cumulation ofnitrate during the de compos ition ofvarious oilcake s tends to the conc lus ion that the se areintimate ly c onne c te d with the carbohydrate - nitrogen ratioofthe cake s, the oil con tent having apparently ve ry s lightinfluenc e onnitrificat ion. A comparison ofthe nitrogencontent ofsoil unde r fallow and growing c rops showe d thatnot only the n i trate but also the organic nitrogen contentofthe c roppe d plots we re lowe r than thos e ofthe fallowplot . Furthe r work onthe ste rilization ofwate r by thenew s te rilize r (e le c tro - chlorogen), mentione d in las t year’sreport, was c ontinue d .

Protoz oological Se c tion. Dr. P ringle Jame son, whojoine d his appo intment on the 17th Oc tobe r, 1919, hastaken up the work on the pebrine diseas e ofs ilkwormsfrom the point whe re Mr.Hutchinson, who initiate d theinve stigations, le ft offThe work done by the I77037390 Se c t ionis publishe d in a

sp e c ial s e rie s ofIndigo Publications s tarte d by the Ins titute . A separate annual report has, the re fore , not be encons ide re d ne ce s sary.

Training. The numbe r of post - graduate s tudentsunde r training at the Institute , during the year, are


SCIENTIFIC REPORTS orTHE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH

IV. ACCOUNTS .The total expenditure during the financ ialyear ending

the 31s t'

March, 1920, was Rs . as agains tRs . during the previous year. The de tails aregiven be low :

General e xp enditure onthe Ins t itut e (inc ludingth e Othe e ofth e Agricultural Advis erand]) ire c tor)

Chemical Se c t ionMy c ological Se ct ionEntomological Se c t ionPathologicalEntom ological Se c t ionBac t eriological Se c tionBotanical Se c t ionAgricultural Se c t ionIndigo Re s earch Se c t ionProto z oological Se c t ion

TOTAL

A sum ofRs . was paid as a grant - in—aid to theIndian TeaAs soc iation .

The princ ipal items ofexpenditure unde r the annualgrant ofRs . plac e d at the disposal ofthe Agricultural Advise r to the Gove rnment ofIndiaforspe c ialagricultural expe riments we re as follows

F orinve st igat ionofant i- s c orbut ic and ant i- berib eriprop ertie s ofsun- drie d ve ge table s

Cos t offenc ing mat erialsEnt ertainment ofVis itors during motortrac tord emons trat ions

P ebrine exp erim ent sCo st ofoilforsurra e xp eriment sAp paratus andap plianc e s forthe Myc ological Se c t ionat Pusa

Exp erim ental c otton cult ivat ion by the Imp erialCot tonSp e c ialis t, Poona

Mosquito exp erim ent s at‘

Pusa

Pay ofaVe t erinaryAss is tant


The gross re c e ipts during the year from the sale offarm produc e , milk, publications ofthe department ando the r artic le s amounte d to Rs . as against Rs .last year.

V. CONFERENCE.The Ele venth Me e ting ofthe Board ofAgriculture in

Indiawas he ld at Pusa from the ls t to 6th De c embe r,1919,unde r the pre s i dency ofMr. Jame s Mackenna,

The me e t ing was attende d by 49 membe rs and27 vi s itors, the latte r inc luding theHon’ble SirClaudeHill, Membe r incharge ofthe Department ofRevenueand Agriculture , Government ofIndia, theHon’ble Mr.R .A. Mant, Se c re tary t o the Gove rnment ofIndia,Department ofRevenue and Agriculture ,and the Membe rs oftheIndian Sugar Commi tte e .

SCIENTIFIC REPORTS OF THEAGRICULTURAL RESEARCH

REPORT OF THE IMPERIALAGRICULTURIST.

(G . S. HENDERSON,I . CHARGE.

Mr.Wynne Saye r he ld charge ofthe pos t ofImpe rialAgriculturis t till the 4th ofJanuary, 1920, when the p ermanent incumbent took ove r charge .

Khan Sahib Mohamme d Ikramudd inwas appo inte d tothe post ofAs s is tant t o the Impe rial Agriculturist on13thAugust,1919.

Khan Bahadur JudahHyam re tire d from s e rvice on25th Augus t,1919,and Mr. L. S. Jose p h was appointed asCattle Supe rintendent .

II . GENERAL .Animportant part ofthe work ofthe Impe rial Agricul~

turis t is to ac t as liaison offic erto the various provinc ialagricultural authoritie s in India. During the past yearl ittle in this dire c tion was pos s ible , Mr. Saye r beingemploye d onthe Indian Sugar Committe e during mos t ofthe year and during the remaining months the write r has,among othe r gene ral work, be en occupie d with a s cheme formotor trac tor trials and proposals foranAgri - IrrigationRe s earch Institute . A numbe r oftours we re , howeve r,unde rtaken in c onne c tion with the s e proposals . A fullscheme was drawn up forthe propos e d Irrigation Re searchIns titute in c onsultation with Mr. T. R . JWard, Inspe c torG ene ral ofIrrigation, and Mr. Robe rts, ofthe PunjabAgricultural Department .A c onsultation was he ld with Mr. Smith, the newly

appointe d Impe rial Dairy Expe rt, regarding the plac e ofthe Pusa he rd '

inthe gene ral s cheme forthe improvementofcattle —bre e ding in India. In the new dairy scheme sbe ing worke d out forvarious provinc ial department s theagricultural part ofthe programme will be drawn up bythe Impe rial Agriculturis t.


SCIENTIF IC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEAR CHofJune and we re not comple te d till July. The puls e c ropwas c onsequently sowntoo late . The shortage ofrain fallcontinue d during the monsoon . Two inche s ofrain inO c tobe r,howe ve r, fac ilitate d the sowing oftherabi (winte r)c rop . Drought again inte rvene d till February 1920 whenrain save d the cat c rop from total failure but was too latefors traw . The arhat’r(Cajanus ind ieus ) -

c rop which wasflowerlng at the time suffe re d a great deal and yie lde d d isap p oint ingly. The monsoon, though light, was not un~

favourable to the maize grown forgrain, but that grownforgre en fodde r was much be low normal .The Pusa Farm is worked unde r a thre e - year 6- course

rotation given be low. The land is doubl‘e —c roppe d, 73.e ., two

c rops are taken offthe same land annually.

lst Y ear 2nd Ye ar 3rd Year

M ons ooncrop (Kharif) Maize fors ilage Maize forc om Puls e gre encropand fodd er

Wint ercrop (Rabi) Arhar(Cajanus Oat sindicus )

De tails are as followsZs t year

‘

s rotation. The land unde r maize 1s given 10t ons farmyard manure or10 maunds oilcake and is followe d by oats in the rabi . During the year unde r reportfi ve field s aggregat ing 125 ac re s we re p ut down unde rmaize and jam (Androp ogonSorgum) . The bes t yie ld wasgot from South Pangarbi field whe re 15 _

ac re s gave 220maunds p erac re ofgre en fodde r, the bes t yie ld ofoatsb e ing 145 maunds p erac re fromBrickfield No . 2 .

The working cos t forthe year forboth kharifand ‘rabic rops in this year ofthe rotation amounte d to Rs . 56—4* p er.ac re and the re turn to Rs . 88 2, giving aworking profit ofRs . 31- 14 p erac re forthe year.

2nd year’

s rotation. No manure is given to the c rops int he se c ond year ofthe rotation . As a rule mai ze and arhar

Exclu s ive '

ofrent s,rat e s and taxe s and s up ervisioncharge s .



are sown toge the r so that the w henremains as am bi c ropafte r t he removal ofthe maize , the reby saving a cons ide rable amount of‘

cult iyat ionat the bus ie s t time ofthe year.The total“ area unde r this rotation was 140 ac re s but of

’ which 119 '

ac re s we re sown -unde r maize and arhar.The working costs forthe year forall c r0ps in this

rotation we re Rs . 22 - 10* p er.ac re and the re turns Rs . 96,

g1v1ng a profit ofRs . 73 - 6.

The season was afair one formaize corn and the be s the ld Bhograsongave 14gmaunds , the ave rage ove r allbe ingnearly 9 maunds . The arharc rop, as mentione d above ,finishe d badly owing to rain at the wrong t1me inF ebruary1920 when the c rop was in full flower.

3rd year’

s rotamen. In the 3rd year’s rotation puls ec rops are sown in kham'

fand °fe d offonthe land . Fourfields aggregating 132—5 ac re s we re sown underguar(Cyamop s is p s oralioid e s ), soybeans , math (Phas e olusaconit ifolius ), cowpeas and

'

velve t beans . Out ofthis, 107ac re sWe re fed offand 25 ac re s ofgum in Chhoania fieldwere cut gre en fors tall - fee ding . The latte r areawas sub :se quently sown with cats manure d with 5 maunds ofoilcake p erac re to make up forthe removal ofthe c rop .

The so ilingbegan late (the 3rd ofAugus t), the sowingofthe c rop having be en de laye d by late rainfall . Two

hundre d and s ixty—six head ofcattle consume d anave rage_ of ac re s ofc rop dailyo vera p erlod of40 days (Plate I).

Oats followe d the puls e c rop ove r 88 ac re s,4ac re s be ing"

” le ft fallow fornext year’s sugarcane and hot weathe r mai zeand a small area re se rve d forwheat. The cats area,

re ce ive d a dre s sing ofone maund ofsupe rphosphate .

The be st yie ld was 12—5 maunds from Chhoania, theave rage be ing 11maunds . . Working cos t was Rs . 32* p er‘ac re and re turn Rs . 53 .

Sugarcane The land . forthis c rop is’ kept fallow

during mlz’, the mo is ture bemg cons e rve d by repeate dharrowings till the cane is plante d in February without .

Exclu s ive ofrent s ,~rat e s and t axe s and sup ervi s ioncharge s .


i rrigation . This y ear eight ac re s we re unde r cane . Adre s s ing ofhalf a tonofoil- cake was applie d p erac re , halfat planting time and the remainde r onthe firs t rainfall.The c rop yie lde d anave rage of472 maunds p erac re andwas sold to the fac tory at annas 11p ermaund . The c os tofproduc tion amounte d t o Rs . 116- 9, and the re turnR s . 231- 8 p erac re . Twe lve se le c te d varie tie s we re grown,via,

th ick cane s Sathi,Purple Mauritius,Kaludai Budan,D . 99Ame rican and D . 1135 ; Thin cane s Java 36,Mungo,Yuba, Sare tha, Mane ria, Kuswarand Be ora. Twentynine varie tie s re c e ived from Dr.Barbe r,Gove rnment Sugarcane Expe rt, we re also grownforcomparative te sts onsmall areas . Out ofthe se , Co 215 , Cc 201, Co 202, Cc 204,Go 205, Go 206, Cc 207, C c 208, Go 210, Go 213, Go

.

214,

Java 213, Kuswarandi

Tobe Monje t did we ll and are thisyear be ing trie d ona large s cale . The thick cane s arep lante d in rows 3

’ fe e t apart while the spac ing ofthe rowsforthe thin varie tie s is 2%fe e t . This me thod ofplantinghas be en found the qu icke s t and most e conomical in regardt o labour. Furrows are opene d by a ridging plough, followe d by a sub - solilerto loosen the soil t o a depth ofabout 9inche s . Se ts are then laid horizontally in the furrows followe d by a top~dre ss ing ofoilcake . The s e ts are thencove re d by a spe c ial implement which is a c ombine d hangaand rolle r .Ju t e . 215 3 ac re s '

inGoojarmallafield we re sown unde rjute fors e e d forthe Fibre Expe rt to the Gove rnment ofBengal . The he ld is liable to hooding, but onac count ofthe s canty monsoon rainfall the c rop grew we ll and yie lde d134maunds ofse e d oranave rage of625 maunds p erac re .

Bers e em. Be rse em orEgyptian c love r (Trifolium alex

andrz’

num) was sown onanarea of8 46 ac re s commande dby irrigation from the rive r . This '

is a mos t promis ing'fodde r c rop, providing fodde r be twe en seasons at a timewhen the re is a scarc ity ofgre e n food .

’

Anareaofove r 40ac re s has now be en leve lle d forthe extens ion ofth i s c ropunde r irrigation . The fodder'w illbe ofgreat value to themilch stock.


SCIENTIF IC REPORTSI

OF THEAGRICULTURAL RESEAROH(b) The green -manuring expe rimental plots de s igne d in

collaborationwith the Impe rial Agricultural Bac te riologis twe re continue d forthe purpose ofte s ting re s idue s . The

yie lds from the diffe rent plots are not inc lude d in thisreport as they showno departure from las t s eason

’

s re sults .

(0) The expe riments in c ollaboration with ' the Impe rialMycolog1st regarding a me thod ofdealing with die —backdiseas e inchillie s we re c ontinue d .

(d ) Six wheat varie tie s , Fe de ration, Pusa 12, Pusa 4,Cawnpore . 13, Marc o Boo j i, and Lyallpur 8A, whichyie lde d we ll las t year,we re grown in a s e rie s ofplots . The

re sults owing to the defic iency ofrainfall we re in manycase s ve ry poor. The highe s t yie ld was 24maunds ~25 se e rsperac re frém Fe de rat ion, while the highe st outturns ofPusa4,Pusa 12 and Cawnpore 13 we re 15 maunds, 21maunds , and 18 maunds re spe ctive ly.

(e ) The expe riments forcomparing the comparat ivee conomic value ofthe common leguminous c rops we re continne d . The re are two s e rie s ofplots in this expe riment .One s e rie s is grown with h'

ham’

fpulses to produc e 2<§gre en

fodde r in the kham'

fand is followed by winte r puls e s forgrain in the rabi season ; the se cond s e ries is forte s tinggrain outturn ofboth kharifandrabi pulses .

The table be low shows this year’s re sultsTABLE II .

A'

Serie s .

How DEALTWITHinlh .

1. Soyb eans 9 45 3

3 . Floridave lvet beans4. FloridaBeggarwe ed 1

Q

Gram, small Kabuli6. Ur1d (Phas eolusradiatus) Gram,Cawnpore

Gram, local ,PusaBihar.8.VaL(Dolt chos ldblap) Gram,ye llow,ofGujarat

D istrict



VII . IMPLEMENT S AND MACHINERY .

Steam Plough ing Tackle . The se t of. tackle cons isting oftwo s ingle cyl inde r K c lass Fowle r engine s withs te e l wire rope and four furrow anti - balance gang plough,a disc harrow,agrubbe r, a zigzag harrowand a Cros skillrolle r, worke d during the year for126 days of10 ac tualworking hours each . The engine s we re also use d fors ilagecutting and fordriving an8 - inch ce ntri fugal pump fori rrigation both in the monsoon and cold weathe r s easonswhen the re was no cultivation work to be done onthe

farm.

The cost ofthe se t in 1913 was as followsTwo engine s with s t e e l cable sPloughDis c harrowGrubb erZ igz ag harrow and roller

TOTAL

De tails ofoutput, fue l consumption and working costs,including all expens e s exc ept deprec iat ion and inte re st onoutlay, are given be low.





Ford sonTrac tor. Afte r a trial and demonstrationwith implements use d onthe farm in May 1919this machinewas bought forRs . from Me s s rs . the Rus saEngine e ring Works, Ltd ., Calcutta, forfurthe r trials as regardsfue l consumption and work.

!The trac tor has now worke donthe farm forfully a year in both kharifandrabi cultivation . The implements use d inc lude Ransome ’s doubledis c plough, a two 14- inch furrow Olive r plough No . 7, a

Rode rick Lean disc harrow, spring tooth harrows, a Cambridge rolle r and anOrwe ll spring tyne cultivator also aRaja reape r forharve sting cats . The work ofthe Orwe llcultivator and Rode rick Lean disc harrow when us e d inconjunc t ion with the trac tor has been found exce llent . The

Raja reape r is too small fore conomic re sults and a s e lfbinde r would be more satis fac tory. The trac tor also didve ry good work in drivmg a Climax s ilage cutte r forchafting. gre en maize and ja m. Figure s ofoutput, consumption and cos t exc luding depre c iation and inte re s t are givenbe low,

INSTITUTE, PUSA , FOR 1919-20

Sunle s s;

fiflnma

Sumoa

Buiqqt uf)

24 SCIENTIF IC REPORTS OF THEAGRICULTURAL RESEARCH

Aus t inTrac tor. This machine was bought fromM e s s rs .A.H.Whee le r Co .,Allahabad,forRs . andarrive d onthe farm' in January 1920. It did equally goodwork to that ofthe Ford sonwith the same implements andwas also use d forbreaking in land from jungle .

The following s tatement shows the output, c onsumptionand cos t during the pe riod ofthre e months ’ working .


SCIENTIF IC REPORTS OF THEAGRICULTURAL RESEARCHThe work ofthe se two trac tors have c learly shown the

ne c e s s ity forextens ive trials ofs tandard make s in India.

It is poss ible that a numbe r ofmod ificat ions will have to beintroduc e d be fore trac tors canbe re commended forordinary zemindari conditions . The importanc e to India ofthetrac tor movement is enormous . P lough cattle ofpowe rfultype are scarc e and dear, and improve d agriculture ne c e ss itate s more powe r. It is us e le ss t o re commend aninc rease darea'

of, say, sugarcane cultivation,'

unle s s means are _ proVided forthe extra powe r requ ire d foraninc reas e d depthofcultivation . Amotor trac tor e quals in work 8— 10 pairsofcattle . The subje c t is thus worthy ofmore attentionthan afew spasmodic demons trations . Furthe r, the introduc tion oftrac tors ne c e s s itate s the provis ion oftrainings chools fordrive rs and workshops forrunning repairswithin easy reach .

The agricultural machine ry trade in India is at pre s entin anunsatis fac tory s tate . Make rs have no dire c t re pres entat ive s in India but .are repre s ente d by agents in the

large towns . The re are n_

o s tocks in the country and spareparts are inc reas ingly difficult to ge t , and forthe se exhorbitant pric e s are some time s charge d . Forexample , a billwas pre sente d forEs .

'

1,200forspare s fora couple ofreaping machine s . Make rs .will undoubte dly have to contemplate the appo intment ofthe ir ownagents and the openingofde p6t s in upcountry distric ts .It is obvious that the work ofthe Agricultural Depart

ments in India must inc lude both the testing ofstandardtype s ofagricultural machine ry and the adoption ofsuchsuitable mod ificat ions as are re quire d by Indian and individual dis tric t conditions . This c las s ofwork is quite in it sinfancy and require s c ons ide rable capital and time . Agriculturists inIndia are furthe r handicappe d by the ~difficulty ofge tting into dire c t touch with manufac ture rs inEngland and Ame rica.


VIII . PEDIGREE DAIRY IIERD .

During the year unde r report this he rd has progres se dsatis fac torily. As has be en shown in forme r reports it isdivide d into two se c tions

(a) A pure bre d Montgome ry orSanhiwalhe rd.

(b) A c ros s bre d he rd obtaine d by c ross ing the poore rMontgome ry cows with Ayrshire bulls .

(a) Th e MontgomeryHerd . The strict se le c tion formilk yie ld is now giving re sults and the he rd' is s lowly butsteadily improving . It numbe rs ove r 244 head and it ishope d to re je c t th is year all cows g iving le s s than lb.

ofmilk in a lac tation pe riod of10 months from calving .

I t is satis fac tory to re cord that a numbe r ofthe newhe i fe rs have starte d with yie lds ofove r lb . in the i rfirst lac tation pe riod of10months ; as they are s till in milkthe i r name s are not include d in the l is t be low .

The be s t re sults in the past year in the Montgome ryse c tion are

TABLE VIII .

Name ofc ow

Amrit sari Bowdhj 33 4 810

Amrit sari Godhi 99

5 007 Amrit sari Banthi 3 7

Thombi 130Chakli 203 Prayagi Padmini 56

Behari Makhni 28 4 406

Prayagi Panp 39

The calve s from the Montgome ryheife rs are now be ingweane d at calving time but great care ’

and care ful supe rvis ion is ne c e s sary. When the calf is weane d the cow

take s the bull soone r and more regularly.(b) Gross Bre dHerd . The numbe r ofthe c ro s s bred

he rd 1s at pre sent 91head .


The be s t ofthe cows we re

TABLE IX .

Milk yieldName ofc ow inlb . (10 Calving

months )

.AlibiNo. 3 7 765

NaomiNo. l Thoombri

DaisyNO. 5

Kit tyNo. 10Pat tyNo. 8

1PeggyNo. 9

The above re sults are ve ry s triking . The combinedre sults at Pusa and at the various mil itary dairies , inwhich re cords ofhundre ds ofanimals and ove r 10 years ’expe rience are available , show that a c ross ofthe we ll bre dAyrshire bull with

,anIndian cow will double the ave rage

milk yie ld ofthe Indian bre e d . The c ros s cow too, come s

in calf regularly and the calf canbe weane d w1thout dithc ulty.

The following table shows the yie lds oftwo c ros s cows,.Jill, be longing to the M ilitary Dairy Bangalore , andAlibi at Pusa (Plate III) .

TABLE X .

’

JILL (BANGALOR E) ALIBI (Pus s )

Lac tat ionp eriod Numb erofYield inlh. days in Yield in1b.milk

7 979

:Se c ond

“Third

Eourth



Total days from firs t calving ofJill to day prior to .

las t calving, Total yie ld, lb. Dai ly ave rage ,25 90 lb. P res en'

; yie ld from 21s t March, 1918, to 3ls t .

Oc tobe r, 1918, is lb .

'

and s till do ing 30 lb. dai ly(Oc tobe r Perc ent. butte r fat , morning 444, evening

From .ls t April, 1920, to 30th July, 1920, Alibi has .

given lb., giving anave rage daily yie ld of432 lb.

milk and is now giving 38 lb. milk perdayIt is obvious that c ows ofthis type are e normous ly

valuable . A c ow giving lb. milk in a year with there tail pric e ofmilk at 2 s ee rs t o the rupe e is worth takingsome care of. With re fe renc e to the c omparat ive qualityofthe milk ofthe c ros s bre d and Montgome ry he rds theave rage ofa number‘

ofbulk sample s showe d about thesame high c ontent ofbutte r fat forthe two, via, 46 p erc ent.Much c ritic ism has be en evoke d onthe subje c t ofc ross

bree ding onthe score ofsus c eptibility t o dis ease . This ,howeve r, is large ly discounte d by ac tual expe rienc e at themilitary dai rie s whe re rinde rpe s t has be en suc c e s s fullycombate d by the me thod of s imultane ous inoculation .

Othe r cattle diseas e s are not nearly so dange rous . The

main line ofwork in this c onne c tion is only at the beginning,viz , the s e le c tion ofafixe d type from among the c rossbre ds . -The ideal type ofanimal would combine diseasere s is tanc e de rive d from the female s ide with the milk yie ldde rive d from the Ayrshire s tock . To make headway wi ththis work large numbe rs are e s sential and the addition ofothe r s tations is re qu ire d .

IX. SALE S .A sale ofsurplus stock was he ld in March and was we ll"

atte nde d . Thirty head real ize d nearly Rs . 7,000.

X . STAFF .

The s taffof- the Agricultural Section,Pusa, though ve ryshort - hande d, worke d with great zeal during the year.

SCIENTIF IC REPORTS OF THE “

AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHXI . PROGRAMME orWORK FOR 1920- 21.

Maj or.I . (30 - ordination ofwork in the various Agricultural

Depar tments by touring, e t c .

11. P rac tical treatment ofthe Pusa Farm with sp emal

re fe renc e to sui table mode rn machine ry and the e conomicre sults the reo f .III . P rac tical treatment ofthe Pe digre e DairyHe rd

and the fixing ofa c ros s bre d type ofmilk animal .IV . Expe riment work in collaboration with the various

s c ient ific Se c tions at Pusaas mentione d in the Various s e ct ional reports .V. Rotat ion and fe rtility expe riments ona he ld s cale

and the trial and ac c l imatization ofnew c rops .VI . Demonstrations and sale s at Pusa.

M inor.VII. G ene ral advisory work ofanagricultural nature .


32 SCIENTIF IC REPORTS OF THEAGRICULTURAL RESEARCHStomach c ont ent s and livers ofbullsMisc e llane ous

Among the items ofinte re s t in this conne c tion we resamples ofthe comme rc ial ins e c tic i de s known'as Polvo and .

Katakilla. P olvo is a'

p owderwhich upon mic roscopic ex

amination is shown to be ofvege table origin . The aqueousextrac t cons i ste d large ly ofdextrinoid, re s ino id matte rsWith some small proportion oftannin. N0 sp e c ific alkalo ids could be de te c te d and the ac t ive princ iple appeare dto be a sapotoxin. This was c onfirme d by its iso lation andreac tions, both chemical and biologicah The re appeare dto be about 0-97 p erc ent . pre sent in the sample . Katalcilla

seeme d to be amixture ofP olvo with soap.

B. The following as s is tance was rende re d to othe rSe c t ions :

AgriculturalSe c t ion. Forty- four sample s ofsugarcane , 15 sample s ofmanure s and 4 sample s offe e ding s tuffs we re reporte d upon. Eightsample s ofmilk ofpure and c ros s - bre d cows,we re also analyse d.

Botanical Se c t ion. One sample ofsoil was analys e d .

Entomological Se c t io‘

n. One samp le ofsodium ars enate was examine d.

Mgeological Se c t ion. Two sample s offungic ide we rereporte d upon.

Ind igo Re s earch Se c t7077 . Two sample s ofmanure swe re analys e d .

Co t tonSp e c ialis t s Se cm'

on. Forty sample s 01co ttonse e d we re examine d.

SugarBureau. Sixte en sample s ofsugarcane we reanalys e d forthe Se c re tary, Sugar Bureau

Imp erial Bae temologwal Laboratory. Two sample soffe e ding s tuff and thre e spe c imens ofthes tomach contents and live rs ofhill bulls we reexamine d forthe D ire c tor and Firs t Bac te rialogist ,Mukt e sar.


0. The examination ofthe soils ofthe expe rimentalp lots in the Punjab Fie ld was c omple te d . The re sults we resubmitted by Dr.Harrison in De cembe r 1919 to the Commit t ee appointe d by the Board ofAgriculture to reviewthe pe rmanent manurial and rotation expe riments at Pusa.

The se expe riments, which we re s tarte d in 1908, we re des igne d to find out the sp ec ific e ffe c t onsoi l fe rtility ofthemore important organic and chemical manure s, alone andin various combinations, in a 2 - year 4- cours e rotation . Itwas also sought to de te rmine how farsoil fe rtility is afiec te d by growing in rotat ion, le guminous c rops (1) removedfrom the land, (2) re turne d to the land in the shape ofgre enmanure s . The re sults obtaine d are note d below.

The efle‘

c t ofap p licat ions oforganic manure s . Bulkyo rganic manure s have a ve ry appre c iable effe c t in increasing the total c rop, but whe reas with c e reals the proportionofgrain is mate rially inc reased, the reve rse is the case withraham (Cajanus The re s idual e ffe c t ofrape cakei s inapprec iable onthe se cond c rop, although it s e ffec t onthe c rop to which it is ap p lied is ve ry marke d. Rape cake

”is the re fore not as effe c tive as farmyard manure when theapplication 1s only once in afull c ropping season .

The efie c t ofmineral'

manures . Of' the manurial cons t ituent s nitrogen,potash and phosphoric ac id when appliedalone , the las t !is the only one

'

which give s a dis tinc tlypos itive react ion in Pusa soil, but the combination ofallthre e give s the be s t re sults to the c rop to which it is applie d. In the cas e ofc e reals the use ofphosphoric ac i d‘inc rease s the proportionofgrain, but in the case ofraharallmanure s inc rease the proportion ofgre en matte r.The effe c t ofp uls e crop s in0. 7 077777077 . It was note d

that the benefit due fo the inc lus ion oflegume s in the rotat ion is pos itive so faras the yie ld ofgrain is c onc e rne d,but the inc rease s obtaine d are not '

of.great magnitude andthe re is prac tically no change in the we ight ofs traw produce d . In the case ofrather, the addition ofa shallowroote d le gume to the rotation re sulte d in s light de c rease .

n

SCIENTIFIC REPORTS orTHE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH

The efie c t ofgre en"

7777777777 77 3 . The very definite deple -f

tion ofthe yie ld of7°

a.ha71unde r the influenc e ofgre en~manuring— e ven When in conjunc tion with supe rphosphate— is ve ry remarkable ,but it re c e ive s some confirmat ionfrom:

the obs e rvation recorde d above that the introduc tion ofase cond le guminous c rop le d to a s light re duct ion oftheyie ld . It would almost seem that as i f the use ofgre en ,

manure s in conjunc tion with ale guminous c rop ofthe typeofraharwe re de le te rious . It is de s irable that ' this pointshould be te s te d fmore rigorous lyRe garding the c e real c rops the re turns are ve ry definit e

and d istinc tly demons trate the great benefit d e rive d fromgre en manure s , even in pure ly c e real rotations . The introduc t ionofale gume into ' the rotat longive s only a oom-r

parat ively small inc reas e d benefit . The outstandingfeature is , howeve r, the value ofa combination ofgre en.

manure and supe rphosphate .

V. METHODS orANALYS ISAs re commende d by the Chemists ’ Confe rence held iir

February 1919, aninve stigat ion ofthe me thods ofanalys isofnitrogen and phosphoric ac i d in manure s and fe rtilizershas been unde rtaken at Pusa. Eas e ofmanipulationtoge ther with the pe riod oftime involve d in the es timationsis be ing taken into cons ide ration along with the ac curacyofthe re sults obtaine d . The re sults obtaine d so fararere corde d be low .

Ni trogen. Kje ldahl’s original me thod forthe e s timation ofnitrogen, and the various mod ificat ions which havebe en p ropose d by diffe rent worke rs are be ing clos e ly s tudie d“in this laboratory. It has be en found that in Kj e ldahl’sme thod whe re no potas s ium sulphate is use d, as we ll as inGunning me thod whe re no coppe r sulphate ormercurieoxide is us e d, the time taken forboiling is' long. In the

me thods whe re both coppe r sulphate and me rcuric oxide areuse d to has ten the de compos ition, the chanc e s ofoxidationare gene rally be tte r,but i t is s till pos s ible to ge t goodresult s in some ofthe me thods Whe re only one ofthe se is use d ,


3 6 SCIENTIFIC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHe ntire ly agre e with obs e rve d fac ts . The re tention ofphosp horic ac id by the soi l is not satis fac torily explaine d onthe pure ly chemical grounds and, in all probability, thep hys ical phenomenon of adsorption is an importantfac tor. Adsorp t ion is aninstantaneous proc e s s, and cons equently unde r conditions which obviate any poss ibility oft he format ion of. insoluble compounds,may be looke d uponas the fact or gove rning the range ofdistribution ofthephosphoric ac id through the so il and the availability ofthere taine d phosphate . Onthe othe r hand, the introduc tionofa s e condary fac tor such as the formation ofinsolublecalc ium phos phate s must cons ide rably modify the re sult,butthe magnitude ofthis modificat ionmust depend large lyupon the rapidity ofthe reac tion conc e rne d. It is conc e ivable that if,forins tanc e , the rat e ‘

ofreac tion be tweenmonocalc ic phosphate — the ch ie f c onstituent ofsupe r.phosphate— and calc ium carbonate is ve ry rapid the rangeofdistribution through a so il will be limite d. Conve rse ly,g iven a ve ry s low rate ofreaobion the distribution will beWi de r. Evidenc e onthis point is conflic t ing and it is impos s ible to formulate with any degre e ofce rtainty the

probable cours e ofevents in highly calcareous so ils such as,are found in Bihar and othe r port ions "

bfthe Gange ticalluvium. It the re fore appeare d de s irable to inve s tigatethe pre dominating fac to rs gove rning ,

the distribution ofsoluble phosphate s through calcare ous and non- calcareoussoils .A s tudy ofthe reac tion be twe en calcium carbonate and

monocalc ic phosphate showe d that th is is an extreme lyrapid proc es s re sulting in th e formation ofthe comparat ively insoluble dicalc ic phosphate . The latte r in

_

turnslowly

'reac t s wi th furtherquantitie s ofcalc ium carbonateforming tricalc ic phosphate . During the course ofreaot ion carbon dioxide gas is produc e d which by inc reas ing

“

the numbe r ofcalc ium ions in solution ' re duc e s ve rymate rially the quantity ofphosphoric aci d forme d in solu

tion. Consequently, With calcareous , so ils the importanceofcultural conditions which will tend to keep the CO2

c on


te nt ofthe so il gase s at '

a minimum and thus pe rmit ofagreate r conc entration ofthe phosphoric ac id in the soilsolution is apparent.

c ium carbonate ona solution ofmonocalc ic phosphate itWould appear probable that this reac tion must play aprom1nent part in calcareous so ils in re taining those forms ofsoluble phosphate s which are capable ofreac ting, but that,onthe othe r hand, the e ffe c t ofth is chemical re te ntion would‘be at a minimum in non- calcareous soils , and in the s e c ircums tanc e s adsorption may be the limiting fac tor. It isofthe utmost importanc e to de te rmine which ofthe s e mode sofre te ntion is the pre dominant fac tor in the two type s ofso il fornot only mus t the availability ”

ofthe re taine dphosphoric ac id be ve ry dis s imi lar in the two case s,but the

distribution through the mas s ofsoi l must als o be ve rydiffe rent .Wi th this obj e c t in view paralle l se rie s ofexpe riments

we re carrie d out With aPusa soil, repre senting highly cal~

care ous soils, and a so il from Kalianpur which is almostdevo id oflime . The se showe d that the phosphoric ac id ofsupe rphosphate is mainly re taine d through adsorp tion innon- calcareous so ils ,-whe reas the re tention is mainly due toot he r cause s in the case ofcalcareous so ils . Support tothe conc lusion that the re tention ofsupe rp hosphate by calcareous soils is due to chemical combination is lent by thebehaviour ofsolut ions ofdi and tri - sodium phosphate s:With the type soi ls . In the se latt e r cas e s no chemical reac tion could be demons trate d be twe en calc ium carbonateand the 1sodium phosphat e s and the re tent ion he re obeys theadsorp t ionlaws 0,

The rapidity ofthe reac tion be tween supe rphosphate and?calc ium carbonate lends ve ry s trong support to the hy

p othe sis that this reac tion mus t be the de te rmining fac torin the re tention ofphosphoric ac id unde r conditions inwhich it can'

oc cur. If thi s is corre c t, then it would appearthat when supe rphosphate is applie d to a calcare ous so ilcomparative ly insoluble calc ium phos phate s are im

38 SCIENTIF IC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHme diate ly forme d ins itu, thus limiting the distribution ofthe phosphoric ac id through the soil and caus ing the

supe rphosphate to have a ve ry localize d value . On'

the

othe r hand, innon- calcareous soils it would appear probablethat therange ofac tion would be wide r and the distribution more uniform throughout the mas s ofthe so il . To te stthis, the dis tributionofthe phosphoric ac i d ofdiffe rentphosphate s by pe rcolation through columns ofthe type so ilswas s tudie d . The re sult s showe d that the distribution ofsupe rphosphate through a non-calcare ous soil is ofanuniform type . The phosphoric ac i d pene trate s to a cons iderable depth and conse quently the e ffe c t ofapplicationsofsup e rphosphat e to such soi ls is wide spread. Ou the

othe r hand, the distribution ofsupe rphosphate in the cas e

ofcalcare ous so ils is ofanon- uniform type , the major p ortion ofthe phosphoric ac id be ing he ld in the t op laye rs ofthe soil . Cons e quently, the application ofsupe rphosphatet o thes e so ils has a ve ry re stric te d e ffe c t and has the re foreprobably much le s s effic iency than e quivalent amounts applie d to so ils ofthe oppos ite type . In proportion to the

amount ofsupe rphosphate applie d to the c olumns ofsoil,t he soil solution ofcalcare ous so ils c ontains a much le s sc onc entrationoi? phosphoric ac id than in the case ofnoncalcareous soils . In the light ofpre sent knowle dge this canonly mean that the phosphoric ac id re taine d is in a muchmore available form in the lattersoils .It has furthe r be en found that the pre s enc e ofeven 5

p erc ent. ofcalc ium carbonate in a non- calcare ous soilre s tric ts the diffus ion ofthe phosphoric ac id ofsupe rphosphate . In fac t, in such a case the

.

phosphoric ac id isprac tically comple tely re taine d in the tOp few inche s . Thisshows that calc ium carbonate is the de te rmining agent .

Onthe othe r hand, it has be en demons trate d that thed istribution ofthe phosphoric ac id ofthose soluble phosp hat e s which are without ac tion oncalc ium carbonate ,through a c olumn ofsoil is ofanunif01m type even inhighly calcareous so ils , and '

that the phosphoric ac id penetrates '

to a cons i de rable depth . I t would, the re fore, s e em


SCIENTIF IC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHauthor to support the view that the roots ofc rop plantsexc re te toxic substanc e s . It may, howeve r, be note d thatthe se exp eriment s fl swere pe rforme d with ordinary we llwate r and without any control te sts, and that the me thodofexpe riment le d to a c ons ide rable e vaporation ofwaterand a c orre sponding conc entration ofthe dis solve d salts .

This be ing the case it was fe lt that the evidenc e was notconc lus ive and that a repe tition ofthe expe rimen ts undermore stringent conditions was de s irable . With this ob

je c t in view the same s cheme ofexpe rime nt was repeate dWith the e xc eption that a synthe tic nu trient solution was :

substitute d forthe well‘ wat er, and c ontrol te sts ” wereintroduc e d to che ck the re sults . Thenutrient solution us e dwas that ofKnop .

A large numbe r ofwheat, raharand gram s ee dlingswe re grown in this nutrient solution, and at the end ofac ertain pe riod the solution was allowe d t o evaporate spontaneously until it s volume was re duce d to about one - e ighth .

The blanks we re allowe d to e vaporate to one - third to one —f

fourth the original volume . Jars containing nutrientsolut ion but bearingno s e e dlings we re also treate d in anidentical manne r,and constitute d the blanks .” Se e dling swe re then introduc e d into the se conc entrate d solutions,suppose d to contain the exc re tions ofplant roots; and thep rogre ss ofc rop s grown in

.them was re corde d. The

re sult s are note d be low


From the above table i t is evident that, in gene ral, these e dlings grown in “wheat,” gram, and rahar ” wate rthrove be tte r than in the blank te s t ”

solution, and thatse e dlings grown in dis tille d wate r fare d be st. The s e ob

servat ions le d to the conc lus ion that the pos itive re sult sobtaine d in the expe riments re c orde d in the memoir we reprobably due to the conc entration ofthe salts pre sent inthe we ll wate r and not to toxic exc re tions: This is confirme d by_

anexamination ofthe figure s forthe “totalsolids ” in the solutions . The conc entrat ion of»“blank ”

wate r in Which the se e dlings grew the wors t was the

highe s t,whe reas the be s t re sults we re obtaine d in the distille d wate r. The re sult s obtaine d from the othe r“wate rs we re inte rme diate in charac te r and ap proximate ly p roportionate to the conc entration.

'

Inshort, thepre s ent s e rie s ofexpe riments point to the conc lus ion thatinc rease d conc entration ofany solution beyond a c e rtainlimit leads to a toxic effe c t by some orallofthe componentsalts pre sefit in the solution. The s trength ofthe solutionin the original expe riment re corde d in the memoir worksout approximate ly to 112 p ercent., a conc entrationwhich!

no doubtWill prove toxic to any plant. The pre senc e ofanalkaloi d wh ich the author infe rre d was the charac te r ofthe exc re te d toxins could not be demons trate d in the pres ent e xpe riments, and conse quently it is only poss ible toconc lude that the effe c t which had be en as c ribe d to toxicexc re tions , is in real ity due to the high concentration ofsalt s inthe solution employe d in the final s tage s ofthe ex

p eriment . Anac count ofthe pre sent expe riments whichhave be en carrie d out by Mr. Muke rj i has be en submit te dforpublication in the AgriculturalJournal ofIndia.

”

IX. CARBON DIOXIDE INs on, AIR .

Pe riodical de te rminations ofcarbon dioxide we re madein the soi l airofthre e p lots in the Botanical Area. Of

“

the se the firs t plot was gras se d down, the se cond Wasgrasse d down but was part ially ae rate d by trenche s, and

42 SCIENTIFIC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHthe third was kept surfac e - cultivate d. The re sults arere c orde d be low :

Percentage ofCO2 inflee soil gas from three (Zzfierm t p lots in the

BotanicalArea.

Dat e and t he month Whenthe soilgas PlotNo. 1 dgsgds

hil

i t PlotNo 3

was asp irat e d gras s e d part ially surfac ed own aerat e d cult ivat ed

with trenche s

r13 th,14th and 17th January,1919 0444 0 312 0 269

”

20th and 21s t F ebruary,,1919 0 472 0 253

21s t and 22md March,1919 r 0427 0 223

2 3 t d and 24th April,1919 0 454 0 262

l6th and 17th May,12919 0271 0-257 (1133

07th and 18th June .1919 0 341 0 249

l7th and 18th July,1919 15 40

“25 th and 26th Augus t ,1919 L590 0 836

lgth and 20t h Se p t emb er,1916 1-910 0 931 0 4550

2lst and 22md Oc t ob er,1919 12 97 0 602 0 365

14th and 15 th 'Novemb er,1919 0 853 0 261

22nd and 23rd De c ember,1919 0 398 0 327 0 219

19th and 2oth January,1920 0 342 0 250 0186

2 4th and 25111F e bruary,1920 0-382 0-342 0 238

19th and 20th March,1920 0 457 0 383 0 230

l6th and 17th Apr11,1920 0 367 0 321

lgth and 2oth May,1920 0 385 0 315 0 236

22ud and 23rd June ,1920 0 544. 0 524 0 275

I t Will be s e en that the pe rc entage ofcarbon dioxide inthe soil airis highe s t in the gras s e d plot and lowe st in thecultivate d plot, the airin the so i l ofthe trenche d p lot be inginte rme diate in c ompos ition. During the firs t s ix monthsofthe year the carbon dioxide in the airofthe grass e d.p lot was be tween 0 5 to 0 3 perc ent , that in the trenche d


44, SCIENTIFIO.REPOR’1‘

S or11111AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHG re en manure use d alone gave aninc reas e d total c rop

of65 p erc ent . but , notwithstanding this,when us e d in con

junc tion with ammonium sulphate it had no appre c iableeffe c t .The employment ofammonium sulphate as a manure

re sulte d in a c ons i de rable inc reas e in the p e rcentage ofnitrogen found ‘ in the grain, and the inc rease was approximate ly proportional to the amount of1 nitrogen adde das manure . The ac tual variation was 1-15 p erc ent . ofnitrogen in the grain from the no-manure d pots to 23 9 p erc ent . nitrogen in that from the pots manure d at the rateof320 pounds nitrogen p erac re . This ve ry inte re stingpoint is be ing subje c te d to furthe r inve s tigation .

XII . PROGRAMME orWORK FOR 1920- 21.

Majorsubj e c ts .1. Continuationofthe inve stigations into the amount

and nature ofdrainage wate r from fallow and c roppe dland.

2 . The influenc e ofmanurial treatment ofthe soil onthe compos ition ofc rops .

o S o

3 . The mode ofac t1on ofp hosp hat lc manure s incalcare ous and non- calcare ous so ils .

4. A laboratory study ofthe change s oc curring in:windrowe d cane .

M inorsabj e c ts .

1. Che cking the ac curacy ofc e rtain me thods ofanalys isin confirmat ionto the gene ral scheme drawn up at the Confe renc e ofAgricultural Chemists .

22A s tudy ofthe c onditions gove rning the formationofblack alkali in so i ls i rrigate d by calcare ous wate r.

XIII . PUBLICATIONS .Harri son,W.H. Re p ort onAgricultural Chemis try, 1918-19,forthe Board ofSc ient ific Advic e .


Harrison,WH. The gas e s ofswamp ric e soils,Part VI .

M em .

’

D ep t . ofAgri . in India, Chem .

Ser.,Vol.V.No . 8 . (Inthe pre s s .)and The re t ent ionofsoluble phosphate s incal

care ous and non- calcare ous soils . Mem .

D e p t . ofAgri . inIndia,Chem . Ser.,Vol.V,No . 9. (Inthe pre s s .)Harrison,W. and The effe c t ofwindrowing onthe c omp osit ion

Sanyal, P. B. ofsugarcane . M em . D ep t . ofAgri . inIndia, Chem . Ser.,Vol.V,NO. 10. (Inthe pre s s .)

MukerJl,J.N. Th e excre t ion oft e xis from th e root s of

p lant s . Agri . Jour. ofIndia,Vol. XV,Pt . 5 . (Inthe pre s s .)


REPORT OF THE IMPERIALECONOMICBOTANIST.

(G . P .HECTOR,M.A.,E.Sc .)

I. INTRODUCTION.

Mr.Howard he ld charge ofthe Se c t ion up till De c embe r,whenhe proce e de d on11months ’ c ombine d leave , ac c ompanie d by Mrs .Howard, Se cond Impe rial EconomicBotanis t. I took ove r charge ofthe Se c tion on20th Dec emberand he ld charge forthe remainde r ofthe year.In 1919, the hot —weathe r deputation ofMr. and Mrs .Howard to Que tta,forthe purpos e ofdeve loping the fruit

industry ofBaluchistan, t e rminate d. The work has be enhande d ove r t o the LocalAdministration

The following are the main items ofWorkWhich havebe en in p rogre s s .

II. WHEAT .In the Botanical Area, work onwheat during the pas t

s eason has be en confine d to the growing oflarge areas ofP 12, P 4and P 6as anuc leus ofpure s e e d fordis t ributionpurpos e s ,and to a trial ofP 53, anew rust - re s istant wheatproduc e d by Mr.Howard by c ross ing. onP 6,against P 12,to te st it s re lative yie lding capac ity. The re sult ofthis te s twas as followsNo.ofplo t Varie ty Ac tualout turn Peracre out turn

m s

3 12 8 16 O

1 30 8 18 0

As are sult ofa seve re rain - storm in Jannary, P 53

lodge d ve ry badly,while P 12 did not suffe r so much . Allplots had black rust mode rate ly.


48 SCIENTIF IC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHfie d Taqavi proc e dure forthe supply ofP 4 s e e d in theCawnpore D ivis ion has re c ently be en approve d by the Commis s ione r.Mr.H. E. J Peake , Solan Brewe ry, reports exc e llent

progre s s from the SimlaHi lls,and the followingHill State sare said to have introduc e d P 12 with suc c e s s z— KeonthalState , Junga; Baghal State , Arki ; Baghat State , Solor ;PatialaState ,Patiala; SirmoorState ,Nahan.

The se State s comprise the majority ofthe State s intheSimlaHills,and with the exce ption ofPatialaallthe State sspeak mos t highly ofthis wheat . The ac reage in Sirmooris said to be roughly 600 ac res, and the Chie f Se c re tary ofSirmoorState reports that it is the ir intention to extendP 12 this coming year towards DehraDun. In two orthre eyears the re Will probably be nothing but P 12' in the wholeofSirmoor. This re sult is large ly due to the trouble andke en inte re st taken by SardarNarain Singh, Chie f 'Se c re

" tary. It is also reporte d that P 12 sold inthe marke t forannas 10more p ermaund than the local wheat.

Pusawheats inAus tralia. With re fe renc e to the spreadofI usa wheats in Australia, the following oc curs inthereport ofthe judge s ofthe Royal Jubile e Show he ld at

Sydney,Australia inMarch 1920“A sample ofthe Indian Wheat, Pusa4, exhibite d by ‘

Mr.WII Scholtz,ofG ilgandra, is worthy ofmention. Ityie lde d ape rc entage ofexc e llent colour flourof53 quartsto the sack strength,which was t he highe s t wate r absorp

.t ion ofall the flours te s te d in the compe tition.

”

In the exhibit ofs trong wheats ,Mr. Scholtz again stoodfirs t with anexhibit ofPusa 4,anachievement forthe Ind1anwheat,and in the clas s for5 s trong flourvarie tie s,Mr.

‘

Scholtz also stood first , two ofhis five be ing P 4 and P 107.

III . INDIGO .

Full de tails ofthe work onindigo carrie d onby theImpe rial Economic Botanist at Pusa are be ing publ ishe das a Memo ir. During the past season, work has beenceonfined to a cont inuat ion ofobse rvations onplants grown

INSTITUTE, PUSA FOR 1919-20

in draine d and undraine d lys ime te rs, to the monthly ex

amination ofroot d exelopment , and the continuation ofwork ons e e d s e le c tion .

Lys ime t ererp eriments . Ac cording to the inve s tigations oftheHowards, indigo -wilt is nothing more than theeffe c t ofwate rlogging and cons e quent lack ofae ration .

When the re is heavy and continue d rainfall, the wate r - leve lris e s and the soil be comes wate rlogge d, the airsupply to thegrowing roots and nodule s ofthe plants is cut off, and theroots, cons e quently, cannot thrive .Hence the new roots andnodule s begin to die offbe low and wi lt appears above .

Evidence ofthis has be en obtaine d by growing indigo ,

plants in c emente d lys ime te rs,provide d with drainage openings . In cas e s whe re the openings we re c lose d,allthe plantsin the lys ime te r got wilt, evenwhen growing in s o il whichwas rich in phosphat e ,and those with fre e drainage alle scape d, even when they we re growing in a soil poor

Z3

inphosphate . Obs e rvations onthe se plants growing in lys ime te rsare be ing continue d forthe se cond year,and the effe c t ofdrainage onthe growt h and the health ofplant is stillunde r obse rvat ion . F ie ld obse rvat ions have afforde d furthe revidenc e . The firs t s ign ofwil t in the PusaBotanicalAreaappeare d las t year (1919) in the third we ek ofJuly, t e .,

when the wate r- le ve l was highe st. When the wate r - leve lwent down, ae ration was regaine d to some e xt ent and theplants be gan to improve . The wate r - le ve l rose again in thefirst we ek ofSeptembe r,and again wilt appeare d.

Root - d evelopment . Sys tematic monthly examination ofroot sys tems is be ing continue d . It is found that thenodule and new- root formation begins in April, but up tothe break ofthe rains the i r formation is ve ry slow. Soonafte rwards , they begin to grow quickly. When the wate rle y el begins to ris e , new roo ts and nodule s are forme dtowards the surface , and the

‘

olde r,late ralroots beginto'

change the ir d ire c tion, turning upwards , till by the end ofJuly the ir tips reach ve ry near the surfac e ofthe so il,andalmos t allnew roo ts and nodule s are found in the uppe rthree inche s . Weak plants which cannot form new roots

E

5 0 SCIENTIFIC REPORTS OF THEAGRICULTURAL RESEARCHin the uppe r s oil quickly ge t wilt. In all case s ofwilt e dplants, nodule s have be en found to be abs ent and new rootsve ry few.

As a re sult ofMr.Howard’ss inve st igat ions, five type sofroot deve lopment have be en re corde d

(a) Early bush type , with all late rals at right angle sand near the surfac e .

(b) Early ve rtical type ,with all late rals near the surfac e but pointing down .

(0) Late bush type ,with late ralsat right angle s, bothnear the surface and extend ing to some

D

.dep th

(d ) A s imilar type to but with late rals pointing'downwards .

(e ) No s ide branche s, but tap root only.Typ e (a) has be en found much les s subje c t to wilt than

t he o the rs , and in the 1919 root examinations eve ry cas e

ofwilt examine d was found as soc iate d with de ep - rooting.Se ed s ele c tion. As mentione d in pre vious reports,Java

1ndigo is not uniform, but c ons is ts ofamass ofhe t ero z ygote s diffe ring wide ly in habit and charac te r. This is duet o the c ros s - pollination which take s ‘

p lac e , owing to whichs e le c tion by pure lines is no t poss ible ,as plants do not se t

s e e d unde r bag, and a system ofmas s - s e le c tion has the refore to be re sorte d to . Some type s are de ep - roote d withlong tap roots ‘

, othe rs shallowroote d with surfac e roots .

The habits above ground diffe r in s imilar ways, some be ingmuch more branche d than othe rs . The re are also diffe renc e sin the maturity ofplant s . The obj e c t of-the s e le c tion is toobtain early, surfac e - roo ting, fre e ly - branching plant s ,Which will give -good yie lds ofboth se e d and leaf . A c ons iderable amount ofse le c tion work has already be en done ,and ‘

some type s are already be ing te ste d onane state scale .

Furthe r s e le c tionwork was s tarte d in 1917—18 and is s tillin progre ss . In that year plants we re s e le c te d forthe irfree - branching habit and high yie ld ofsee d and leaf,toge the r with othe r de s irable qual itie s, such as earline s s andsurfac e - rooting . Se e d ofthe se se le c te d plants was sown inAugus t 1918 in separate line s . From the se , 100 de s irable


52 SCIENTIF IC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHburs t, and that this twis ting he lps to move round the burs t .

anthe rs and thus bring the pollen - cove re d surfac e oftheanthe rs into contac t with the stigma. Cross - fe rtilization israre ,but byno means unknown,and ne c e ss itate s the baggingofse e d in all exac t work.

From the re sults ofthis work it appears the CentralIndian type s, having a de ep root system, donot form goods e e d in Bihar. Local type s , having a shallow roo t system,

thrive we ll and form good se e d, but ,the see d is small and

infe rior. To improve the see d ofBihar linse e d, it willprobably be ne c e s sary to produc e anew rac e by c ross ingbe twe en Bihar and Central India type s . A typ e pos s e s s inga root sys tem l ike the Bihar varie ties and s e e d qualities likethe Central India typ e s is de s irable .

V. "

TOBACCO, GRAM s , HIBI S CU S ETC.

Tobac co . Work ontobac co was re s tric te d to the growing ofMrs .Howard’s s e le c te d type s,forthe maintenanc eofpure se e d . Ofthe s e , 51we re Nieot iana ta'bacum and 20Nicotiana.rus t ica.

Be s i de s the se, ove r anac re ofthe se le c te d typ e ,No . 28,

was grownfors e e d multiplication, in order to‘

obtaina largesupply t o me e t the eve r inc reas ing demand forthis type .

From 12 ac re s, 15 maunds 5 se e rs ofse e d we re obtaine d;suffi c ient to grow approximate ly ac res . In previousyears it has be en found imposs ible to grow suffic ient s e e d ofthis type , owing to the difficult ie s ofpreventing c ros s -

p ol

linat ion, as othe r type s we re be ing grownin the vic inity .

This year it was pos s ible to allow the flowers to pollinatefre e ly and s e t s e e d right throughout the season, so that aheavy s e e d c rop was obtaine d.During the pe riod unde r review approximate ly 2 maunds

ofse e d, suffic ient forabout ac res , ofthi s type hbe en s ent out , the large s t quant itie s to the Indian LeafTobac co Deve lopment Company, Dalsing Se rai, and t o

Burma.

Grams . During the pe riod unde r review, the followingtype s ofse le c te d Pusa grams we re sown forobse rvation and


multiplication ofpure s e e d. The type s and yie lds obtainedare shown in the s tatement.‘ Areainacre Gram typ e Ac t ualout turn Peraere out turn REMARKS

m. s .

2'

36 11 6

2 20 12 20

2 36 9 14

0-15“

7 8 9 24

10 24

1 27 11 7

0 31 Sownaft erindigo ;germinat ionvery

The season was a ve ry unfavourable one ,and the yie ldsare low . Se e ds ofallthe se type s are now be ing large ly d istribute d, the quantity ofse e d available be ing quite insutfi ;

c ient to me e t the demand. During the pe riod, ap proximate ly 15 - maunds ofs e e d oftype s 6, 17, 18, 23, and 25have be en dis tribute d .

Patwa (Hibis eus eannabmus Eight sele ct e d type swe re grown in the season unde r review formaintainingpure s e e d. Typ e 3,ame dium- early,tall,s traight '

form,withlittle tendency - to branch and ofrobust growth, has beenfound the most suitable forfibre produc tion,and has be en '

unde r distribution forsome years . One ac re was grownduring the year forse e d produc tion, and yie lde d 3 maunds29 s e e rs,and some 10 s e ers ofse e d have be en distribute d .

Safi‘lower. Twenty -four type s (de s c ribe d in the Mem.,

Botanical Serie s,Vol.VII,No . 7) have again be en grownduring the year unde r report forobs e rvation and the maintenanc e ofpure s e e d . Be s i de s the se , s eve ral new

'

type s,s e le c te d from s e e d procure d locally and

’from Dac ca, we realso unde r s tudy. The se s e em now fixe d in charac te r andhave the refore be e n adde d to the alreadv e xis ting type s .The Dac ca type s are spine le ss, and appear riche r in dye

54, SCIENTIFIC REPORTS orTHE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHthan the Bihar type s, which are also all spinose , and for“both reasons should be more valuable .

During the season, the c rop ofsafflowerwas seve re ly attacke d by afungus disease , ident ifie d by the Impe rial Mycole gi s t as Rhiz oe tom’

a nap i. The firs t s ign ofdis eas e app eare d in‘

the first we ek ofJanuary and the spread was .

c ontinuous right through up to the se e d-maturing stage .~In the case oflocal Bihar type s the attack was late andmore pronounce d, and cons e quently ve ry lit tle se e d se t inthe s e type s .

Yams . Eleven varie tie s ]

ofyams we re re c e ive d from the

Straits Se ttlements last year and we re sown with local yamfora comparative trial ofyie ld and quality. The tube rsre c e ive d were ve ry diffe rent in appearanc e from the commonlocal yam, su thni (D ios corea.fas iculata

To te s t the quality, some tube rs ofeach varie ty, afte r"bo iling, we re given to local people , and two varie tie s,No288 and No . 290, we re de c lare d to be supe rior t o the local

suthni,and have again be en sown fora furthe r trial .VI . RICE.

A cons i de rable part ofthe time ofthe Offic iating Impe rial Ec onomic Botanis t has be en spent in supe rvis ingwork in Bengal onric e , in conjunc t ion with the Ac ting Economic Botanist,Bengal . This work has,forit s main obje c t,the se le ction, and produc tion by c ross ing, ofhigh - yie ldingtype s , suitable forthe various dis tric ts ofthe prdvinc e ,togethe r with the s tudy ofthe varie tal and field charac te rsoftype s and ofthe ir inhe ritanc e onc ross ing. In additionto the type s already unde r distribution, the departmentnow.

has two othe r high - yie lding pure —l ine type s oftransplante dpaddy, suitable fordis tribution in the easte rn dis tric ts,While anew s ele ction at Chinsurah promis e s to replac eIndmsail(Dac caNo. 1) and the localNagr

'

a. The probleminWe s t Bengal is briefly to re duc e the duration ofhighyie lding type s, such as Indm sat

’

l, without mate riallyde c reas ing the yie ld. Owing to the prevalenc e ofa shortrainfall in the lat terend ofthe s eason,the typ e s se le c te dfor.


5 6 SCIENTIFIC REPORTS OF THEAGRICULTURAL RESEARCHroot which ultimate ly shows a tendency to turnupwards .Furthe r obs e rvations , howeve r, appear to show that th is isane ffe c t ofthe chloros is ,- and not a caus e . As the wate rle ve l rise s and the soi l be come s prac tically wate rlogge d t ove ry near the surfac e in the rains, as in Eas t Bengal, thehealthy, we ll - nourishe d plants throw out more and moresurfac e roots, till ultimate ly a bunch ofsurfac e roots isfound c lo se to the surface . The chlorotic plants , ontheothe r hand, be ing enfe ebled through the i r inability to synthe sis e carbohydrate , are unable to do this, and in conse

quenc e , in addition to be ing starve d from above ,are s lowlyasphyxiate d from be low. Finally, the {tap root ofsuchplants endeavours to turn upwards ,awayfrom the we t . Asys tematic ei aminat ionofthe roots is in progre s s with aview t o de termine this .

Culture s grown at Pusa s e em to show that the chloros isi s undoubte dly he re ditary,s e e dlings ofafew days old showing s igns ofit . The main fac ts so farprove d are

1. Chlorot ic plants neve r bre e d pure ,but always throwgre ens .

2 . Gre enplants may (as oppos e d to chlorot ic) bre e dprac tically pure , but gene rally throw chlorot ics .

23 . The pe rcentage ofc hlorot ic s (whateve r the parent is ,gre en orchlo rotic) is not constant. In the

varie ty KahyaBombai, in 1919, out of42 plots,the pe rc entage varie d from 11t o 30, with anave rage of21-5

4. By constantly s e le c ting chlorot ic s and bre e ding fromthes e , a rac e ofprac t ically pure chlorot ic s can

be produc e d,and by cons tantly s e le c ting gre ens,a rac e ofprac tically pure gre ens canbe produc e d, but no absolute ly pure rac e ofe ithe r hasye t be en obtaine d. Inchlorotic plots a fewgre ens always appear,and in gre en p lots afewchloro t ic s .

The fac ts tend to show that it is poss ibly a case o F

mat e rnal inhe ritanc e , the dis eas e be ing pas s e d onthrought he c ytoplasm ofthe egg

- c e ll . This cannot be definit ely


p rove d till the re sults ofc ros se s be twe en chlorotic and gre enplants are available . A numbe r ofc ros se s made in Dac ca“las t s eason we re unfortunately de s troye d in the cyc lone , butthe work is be ing repeate d this s easonboth in Dac ca andPusa.

A form ofchloros is ve ry s imilar to that in jute has be enfound t o be prevalent in mhar(Cajanus ind icus ) in Pusa,and se le c tions have be en made forthe purpose offurthe rs tudy. It is propos e d to make furthe r s earch amongst othe rc rop s . Chlorotic plants have be en frequently note d in thes pe c ie s ofPhas eolus cultivate d in Eas t Bengal, and it isp os s ibly a fairly frequent phenomenon .

VIII . PROGRAMM E Ami PUBLICAT IONS .Programme for1920- 2 7. Inve stigat ions Will be conti

nue d onthe following c rops onthe line s ofprevious yearswheat, indigo, tobac co, fibre s, grams, o ilse e ds, fodde r c ropsand fruit.

PubZicat t ons . The following pape rs we re publishe d orw ri t tenduring the year

1. R e p ort for1918 -19 onEc onom ic Bo tany forth e Board ofSc ient ifi c Advic e , by A.Howard .

2 . Studie s inth e Pollinat ionofIndianCrop s , I,by A.Howard,G . L. 0.Howard, and AbdurRahmanKhan. Bo tanicalM emoir,Vol. 5 ,D e c emb er1919.

3 . The“S p ike Diseas e ofPeach Tre e s : Anexamp le ofun

balanc e d S’

ap- c irc ulat ion, by A.Howard . The a iafi

F ore s t er,Vol. XLV,No . 12, De c emb er1919.

4. Som e Labour- savmg Devic e s in Plant - bre e ding, by A.Howard and G . L. 0.Howard . Agri .Jour. India,Vol.XV,No . 1.

5 . The Improvement of—Fruit Packing inIndia, by A.Howardand Gr. I1. C .Howard . Agni. Jour. India,Vol. XV,

Some Asp e c t s ofthe Indigo Indus try inBihar. Part I .

Th e Wilt D is eas e ofIndigo . Part II . The factorsund erlying the s e e d produc t ion and growth ofJavaInd igo, by A.Howard and G . L. C .Howard, as sist e dby AbdurRahmanKhanand Chaudhari Ram DhanSingh . Bo tanicalM emozr,Vol. XI, No . 1. (In the

pre s s .)

58 SOIENTIF IO REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH

REPORT orTHE IMPERIAL My coLoe i sr.(E.J.BUTLER,D .Sc .,M.E.,

I. CHARGE AND ESTABLISHMENT .I he ld charge ofthe Sec tion throughout the year, exc ept

forthe pe riod from ls t May to 17th June , 1920, when Iwas appointe d sub . pro - t emp ore Agricultural Advise r to ,

the Gove rnment ofIndiaand D ire c tor ofthe AgriculturalRe search Ins titute , Pusa. Mr. G . P .He c tor, Offic iat ingImpe rial Ec onomic Botanist, he ld charge during thi spe riod . The work as Jo int D ire ctor was unusually heavylas t '

year“

owing to the deve lopment ofproposals forthe ex

pans ionofthe Agricultural Re s earch Ins ti tute and the revis ion ofpay ofe s tablishments due to change d c onditionsafte r the war, and le ft little time formycological work.

The Se c tion furthe r suffe re d by the abs enc e ofMr. Dastur,Supe rnume rary Myc ologist, ondeputation to England fromthe end ofAugus t 1919, and ofDr. Shaw, Se cond Impe rial Myc ologist, onleave from “

5th Fe bruary,1920.

Tewards the end ofthe year I was appo inte d D ire c tor“ofthe Imp e rial Bureau ofMycology in London, and leaveshortly to take up this post,Mr.W. McRae , Gove rnment .Mycologist,Madras , suc c e e ding me as Impe rial Mycologis t.Mr. M . Mitra, M .Sc ., who ente red the Se c tion as a

private student last year, was appointe d Firs t Ass istant,from 1st April,1920.

II . TRAINING .

Inaddit ionto Mr. M . M itra, mentione d above , PanditS. D . Joshi, a private student from the Unite d Prov1nc e s,c ont inue d his post -

graduat e cours e and was grante d a

s tipend by his Local Gove rnment . Mr. T. Padmanabha.

P illai, Mycologis t,Travancore State ,worke d at laboratoryme thods during a pe riod ofone month from 5th February,1920.


60 somfirirro REPORTS onTHEAGRICULTURAL RESEARCTI1. Two plots (Aand C)We re sown with s e e d ofgre en

s temme d jute about 5 th March, the forme r withtreate d and the latte r with untreate d s e e d.

The land had carrie d jute which was ,s lightly

d raine d the previous season but had not beenunde r jute previous ly for25 years . D . Corehoriwas prac tically abs ent in both plots ; only some

3 or4 cas e s could be se en.

2 . In s imilar plots (B and D) a crOp ofC . olitoriusand ofre d - s temme d C . cap sularis also remaine dfre e from the dis ease .

Two plots (Eand F ), each about s ituate d ina por tion ofthe field in which jute had some

dis ease the previous year and was particularlybad the Vear be fore , we re sown with s e e d ofgre en - stemme d jute .

’

The s e e d was ste epe d ina solution ofcoppe r sulphate . G e rminationwas scanty and both plots we re re sown on4thJuly afterthe commenc ement ofthe rains, andgave a c rop oftypical late sown jute , short inhe ight and thin in s tem. In both plots the

numbe r ofstems infec te d with D . Corehori wasnegligible , only about 12 case s could be foundwhen the c rop was ,

out early inNovembe r.Oftwo plots (Hand K) about 4ofeach plot was

sown on 5 th March with are d - stemme d andthe remainderwith a gre en - stemme d varie ty ofC . eap sularis . These plots we re s ituate d in theland which had carrie d the d isease d jute in1918 . Both the varie tie s ofs e e d sown had

been ste epe d in 2 p erc ent . coppe r sulphate .

P lotHcarrie d a ve ry s canty c rop and had 31cas e s ofD . Corehom’

among the gre en—s temme dand only 6 cases in the re d—s temme d varie ty.In plot K the crop. was much thicke r, both germination and growth having be en be tte r thaninplo tH. In plot K the re we re 190 cas e s ofD . Corchori among the gre en - s temme d and 34case s in . the re d - stemme d varie ty.


5 . Plots (M and N), each about 4ac re , we re s e le c te dingood land which had neve r carrie d jute be fore .

P lot M was sewn on 5th March with s e e dofgre en - stemme d varie ty which had be en treate d by ste eping in c oppe r sulphate solution, andplot N was s ewn onthe same date with se e d

which had not be en so treate d . Both plotsgave anexc e llent c rop ofjute , 9— 11 fe e t inhe ight. In both plots nearly the same numbe rofstems we re disease d owing to D . Corehorifl

76 stems in P lot M and 56 in P lotN.

As a re sult ofthe s e field expe riments , particularly froma cons ide ration ofthe las t two plots, it cannot be sai d thats e e d ste eping in copp e r sulphate has any influenc e onthes eve rity ofthe disease ,and, the re fore ,as mentione d above ,the dis semination ofthe disease cannot take plac e to anyappre c iable extent through spore s ofD . Corchori mingle dwith the jute s e e d. The pe rc entage ofd isease was also notto any extent greate r inthose plots which had be en unde rjut e fortwo ormore succ e s s ive s easons . Ste eping the s e e d

may then be discontinue d.Ah ac count ofthe work done onthis disease during the

las t thre e years is now in the pre s s as aMemoir.(2) Fruit work ih . Kumaon. The s eason’s prac tical

work for1919was comple te d in July. The chie f diseas e sdealt with lwere apple mildew (Pod osp hcem), which mos tnearly approache s ep idemic conditions in the se orchards,branch bliste r and apple c racking due to Coniathe e z

’

um

ehomatosp orum,fly spe ck and sooty blotch (Lep tothym'

um

Pomi), and peach leafcurl (Exoas cus d eformans ).The apple m ildew Spraying s e rie s inc lude d ate s t ofhome

madeJime sulphur, Be rge r’s l ime sulphur, and Burgundymixture , lead arsenate be ing adde d in each case . The tre e ss tood even the winte r strength oflime sulphur suc ce s sfully and the expe riments showe d that anapplication ofthis fungic i de made at the prope r time Will large ly centrolthe disease . Be rge r’s mixture p rove d ve ry satis fac tory ands imp le to use . Furthe r expe riments with iron sulphide

62 SCIENTIEIC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHare , howe ve r, re quire d be fore ' de c iding onlime sulphur asthe routine treatment.Forthe Conio thyrium dis eas e the same sprays we re use d .

In gene ral the'

sup eriority ofthe fruit onthe spraye d rowswas ve ry marke d. The home -made lime sulphur andBe rge r’s mixture both gave good re sults and didno damageto the tre e s . Burgundy, howe ve r, cause d so much damageto frui t and leave s as to be large ly a failure . This bearsout re c ent work ih .English orchards with this mixture .

The re was little Lep tothyriu l

inp re sent but the tre e sspraye d with lime sulphur and Burgundy had c e rtainlyle s s than the othe rs . Burgundy injury was again marke d.

P each leaf curl was entire ly controlle d by allthree sprays .

The variation be tween diffe rent varie tie s in susc ep t i

bility to dis ease as we ll as in re s istanc e to Burgundy injuryis so marke d that it ‘ is use le s s to expe c t comparative re sultsunle s s the te sts are made onthe one variety. NorthernSpyis se susc eptible to mildew that it is be ing discarde d onatleas t one e state .

«King ofthe P ippin was immune to

Coniothe cium. Burgundy injury was ve ry bad onCoxOrange P ippin and the leave s we re s corche d onEsopusSpitz,While King ofthe P ippin was quite fre e from it .

I vis ite d Ramgarh in Oc tobe r with Dr. Shaw and discus s e d future work onthe spot. The proprie tors oftheAllen Orchard are kindly plac ing at ourdisposal a smallbuilding formycological

“

work . Owing to Dr. Shaw’

s

abs enc e no new expe riments haWe be en ”

carrie d out in the1920 s eason .

(3) Cereal d is ease s . I t has long bee n apparent to

myco logists in Indiat hat the re is a large group ofparas ite sbe longing t o Fusarium,Helminthosgyorium and allie dgene rawhich attack c e reals throughout the

'

c ountry. Some

ofthe se , such as the s tripe dis eas e ofbarley,are we ll knownin othe r

'

countrie s, othe rs appear to be pe culiar t o India orat least have not be en previous ly de s c ribe d. Mr. M . M itratook up the study ofthe spe c ie s allie d to Helminthosp oriumand has made cons ide rable progre s s in this enqu iry,whichis like ly bO extend ove r s eve ral years .


64 SCIENTIF IC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHas soc iate d with 14erothe e iumfalcatum Tehon,but i t is onlya weak paras ite onj owar. It is capable ofattackingyoung leave s ofbajm to some exten t . Anothe r form is

found onric e . Allthe se are be ing studie d in pure culture .

Las t season we re c e ive d a numbe r ofreports and spe c imens fofdisease in wheat with the gene ral symptoms ofthefoot rot disease which has attrac te d so much attention inthe Unite d States in re c ent years . As in that country

'

a

group offungi s e ems to be respons ible . The thre e fungiso farfound in Indiaare Rhiz oe toniad e s truens ,aPythiumofthe gracile group, and a Fusarium. Ofthe se the las tis the mos t de struc tive, the othe r two be ing re spons ible ina limite d numbe r ofcase s only. All thre e fungi we reisolate d in pure culture by Mr. L. S. Subramaniam andsucc e s s ful inoculations we re obtained with them onwheatgrown at Pusa.

(4) Pyth ium d is eas e ofgingerand oth ercrop s . AMemoir de sc ribing fully this dis ease was published by Mr.L. S. Subramaniam during

'

the year. As the work wassummari z e d in las t year’s report it nee d not be furthe rre fe rre d to he re .

(5) Potato s torage rot s . Cons ide rable attention hasbe engiven to the study ofthe means ofpre venting rottingofpotato tube rs during the hot weathe r and rains . Com

plaints ofheavy los se s from this cause le ading to anexc e s

s ive pr1c e of s e e d tube rs at planting time , have be comeve ry fre quent oflat e . ‘ A s e rie s ofexpe riments was conduc te d at Sialkot in collaboration with the PunjabDepartment ofAgriculture .

In s toring potato tube rs a two - s toreye d we ll - ventilate dhouse was s e le c te d and fumigate d with sulphur vapour.Two sorts oftube rs we re se le c te d : (a) from fields whe repotatoe s .we re grown as ordinary rout ine c rop, (b) , fromfields whe re potatoe s we re grown forthe firs t time .

The s elec te d potato tube rs we re then p ut into s te rilegunny sacks and fumigate d with pe trol vapour for24 hours . Some of the se fumigate d potatoe s we re


store d (1) in dry sand, (2) in sacks loose ly packe d,and (3) oh racks made ofwooden battens . The re st.of the fumigate d potatoe s we re treate d in '

corros ivesublimate solution (1 in for1'hour and afte rwards taken out and drie d and we re store d exac tly in theabove manner. The expe riment laste d during May andJune 1919. The year be ing exceptionally trying onac countofthe e xc e s s ive heat, potatoe s starte d rotting ve ry soonand in every case the bulk ofthe potatoe s be came rotten .

The s e re sults bear out the conc lus ion previous ly come

to that the rot is p rimarily a re sult ofexc e s s ive tempe rature and that it will be difficult, i f not imposs ible , to che ckunle ss some form ofcool s torage canbe devise d. The

Jnatural sugge stion is s torage in the hflls (at pres ent alarge proportion ofthe plains c rop is from hill- grown s ee dand it should be pas s ible to deve lop this by improvingtransport fac iliti e s and cheapening fre ight) but the alte rnatural sugge stion is s torage in the hills (at pre sent aFurthe r work is re quire d so as to ge t amore exac t knowle dgeofthe tempe rature l imits at which s torage may be expe cte dt o p ay.

(6) Root rot ofc ot ton. The write r Vis ite d Lyallpurin Oc tobe r 1919, to make a furthe r attempt at diagnos ingthe caus e ofthis dis ease . P re vious efforts at Lyallpur andHans i had be en unsuc c e s s ful, the cause s then as s igne d notstanding the te s t ofmore exac t

'

observat ions and exp eriments . The conc lus ion arrive d at onthis last vis it is thatthe diseas e is anon- paras itic one which is assoc iate d withsome unknownso il condition. Furthe r work will probablyhave to be taken from anothers ide than the mycological .The disease oc curs sporadically through most ofNorthe rn

'

andWe ste rn India.

IV . SYSTLMATIC WORK.

A good deal ofprogre ss .was made in the preparation ofafungus flora ofInd ia, so faras the mate rials at pre sentexist. The total numbe r ofre corde d spe c ie s is probablyunde r which i s c e rtainly not one—fourth ofthose that

F

66 SCIENTIF IC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHe xis t

.

It is hope d to continue this work as opportunitype rmits .

Ah inte re sting pape r has re c ently be en publishe d in thePhilippine s which give s e vidence to supp ort the Viewthat the bud rot ofcoconuts is cause d by the same

fungus that cause s canke r ofrubberand cacao and isusually known as Phytop hthom Fabert’ Maublanc . If thisis c orre c t and the cause ofbudrot in the Philipp ine s is thesame as in India this fungus will rank as one ofthe mos tde struc tive known. It s Indian name , Phytop h thorapalmie om, has priority ove r that given above .

V. PROGRAMM E orWORK FOR 1920- 21.

(1) Re s earch work. New disease s ofIndian c rop s thatc ome to the notic e ofthe Se c tion will be inve s tigate d as

opportunity pe rmits , but the following disease s willrec e1vespe c ial attention and will constitute main line s ofinve stigat ion

(a) Black band ofjute .

(b) Chilli disease s .(0) Fusarium wilts,e spe c ially in re lation to so il and

manurial conditions .(d ) Sc le rotial disease s ofjute , sugarcane , paddy, and

Rangoon bean.

(e ) Orchard dis eas e s .

M inor inve stigations will inc lude the s tudy ofsome

fruit anthracnose ,Orobanche ontobac co, rootrot ofc otton,sugarcane smut, sail r'oot rot , and Pythium disease ofpapaya, ginge r and tobacco.

(2) Sys t emat ic work. It is hope d to re sume this withthe fac ilitie s provide d by the propose d Impe rial Bureau ofMyc ology in London . Step s will be taken to supply theBureau with repre sentat ive colle c tions from India. The

preparation ofa list ofIndian fungi Will be continue d .

(3) Training. This'

willbe continue d onthe line s indic at e d in the prospec tus .



REPORT OF THE IMPERIALENTOMOLOG IST.

(T. BAINBRIGGE FLETCHER, R .N., F UES ,

I . ADM INI STRATION.

The Impe rial Entomologist he ld charge ofthe Se c tionthroughout the year ende d 30th June , 1920. The s e rvic e sofMr. M . AfzalHusain, M .SC ., Supe rnume rary Entomo~le gis t,we re trans fe rre d to the Punjab Department ofAgri -

fl

culture from l6th September, 1919, s inc e which date thepost ofSupe rnume rary Entomologis t has remaine d vacant .Mr. G . R . Dutt,B.A.,Was appoint e d P e rsonal As s istant tothe Impe rial Entomologis t from lst May,1920.

II TRAINING .

Mr. G . D . Austin, a s tudent depute d by the Ceylon Department ofAgriculture ,Was rec e ive d fortraining on1s tJune , 1919, and comple te d the ordinary cours e on31s t

March, 1920, but has be engiven anextens ion up to,Sep

tembe r 1920.

Three s tudents comple te d a short course in s e ricultureand two we re unde r instruct io-n

'

at the end ofthe year.Two s tudents s ent from the Agricultural College at Sabour:we re also given instruc tion not amounting to

’

a regularcours e .

III . INSECT Pnsrs .

Cot ton. The spe c ie s ofAeroe erwp s re fe rre d to and"

figure d in las t year’s Report has s inc e be en name d by Mr.E.

Meyrick as A. z ygonoma,n. sp .

The que s tion ofde te rmining the re lative immunity of"

varie t i '

e s ofcotton was continue d . Ge rmination oftheplants was ve ry satis fac tory but at the c lose ofthe year theexp erimental cot ton plant s suffe re d from d rought and heat,~


.the maximum shade t empe rature reaching,as high as

The ground soon —lost moisture and as a re sultt he plants di d not boll we ll ; inde e d, in the case ofsomevarie tie s ofc otton, the re we re no bolls at all to continuet he count ings . Sylep ta d erogata, toge the r with Phenecoc cus hirsu tus and Ph. eorymbatus ,appeare d and did cons iderable damage to c e rtain varie tie s of. c ot ton . Duringt he year Hibis eus a-

belmos ehus continue d to be abe tte r t rapc rop forCotton Bollworms (Earias ) than e ithe r bhind i(Hibis cus es culentus ) orhollyhock,and as in previous yearsa large r numberofbollworms and of icrobm eonlefroyz

'

we re found in the pods ofHabelmos chus . A survey ofalte rnative foodp lant s ofbollworms was made and is be ingcontinue d. M ierobm eonlefroyi continue d to be the mos tprominent paras i te ofEarias .

Ric e . Work onthe bore r - pe sts ofric e has be en cont inue d in the ne ighbourhood ofPusa and -

c onfirme d the c onelus ion arrive d at in las t year’s Report that onthe ave rageinthe Pusa d is tric t the se bore rs caus e a re lative ly smallamount ofdamage ,amounting t o about 4 p erc ent. In orde rto ge t anidea ofthe ir ac tivitie s in some ofthe ot he r ric egrowing dis tric ts in Bengal and Bihar, the ric e - s tubble fl oft he following plac e s were examine d in D e c embe r 1919.

At Chinsurah, stubble s. examine d in and around th'Farm showe d about 13 5 p erc ent . damage by bore rs . The

ac tual damage to the c rop (forreasons explained in the

p re liminary pap e r -

onBore rs.) would be le s s than th i s . Inabout 800 s tubble s examine d the followmg inse c ts (larva,p upaorempty pupa- case ) we re obtaine d

Schoenobiu s bip unotifer\

Chilo s imp lex 1

Chilo oryz ce 1

At h/Iidnap ur, s tubbles c ollec te d from the ne ighbourhoodofthe town showe d about 5 -4 p erc ent. damage by bore rs .From about 500 stubble s examine d the following 1nse c t sw e re obtained

Schmnobt'

u s

'

bip unc t iferChilo simp lex

70 SCIENTIF IC REPORTS OF THEAGRICULTURAL RESEARCHAt Bankura, s tubble s c olle c te d from the ne ighbourhood

ofthe town as we ll as from the village s in the inte rior showe d about 22 p erc ent. infe s tation by bo re rs . Inaboutstubble s examine d the following we re ’ found :

Schaenobiu s bip unc tifer 12

Chilo simp lex 9

At Cuttack, s tubhle s c olle c te d from all ove r the Farm.

3xhibit e d only 9 p erc ent. damage by bore rs . From about900 s tubble s the following we re obtaine d

Sc haenobiu s bip unc tiferChilo simp lex

Chilo oryz aeSe samia 'in/erens

From many ofthe expe rimental plots onthe Cut tackFarm the c rop was not ye t harve s te d and some ofthe se plots(each 1/5th ac re inarea) showe d anunusually high p roport ion ofdry ears , Forinstanc e , in two plots, one ofavarie ty known as !chum and the othe r ofhukm jo ta, thenumbe r ofdry ears was as high as 20 p erc ent.,whilst inne ighbouring plots unde r t he same varie tie s ofpaddy the ‘

damage was much le s s than half that in the two plots ment ione d . From the !chum plot refe rre d to 100affe c te d plantswe re pulle d out from all ove r it and ofthese 40 we re notdamage d by ins e c ts whilst the remaining 60 exhibite ddamage by bore rs,ofwhich the following we re found

Schoenobius bipunc tifer 30

Chilo simp le 8

Se samia inferens 2

Out of100 affe c te d plants s imilarly picke d from the “

hukm jota plot, no le s s than 92 we re found damage d .bybore rs and the following bore r larvae we re obtaine d fromthem, 112

Schaenobias bip unc tiferChilo s imp lex

Chilo oryz ceSe samta.inferens


72 SCIENTIF IC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHand Mr. C . C . Ghosh, read at the Third

'

EntomologicalMe e t ing, and which is s till in the pre s s . Sinc e then cons iderable furthe r information has be en colle c te d and brie fnot e s on'

the more important points only canbe given he re ;it is intende d to write up the se furthe r re sults more fullyin a s eparate pape r.As as c e rtaine d by observations extending ove r the last

four years at Pusa, the princ ipal damage to the sugarcanec rop occurs in the early s tage s ofit s growth in April,Mayand June ,when the c limatic conditions at Pusaare charact eriz e d by high t empe rature , ve ry low humidity (at leastforthe earlierportion ofthis pe riod) and s cant ine s s orabs ence ofrainfall. The inc idence ofattack by inse c t pe stsis apparently corre late d with c limatic cond itions . Favourable c limatic conditions, enabling the c rop to grow rapidly,have a great e ffe c t in controlling the ac tivitie s ofthe pe sts ,the c rop in such case s eas ily outgrowing the ir at tack . But

with unfavourable c limatic c onditions, e spe c ially droughtand want ofmo is ture in the soil (and i t mus t be remembe re d that sugarcane is not grown as ani rrigate d c rop in the separts ), the ins ec t s ge t the uppe r hand and owing to want ofgrowth and tille ring onthe part ofthe plants the los scaus e d by the i r attack is not compensate d for, the re sultbe ing that the pe rc entage ofdamage be come s ve ry high.

In 1920 the sugarcane was plante d as usual about the mi ddleofFebruary but , in contras t to ~

previous years, this was doneafte r irrigating the land in orde r to s e cure prope r moi s ture .

No furthe r irrigation was done and the re was no rainWorth mentioning until the middle ofJune . In April thedamage insome ofthe thick cane s at Pusawas as high ast enp erc ent., whils t at Coimbatore andHebbal (Mysore )s imilar cane s ,although plante d about the same time as butfarmore advanc e d in growth than the cane s at Pusa, hardlyexhibi te d any damage exc ept afew oc cas ional dead heartshe re and there . The sugarcane s at Manjri,plante d earlie rand grown unde r irrigation,we re c e rtainly not as good asthe Coimbatore andHebbal cane s e itherin growth orasregards infe s tation by bore rs . The damage about (this time

INSTITUTE, PUSA, FOR 1919i20

in juar(Andmp ogonSorghum) and mai ze at Pusawas le ssthan 0 5 p erc ent .The c orre lation be twe en damage to cane by bore rs (and

s imilar agents ) and c limatic conditions se ems to hold goodin the cas e ofallvarie tie s ofcane , thick as we ll as thin, butth’in varie tie s show a greate r immunity than thick one s .

This will be evide nt from the following figure s showing thepe rc entage ofdamage in afew '

varie t ie s ofcanes grown atPusa this year

Percent Dat e Percentage dam age dame

age

Beora Very thin29- III 26-IV 14-15-IV 11-19-VI

Medium 27-IV 13 -V B-VI

Thick 27-IV 13 -V

Sathj 131(ex ThICk 29-III 25-IV* 11-12-V 20- 22-VIp erimental

Bath! 131 Thick 2-

0 27-IV 9 3 151-17

(Farmplot)

Se faras ge rmination was c onc erne d, both the p lots ofSathi 131we re ve ry good and ahead ofthe othe r Varie tie s,but this "

advantage was only maintaine d so long as the soilre taine d mois ture from the irrigation done at the time ofplanting, and when ove rtaken by the drought the se plotscollaps e d. All the afie c t e d shoot s in the exp erimental

‘

p lot

ofSath i 131_

we re cut out on25th Apri l but the subsequents tate ofinfe s tation shows c learly that this treatment wasofno avail to re duc e the pe rc entage ofattack.

Thin '

varie tie s ofcane also s eem more‘

re s is tant to

drought . In the first we ek ofJune the plot ofReora preAllthe affe c ted plants were cut out with pruning sc iss ors above the le ve l ofthe ground s o as to

c aus e the least d is turbanc e t o the plants .

74 SCIENTIF IC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHs ente d the gre ene s t look ofall the varie tie s , thick as we llas thin

'

. Next to this came the following in orde r ofthe irdrought - re s isting qualitie s , so faras c ould be judge d bythe eye ,Java 36,CO 210,Kussur,Tobe Manje t ,CO 213 andCO 214, CO 204, and othe r varie tie s ofthin cane s .Allthe thick varie tie s, inc luding Sathi 131, Purple Mauritius and D 99 Ame rican, exhibite d a s corche d ye llowappearance and in all thes e plots dead - hearts and dryshoots we re prominent. Damage by bore rs and s imilaragents inc reas e d with the de c rease in drought - re s istingquality ofthe diffe rent varie tie s . The firs t heavy showe rofrain fe ll on18th June and was followe d by othe rshowe rs . By the end ofthe year unde r report (30th June )all the thin varie tie s had made good progre s s , but in the

cas e ofthe thick varie tie s progres s was extreme ly s low andi t se eme d that they would take a long time to re cove r fromthe e ffe c ts oft he drought . The above fac ts indicate thesuitability ofpart icular varie tie s ofsugarcane to particularareas ac cording to diffe renc e s in local c limatic conditions .Seve rity orothe rwise ofattack by bore rs s eems to be intimate ly c onne c te d with thi s fac t. Extende d obse rvationsove r diffe rent parts ofIndiaare re quire d to throw light onthis point and to enable us to arrive at definit e conc lus ions.Another. point which require s s imilar extende d obse rva

tion is the pe s t—re s isting qualitie s ofdiffe rent varie tie s ofsugarcane . As a rule thin varie tie s

,se em. to be more

re s istant than thick varlet ie s, but individual varie tie s, bothofthick and thin cane s, show diffe rent degree s ofimmunity.At Cuttack in De c embe r 1919,

’

Minze , a thin varie ty, hadall the princ ipal pe sts, xanthogas trella,D iatreea auricilia and D . venosata, whils t Sathi, anothe rthin varie ty, was prac tically fre e . Obse rvations madeabout this time at Pusa, Cuttack and Chinsurah indicate da greate r liability to fungal dis ease s onthe part ofPurpleMauritius than in the case ofothe r thick varie tie s . Avarie ty known as B. 3412 was obse rve d to be ve ry badlyaffe c te d by smut at Chinsurah, whils t all othe r varie tie sgrowing the re we re comple te ly fre e from th is dis ease .


7 6 SCIENTIF IC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHrupe e s, it will probably he conc e de d that the re is amplejus t ificat ionforaninc rease ofstaffto take up th is work .

In the course ofthe last four years during whiche spe c ial attention has be en paid to the inse c t pe sts ofsugarcane , the Scolytid bore r, Xyleborus p erforans,Woll(Plate IV), has only be en obse rve d onc e , in Dec embe r 1919,in a varie ty ofcane calle d B. 147, which was growing onthe Chinsurah Farm. This be e t le came into prominenc eove r thirty years ago in c onne c tion with the de struc tion ofbe e r- casks shippe d to India and was inve s tigate d byW. F .H. Blandford, who cons ide re d X . afitnz

’

s, attackingsugarcane intheWe s t Indie s, as a varie ty of'

X . p erforans .

In 1900 a Xyle borus was reporte d as boring sugarcane inBengal and was c ons ide re d to be e ithe r i dentical with, orc los e ly allie d to, X . p erfoirans . In 1892 this be e tle forme dthe subje c t -matte r ofawarning le tte r is sue d by the Revenueand Agriculture Department ofthe Gove rnment ofIndia,which state d that this pe st, notorious in the

.

We s t Indie s.as a pe st ofsugarcane , had already bee n introduce d intoIndia and the re fore advise d the adoption ofmeasure sagainst it s spread. It s oc currenc e onthe Chinsurah Farm,

whe re i t was . found bre e ding in thre e fully - grown cane sgrowing in a c lump, the cane s be ing prac tically dry andshowing charac te ris tic hole s emitting dust in the ir basaljoints , ind icate s that th is shot - hole bore r may pe rhapsprove t o be anoc cas ional pe st ofcane , pos s ibly more frequently than has be en note d by us . In Ind ianMus eum

Not e sVol.V,p . 74, it is re co rde d as having b ee n found incane in nume rous distric ts in Bihar and Bengal .“

X . p erforcms is wide ly distribute d in Indiaand Burmaandhas be en re corde d as boring in sal (Shere e.robus ta),Anoge issus lat ifolia and Are ea cat e chu .

Mention was made in last year’s Report ofthre e spe c ie sofDynas t ine be e tle s which oc curre d onthe Kamrup Sugarcane Farm in April -May 1919, via,Alis s onotum impre s s icolle (P late s Vand VI),A. p ie eum, .

andHe t eronychuss ublce e is . Attempts we re made during the year to worko ut the ir full life - historie s in the Pusa Inse c tary with

PLATE IV.

Xyle borus p erforans (C . S.

a, Affe c t e d s ugarc ane s t e m ; a s lic e c ut offfrom a part t o s h ow t unne ls .

b , Larva ( xe , Pupa ( X

d , e , Be e t le ( x

(Th e smallerfigure s s how t h e natural s iz e s .)


PLATE

Dynas t ine Be e tle s damaging Sugarc ane Kamrup .

A s t ool ofs ugarc ane s ho o t s wit h t h e s e t t , s howing how t h e b e e t le s bore int o t h e s e t tgnaw acro s s s h o o t s , grownas we ll as newly em erging.

b, A b e e tle (Alis s ono tam impre s s ic olle ).


SOIENl‘IF IO REPORT S OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH1919, howeve r, they may cause damage unle s s they canbefore s talle d by a change in the planting time and alsoc hange s in the me thods ofcultivation so as to avoid the illeffe c ts ofdrought onthe se tts lying in the ground. In thisc onne c tion it may be obserye d that the whole ofthe los ssus taine d at Kamrup in 1919was not attributable to the sebe e tles ; a ve ry care ful examination ofall the plots,madeat the time , showe d that the bee tle s we re not re spons iblefora loss ofmore than about 20 p erc ent. ofthe c rop . The

failure ofs e tts to sprout owing to unfavourable c l imaticc onditions could not be asc ribe d to the be e tle s . Furthe rde tails ofli fe - historie s ofthe se be e tle s, and e spe c ially theque stionofthe i r normal c ontrol by natural enemie s, canonly be s e ttle d by furthe r inve s tigations onthe spot .In March 1920 afew spe c imens ofAutos eriea sp . we re

obs e rve d gnawing sugarcane shoots at Pusa in the same

manneras the Dynas t ine be e tle s at Kamrup . It appearsthat this form ofdamage is pos s ible by many Scarabae idbe e tle s .

In Septembe r 1919 the Entomological As s i stant,As sam,

c olle c te d some grubs ofAnomala dus sumieri (P late) VII,fig. 1) amongst sugarcane roots at Kamrup and s ent themto Pusa. The grubs we re reare d up and we re found to

hibe rnate as larvae , and p upat e d\

and eme rge d as adultbe e tle s in April . Apparently the re fore this be e tle has

only one generation in the year .Tanyme eus hisp idus (Curculionidae ) was sent in from

Kamrup as attacking young sugarcane shoots in April .Argyria tumz

’

d ieos talis ,Hmp'

sn., the bore r re fe rre d toin the Report for1917 -18 as C . S. 1610,which is one ofthemost injurious ofallthe bore rs in sugarcane ,was found inMay 1920 in cane at Sadiya, in Uppe r Assam, all ofanumbe r

,ofcane - bore rs colle c te d there proving to be long t o

this spe c ie s ,Which is now known to occur at Pabna,Jorhat ,Dac ca and Sadiya. It is to be hope d that it will not beintroduce d into othe r parts ofIndiaand t oo great pre cautions cannot be taken to prevent it s transport in cane se xporte d from Assam and T

..Laste rn Bengal into othe r partskofIndia.

PLATEVII.

F ig. 1. Anomala d us s umieri (C . S.

a, Larva x

b , Spm e s ont h e ventral s urfac e ofp o s t erior

e , Be e tle ( x

e xtrem ity oft h e larva ( x


80 SCIENTIF IC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHyear to be one ofthe pre dators that ke ep s this mealy - bugin check to some extent . Hithe rto Tulcm has be enmos tly re porte d from Bengal but it is pos s ible that i t hasbe come wide ly distribute d wit h mulbe rry cuttings sent outfrom infe s te d localitie s . A Memoir on Tuhm

”

is incours e ofpreparation by Mr. C . S. M is ra.

Fruit Pe s t s Cons i de rable mate rial has be en ac cu

mulat e d regarding inse c t pe sts offru it tre e s’

, both colle c te dlocally and sent in by corre spondents allove r India s eekingforident ificat ions and advice .Fre quent reports we re re c e ive d from corre spondents in

Tirhut conce rning Batocem rubus ,aLamiad be e tle ,whi chbore s in mango tre e s in it s larval s tage .

The C e c idomyiad fly which make s galls onmango leave sand which was figure d in las t yearss Report (tab. IX ,fig. 2)has bee n ident ifie d by P rofe s sor E. P . Fe lt as Rrocont emmemat t e iana, Kieffe r and Ce c coni.

Chee todacus z onatusi

(Trypane idae ) was de struc tive to

Peach fruits at Pusa ih'

May—June . The tre e s we re

spraye d, early in the morning each day, with a solutionofgurand lead arsenate , to de s troy the adult female h ie sand the attacke d fruits we re c olle c te d and ‘de stroye d.

The we evil re fe rre d to in las t year ’s Annual Report (page92) as

'

D e imd ognathus n. sp ., should have be en calle dDe imdoleus 11. sp ., and the ne c e s sary corre c tions should bemade .

The unde t ermme d Sphingi d found onapple at Shillongand re fe rre d to onpage 95 oflast year’s Report has s inc ebe en de te rmine d as Langia z enz eroid e s from spe c imensreare d at Shillong by Major F . B. Scott.The larva re fe rre d to onpage 95 oflas t year’s Report ,

as’

attacking apple fru its at Ramgarh, has s inc e be e n .rearedin some numbers from mate rial kindly supplie d by Mr.Johnson, ofRamgarh, and prove s to be aTortric id, wh ichMr. E. Meyrick has name d as Caeaee ia p omie ora,n. sp .

Figure s ofthe s tage s ofthis inse c t will be found in EntomologicalMemoir,Vol.VI,Part 9, tab.LVIII, fig.

’

1.


Anothe r Tortric i d larva has be en found to bore intoapple fru its at Shillong but canhardly be de s c ribe d as ape st, as it is not common as anapple - bore r and se emsme rely to excavate a small chambe r in the core withoutinjuring the pulp ofthe fruit. Thi s is the larva ofUlod emis trigrap ha, Meyr., which has also be en reare d atShillong from a larva fee ding onflowers ofColquhouniec oc c inea. The stages ofthis spe c ie s also will be foundfigure d 111Entomological Memoir,Vol. VI, Part 9, tab .

fig. 2 .

Anew and s e rious apple - pe s t was found at Shillong inOc tobe r 19l9 '

inP toehorye t is rosaria, M eyr., a Xyloryc t idmoth whose re d larva eats the bark ofyoung apple twigsunde r coverofa s ilken tubular galle ry . This inse c t ‘

has

hithe rto be en known only from Bhutan . From a larvabrought to Pusa the moth eme rge d in March . At Shillongthe moths probably appearlate r in the year,as the re s e ems

t o be only one brood onapple annually. The stages ofthispe st also are figure d in Entomological Memoir,Vol.VI,Part 9, tab.LXIII,fig. 1

Ah inte re s ting and unexpe c te d find onapple at Shillongin May and June , 1920, was Helop eltis the ivom,

the se

calle d TeaMosqu ito bug,which in this cas e was foundsucking young shoo ts ofapple .

Spe c imens ofBrahmine eorie c ea,Hope , Holotriehiasp . and ofa third unde te rmine d Melolo

‘

nthine be e t le we rere c e ive d from the Supe rintendent ofthe Kumaon

_Gove rn

ment Gardens , Ranikhe t, as damaging fruit tree s .Anothe r Me lolonthine , a spe c ie s ofMierotrichia, was

re c e ive d from Solan as damaging fruit - tree s .Life - his torie s ofIns e c t s . Be s ide s the various inse c ts

name d above , more than 150 diffe rent lots ofins e c ts havebee n reare d during the yearand obse rvations made onli fehis torie s and habits . In a Report ofthis nature it is onlypos s ible to mention afew ofthe s e even by name .

(1) Aehroia gris ella, Fo . (Galleriadae ) (P late VII, fig.

During the las t two years this“waX -moth has occurre dregularly at Pusa in hive s oc cupie d by the Indian Be e

G

82 SCIENTIFIC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH(Ap is ind ica) and prove d de struc tive t o anumbe r ofolds tore d c ombs . The cate rpillar fee ds onwax as we ll as onthe d ebris that colle c ts in a hive and even nibble s the fe ltblanke ts which are kept ove r the top ofthe frame s . Italso fe e ds ondry propolis, and se ems

,to be a s cavenge r

unde r natural“

conditions .(2) Chlume tia, transvers e (Noc tu idae ; C . S. The

larvae bore into mango shoot s but canfe e d onthe leave salso.

(3) Camp onotus maculatus infusons (Formic idae ; C . S.

Thes e black ants we re obse rve d to nibble the tende rs hoots, leaf - stalks and leave s ofbrinjalat Pusa-inNovember. The shoots and leave s so attacke d withe re d. In thisway the se ants may be aminor pe st unde r favourable condit ions .

(4) He t erobos iryehus tequalis (Bostrychidae ; C . S.

2023) (P late VIII) . This dryfwood bore r was re ce ive d inSeptembe r from Deolali whe re bully rafte rs we re be ingde stroye d by it . The grubs fed and deve lope d and eme rge das beetle s in May- June and the inse c t seems to have ‘

onlyone gene rat ion inthe year .(5) Sinoxylonanale (Bostrychidae ) (Plate IX , fig.

Spe c imens ofthis spe c ie s also we re re c e ive d from the

As s istant Controlle r ofTe xtile Store s ,Bombay,as damaging article s made ofwood, e .g., packing case s, handle s ofb rushe s, e t c .

(6) S tromat '

ium barbatum (Ce rambyc idae ). Eggs oft his Longic orn bee tle we re obtaine d at Pusa in June 1917and the larvae have be en fee dingnow forthre e years in drywood, no adults having eme rge d so far. This larva is ac ommon wood - bore r in hous ehold furniture and maye vidently have a prolonge d exis tenc e in the ' larval s tageunde r dry conditions .(7) Agrot is yp s ilon,A. flammatm and Eueeoa sp jnifem

oc curre d in the gram fields at Pusa about March in prac t ically e qual numbe rs . Op p ortunity was taken to prepare acoloure d plate showing the life - history ofAgrot z

’

s flammatra.


PLATE IX .

F ig. I. Sinoxylonanale (C . S.

a, Larva ( x 14) b , Be e tle ( x

(Th e smallerfigure s sh ow th e nat ural s ize s .)

F ig. 2. Corc yra e e p haloniea (C . S.

a, Cat erp illar( x 7) b , e , Pupa,lat eraland d orsalviews ( x 7 ) d , Mo th x

(Th e smallerfigure s sh ow th e natural s ize s .)


PLATE

Ant isp z'

laanna (C . S.

a, Co c oons onle af.A smgle c o c oonenlarge d ( x

c , Mo th ,natural s ize and enlarge d x


(8) Juar(Androlp ogon Sorghum) heads, affe c te d by'what is known as hhas ste rility) disease in Sind, we rere ce ive d through the As s istant P rofe s sor ofEntomology atPoona. This diseas e is be lieve d to be due to aminut e Ce c id omyiad fly. The affec te d spike le ts do not form any grain.and in th is particular case many ofthe abort e d growths inthe

‘

spike le ts exhibite d a minute hole in the ir glume st hrough which the adult inse c t had apparently emerged.Many ofthose which did not show such a hole containe d.a minutere d grub, but nothing could be reare d out fromt he se . It se ems, howeve r, pi obable that khas is due to aC ec idomyiad .

The s e juarheads containe d some fully- forme d grains,all ofwhich we re affe c te d by Sitotroga c erealella, a smallG ele chiad moth c ommonly found in granarie s . It was,howe ve r, impos s ible to de te rmine whe the r infe c tion had

taken place in the fields .

On the same heads afew cate rpillars ofCoreymc ep halonica. (Galleriadae ; C . S. 1979) (P late : IX,

.fig.

anothe r but le s s injurious granary pe st,we re found bindingthe grains toge the r with s ilk and nibbling them. In thisc ase also i t was impos s ible to de te rmine whe the r infe c tionhad taken plac e in the fields .

Anew spe c ie s ofAntisp ila (I—Ie’

lio z elidao) was s ent in byMrs . Drake , ofSe rampore ,Bengal, as fe e ding onEugeniaj ambolana.

’

Spe c imens we re reare d at Pusa from the

mate rial re c e ive d and have be e n name d by Mr. E. M eyrickas Ant isp ila

'

anna,n. sp . (P late X ).Store d GrainP e st s . The re sults ofourlong se rie s of

e xpe riments and the de tails ofthe suc c e s s ful me thod ofs torage unde r sand evolve d the refrom forthe storage ofgrains have be en fully des c ribe d in -a pape r, by the pre sentwrite r and Mr. C . C . Ghosh, in the Proc e e dings oftheThird Entomological Mee ting,now inthe pre s s . Furthe rwork was continue d during the year, e spe c ially with aViewto finding out whe the r the re is any infe station in the fieldsand, if se , to what extent. Forth is purpose samples of

SCIENTIF IC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHThe Board - ofAgriculture , at the i r Me e ting in De cem-r

ber1919, re commende d that the problems ofgrain s torage ,with e spe c ial re fe renc e to the que stion ofdamage byinse c t pe s ts , should be taken up ona large scale and thatthe s taffofthe Impe rial Entomologis t should be inc rease dforthis purpos e . Proposals foran inc rease d s taff havebe e n inc lude d in my gene ral proposals forexpans ion ofentomological work in Ind ia

Trogod erma khapm (Derme s t idw) was unde r obs e rva~

tion to as c e rtain it s be haviour and s easonal history at Pusa.

A long cyc le oc cupie d the whole pe riod from end ofJune1919 to March -April 1920. The mois t weathe r during theRains and the cold weathe r in the winter re tarde d the

deve lopment ofthe larvae .

IV. BEE S,LAC AND S ILK .

3 693 . No spe c ial work was done with be e s exc eptcarrying ona fewcolonie s ofAp is ind iea. A numbe r oi ’

improve d hive s we re supplie d to inquire rs in various ProVinc e s .As note d above , Achroia gris ella has now to be adde d

to the lis t ofenemi e s agains t which the be e - ke epe r has to

Proposals have be en forwarde d forthe entry ofa be eke eping expe rt in orde r t o deve lop this important branchofApplie d Entomology .

rop osals forlegis lation to re s tric t the importation of'

be e s into India, with a view to avo id the impor tation ofbe e - diseas e s , are now be fore the Gove rnment ofIndia.

Lac . The eme rgenc e ofl'ac larvae took plac e at Pusaon29th Oc tobe r,1919,and 30th June ,1920, the latte r be inga ve ry unusually late date . Broodlac was s ent to the Government Entomologis t, Co imbatore , to the Supe rintendentofthe Agricultural Farm,Ratnagiri, to Gwalior,Lyallpurand Mymens ingh . The re is a great demand forbroodlac ,which cannot be me t from Pusa.

'Mr. C . S. M isra, F irst As sis tant,'

vis it e d Bhopal Statein De c embe r 1919 to advis e regarding s teps to be taken tod e ve lop the lac indus try the re .


86 SCIENTIFIC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEAR CHAgricult ure , Bengal, and the Silk Depart ments of

’

Travancore , Gwalior, Indore and Banganapalle State sEri si lkworm eggs have be en supplie d to 91, and castor '

s e e ds to 5 applicants, inc luding correspondents in JapanEgypt and England. Thre e PusaTwis ting Machine s W610supplie d to the D i re c tor ofIndustrie s ,As sam, the D ire c torofSe riculture , Patiala, and the Tyle rWeaving School.Shahjahanpur. Two reare rs and one re e le r we re sent tothe Supe rintendent ofthe Northe rn Shan State s, and onere e le r and one reare r to the As s istant Regis trar ofCoope rative Soc ietie s ,Lowe r Burma, to ass is t the s e ricultural‘indus try in Burma. Show- cases showing s tage s in the

preparat ion oferi and mulbe rry s ilk were sent to the

Deputy Colle c tor onspe c ial s ilk duty,Benare s, and to theCurator of the Vic toria Mus eum, Karachi . Nume rousinqu irie s regarding s e ric ulture we re dealt with and.

as s istanc e given to inqui re rs as faras pos s ible . Silkpie ce s to the value ofRs . - 6- 0 we re sold and the proc e e d s c re dite d to Gove rnment and a furthe r Rs . 468-13 - 0

worth o~f_ p ie c e s we re made and kept as samples .

Silk exhibits to demons trate rearing, re e ling, twis ting,spinning and 1eversing we re s ent to Calcuttaand Bankipurinconne c tion with the Peaee Day C e lebrationExhibitions ,and a s i lve r me dal was awa1de d by the latte r ExhibitionSilk exhibits we re also sent to Exhibitions at Unao, Chittagong and Muzaffarpur.A Bengal i ve rs ion ofBulle tin No . 74, ont he exp eri

ments carrie d out at Pusa to improve the Silk Industry,was publishe d .

Three s tudents comple te d the course in se riculture andtwo othe rs remaine d unde r training at the end ofthe year.Two s tudents from the Sabour Agricultural College we realso given some instruc tion inse ri culture .

VILLU STRATIONS .Coloure d plate s illustrating the l i fe - histories ofthe

following inse c t s we re prepare d during the year, via,

Agrotis flammatm and Cgsmop hila sabulifem . A large

INSTITUTE, PUSA. FOR 1919-20

numbe r ofcolour- note s ofIndian Odonata was also done .

Be s ide s thes e ,about two hundre d illustrations in black andwhite , illustrating the lifc - his torie s ofvarious insec tsreare d in the Inse c tary,we re also prepare d.

A large numbe r ofcoloure d plate s and black and whitleillustrations are now in the pre s s in conne c tion with theProc e e dings ofthe Third Entomological Me e ting andvarious Memoi rs and Bulle tins .

VI . M ISCELLANEOU S .Corre sp ond enc e . A total of60. parc e ls ofspe c imens,

mos tly ofc rop - pes t s, was re ce ive d during the year—

forident ificat ionand advic e, whilst 800 le tte rs we re re ce ive dand issue d ; thes e numbe rs show a s light de c rease onprevious years but are e xc lus ive ofa large amount ofroutine co rre spondenc e which take s up a cons ide rable proportion oftime which should be devote d to more s c ient ificWork .

VII. INSECT SURVEY .

Steady progre ss has be en made in addition to, andarrangement and ident ificat ionof, the colle c tion wh ich isnow a large and important one and cont inue s to expandat a rapid rate . In View ofthe great value ofthis collection,“ both from aneconomic and sys tematic point ofview,

to future s tude nts ofIndian Entomology, e ve ry effort ismade forthe prope r pre s e rvat ion ofthe large mas s ofspe c imens, a task which is by no means easy ina c limatesuch as that ofPusa. This year,forexample , owing to theabnormal heat inJune , the paraffin-wax in the s tore - boxe sme lte d . The more irreplac eable portions ofthe colle c tionand thos e liable t o most damage from mould are the re forebe ing plac e d in cabine ts which are be ing obtaine d as

rapidly as pos s ible . The staffre qui re d forthe upke e p(which inc lude s the sorting and id ent ificat ion, as we ll asthe me re pres e rvation, ofthe lakhs ofsp e c imens alreadyac cumulate d and ofthe thousands re c e ive d eve ry year) hasnot be en inc rease d s inc e a time , many years ago, when thecolle c tion was comparat ive ly quite small ; ye t this work is

SCIENTIF IC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHcons tantly expanding and has already be come ve ry heavy,although this is only one branch ofthe ac tivitie s oftheEntomological Sec t ionxDuring the year small lots ofIchneumonidae , Tenthre

dinidae and Be e s have be en re turne d name d afte r examination by M e ss rs . Morley, R

'

ohwe r and P rofe s sor Cocke re l]re spe c tively . The colle c tion ofHymenopte ra is in goo dorde r and we ll name d up exc ept forthe Braconidae andChalc i do idea.

The colle c tion ofColeopte ra is in fair orde r but the reis

‘

a large amount ofunname d mate rial to be sort e d out ,

name d and incorporat e d . The Bruchidae s ent to Dr.G .A.

’

K.Marshall have be en re turne d,partially name d,andafew Curculionidae have also be en re c e ive d back, name d,from Dr. Marshall . Staphylinidae we re re c e ive d back,name d, from Dr. M . Came ron and Carabidae from Mr.H. E. Andrewes. A small lot ofC ic inde lidae s ent to Mr.S. W. Kemp was re c e ive d back unname d. Ou re c e ipt ofthe J? .auna volume onHispinae and Cas s id ina

ethe oc ca

s ion was taken to revis e and name up the whole oftheHispinae and part ofthe Cas s idinan The Paus s idae alsohave be en revis e d and ident ifie d .

The Lepidopte ra are in fairorde r but many ac c e ss ionsremain to be incorporate d . The M ic rolepidopte ra colle c

tion is containe d in cabine ts and is by farthe large s tcolle c tion in India; a few spe c imens we re sent to Mr.Meyrick forident ificat ionand have be en re c e lve d backname d.

The Orthopte ra have not been arrange d s inc e the lateW. F . Kirby ident ifie d the earlie r colle c tions t enyears ago .

Sinc e then amas s ofmate rial has ac cumulat e d and arrangements have now be en made forit to be worke d ove r by Mr.MorganHebard, ofPhiladelphia, to whom the c ollec tionwill be s ent fors tudy as soon as the ne c e s sary boxe s havebe en re c e ive d.

The Neurop t era (s ensu ant iguo) also re quire agood dealofwork. The Odonata have be en revi s e d during the las tyear and this portion ofthe c olle c tion has be en greatly


90 SCIENTIFIC REPORTS OF THE»AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHM ic rolepidopte ra and Neuropte ra, have prepare d newcatalogue s ofPhasmidae , Mantidae , Gryllidae and Phasgonuridae,and have supplie d re fe rence s to publ ications duringthe year on Indian Inse c ts as regards Cole opte ra,Rhynchota and D ipte ra to Me ss rs . Be e son, Andrews andSenior-White who are re spe c tive ly re spons ible forthe s es e ctions ofthe gene ral catalogue . The

'

Ac rididae remainto be taken up to comple te the Orthopte ra and it is hope dto do this in the near future .

IX. PROGRAMME orWORK FOR 1920-1921.

Magar.ThlS will follow gene rally onthe line s ofwork ofthe

current year and will inc lude gene ral inve s tigations ofc rop - pe s‘ts and espe c ially ofthe pe s ts ofsugarcane , ric e andcotton, offruit- tre e s, and store d grain.

M inor.Re sults invarious line s ofwork requ ire to be written

up and publishe d as faras '

p oss ible : Work and exp eriments in s i lk, lac , and be e ke eping will be continue d andnew inse c tic ide s and ins e c tic i dal me thods te ste d as

oc cas ion arise s . Systematic work onIndian inse c ts willbe carrie d out With ourre source s and the he lp ofspe c ialistcorre spondents . The catalogue ofIndian inse c ts will hep roc e e de d with . Advice and as s is tanc e will be given as faras pos sible to Provinc ial Departments and to all inqui re rsonentomological subje c ts .

X . PUBLICAT IONS .The following publications, e ithe r writ ten by the Pusa

s tafforbase d onmaterial s ent from Pusa, have be enac tually issue d during the year ende d 3oth June ,1920Brune t ti, E. D ip t eraBrachyc era,Vol. I . (Fauna ofIndia

s erie s .)Cameron

,M . New sp e c ie s ofStap hylinidae from India.

I . (Entom . Mo . Mag ., June


Cockere ll, T. D . A.

De ,M .N.

Dutt, G . R .

Elliot, E. A.

F e lt , E. P .

Fraser, F C .

Marshall, G . A. K.

Maulik,S.

Meyrick, E.

De s crip t ions and re cords of Be e s.L

'

X-XXVII . (Ann. Mag . Nat .His t .IV, 355

Some IndianBe e s ofthe genus Andrena.

JuneBengali e dit ionofBulle tin74 onthe exp eriment s carrie d out at Pusa to improve theSilk Industry.

EntomologicalNot e s 105, 106. (Pu sa Bull.

Two new St e phanidae . (Entom .,III, 162

New Ind ian Gall Midge s . (Entl. Mem .,Vol.VII,No,EntomologicalNote s 102-104, 107-113, 115118, 121-128, -145, 147-150, 152, 153,157, 158,160-165,167, 168,170,172,173,178-180, 182-185, 187, 189, 190, 193,197,199, 200. (Pu saBull.

Agricultural Entomology . (Ann. Re p . Bd .

Sc i .Adv . Ind ia,1918

Not e s”

on some new and otherIndian»Dragonflie s . (Journ. Bomb. Nat .His t .’180C .)

De scrip t ionofa Rhinocyp hine larva fromShillong . (Entl. Mem .,Vol.VII, No._

Some new injurious We evils from “As ia.

R ea, IX ;JulyChrysom e lidae,Hispmae and Cass idinae .(Fauna ofBritish Ind'ia.)

Exot ic Microle p idop t era,V01. II, p ts . 8 10.

RamachandraRao,Y . Lantana Inse c t s inIndia, be ing the rep ort

Rohwer, S. A.

onan inquiry into th e effi c iency 01°

ind igenous ins e c t p e st s as a c he ck on the

spread ofLantana inIndia. (Entl.Mem .,

Vol.V,No .

Thre e new sp e c ie s ofIndianDrynnid paras it e s ofRic e Leaf-hop p ers . (Proo . U. S._

Natl. Mus ., LVII ; June

92 SCIENTIF IC REPORTS OF THEAGRICULTURAL RESEARCHIn addition t o the foregoing, the followmg publications

we re in the pre s s at the c los e ofthe yearD e , M . N. Th e Pusa e xp eriment s on the improvement

ofMulberry Silkworms . (Re p . ofProc .

ofThird Entl. M e e ting, p p . 800

Th e be s t m e thod of eliniinat ing P ebrinefrom multivolt ine Silkworm rac e s inIndia. (Zoo . c it , p p . 809

Annotat e d Lis t ofIndianCrop -

p e s ts . (Rep .

ofProc . Third Entl. M e e ting, p p . 33

Life -his torie s ofInd lan Microle p idop t era.

(loc . c it , p p . 838Hint s onc olle c t ing and pre s erving Ins e c t s .

(loo . c i t , p p . 936

Not e ona v ery c urious Ge om e trid larva.

(loc . c i t , p .

Ind ian Ep ip yrop idae . (loo . c it , p p . 978

IndianF os s il Inse c t s . (loo .

“

c it , p p . 982

The d e s irab ility and prac ticab ility ofth e

pre parat ionand p ublicat ionofa GeneralCatalogue ofalld e s cribe d Ind ianIns e c t s .(loc . c i t ,, p p . 989

Not e onPlant Imp ort s into India. (loo.

c at , p p . 1051

Life his torie s ofInd ianIns e c t s : Microle p idop t era. Pterop horidae . (End . M em .,

Vol.VI,No .

Dit to : Carp os inidae , Phaloniad ze ,Tortric idaeand Euc osmidae . (Zoo. c i t ,No .

Dit to : G ele chiadae . (Zoo. c it ,No .

Dit to Cosmop t erygidae , (Ec ophoridae ,Physop t ilidw,

'

Xyloryc t idae , St enomidaeand Orne odidae . (loc . c i t ,No .

Dit to :Helioz elidae ,Heliodinidae , Glyphi

p t erygidae,Blas tobasidae andHyp onome u

t idae . (loo. c it ,NO.

Dit to : Grac illariadae . (loc . c it ,No .


SCIENTIF IC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHMisra, C. S.

R amachandraRao,

The R ic e Leaf-hop p ers . (Ne p ho'

t e tiia:

bip unc tatu s, Fabr. and Nep hot e t tia:ap icalis ,Mot s ch .) (Entl. Mem .,Vol.V,No .

Woolly Ap h is . (Agricl. Journ. India.)Lantana Inse c t s inIndia. (Rep . ofProc .

Third E'ntl. Me e ting, p p . 671


REPORTDETHE IMPERIALPATHOLOG ICALENTOMOLOGIST.

(THE LATE F .M. IloWLETT,B.A.,

(Mr.Howle tt die d at Masuri on20th Augus t 1920,be fore writ ing his Annual Report forthe year ended 30thJune 1920. The following Report has be en written by mefrom such information as is available .

—T. BainbriggeFle tche r, Impe rial Ent omologist .)

I . CHARGE AND ESTABLISHM ENT .The Impe rial PathologicalEntomologist was in charge

ofthe Section during the year. The deputation pe riodunde r the Indian Re search Fund to conduc t aninve stigat ion into mosquito repe llents exp ire d

'

on24th July 1919.

The Impe rial Pathological Entomologis t le ft Pusa forDehra Dunon4th February , 1920, to take charge oftheZoological Branch ofthe Fore st Re s earch Institute andCollege in addition to his owndutie s .He was in chargeofthe Fore st Zoologis t’s offic e from Fe bruary to 9th July1920.

At the re que st ofMr.H. E. Cros s, Came l Spec ialist,Sohawa, Mr. P . G . Patel has be en depute d to work withhim onSurra transmiss ion expe riments .

Mr. II .NSharmawas ondeputation in connec tion witht he mosqui to repe llent s inve s tigation until 24th July 1919.

M . Shafi‘i, Fie ldman, was ondeputation fors ix months

from July 1919 in conne c tion with the Kala-Azar inve stigat ionat the Pasteur Ins t itute,.8hillong.

II . WORK DONE .

In Septembe r 1919 the Impe rial Pathological Entomologis t took up w

’

ork onthe effe c t ofalkalo idal:poisons onrat s(unde rtaken at the sugge s tion ofthe Se c re tary, IndianR e search Fund As soc iation), and ofX - rays onmosquitolarvae, in collaboration with Captain Barnard ofColaba

SCIENTIF IC REPORTS OF THEAGRICULTURAL RESEARCHHospital . He also attempte d to d is c ove r the ins e c t carrie rofa short - pe riod feve r which was s e riously impai ring theeffic iency ofships ’ c rews in dock . Expe riments we re alsounde rtaken at Bombay onridd ing railway carriages ofbe dbugs , at the reque s t ofthe Bombay Baroda and CentralInd ia Railway.

As arrange d by theHon’ble M embe r and the M ilitaryauthori tie s, the Impe rial Pathological Entomologist wasdire c te d to re sume Surra work and carry out a fiy

- surveyin the Punjab and North—We s t Frontie r Provinc e . Heac cordingly le ft Bombay on25th Septembe r 1919 forthiswork and vis ite d the following plac e s with Me s s rs . P . G .

Pate l and S. K . Sen,As s is tants, in conne c tion with thissurvey, me , Karac hi, Jacobabad, Que tta, Lahore , Campbellpur,Basal, Jhalar,Nowshera,At tock,Lawrenc epur andPe shawar, and many othe r small Vi llage s . In conne c tionwith this work also,anabstrac t ofallreports re ce ive d fromVe te rinary Offic ers with re gard to Surra and -Hors e Flie shas b e ens ent t o the D ire c tor,Ve te rinary Se rvic e s in India,Simla.

The Mosquito Campaign onthe PusaEs tate was continue d throughout the year.Mr. P . G . Pate l, En tomological As s is tant, reports as

follows onhis work during the yearFrom Novembe r 1919 to February 1920 obse rvations

we re made regarding the ac tivity ofthe paras ites ofTabanidae .

Tabanid paras ite s are in the habit oflaying the i r eggsins ide the eggs ofTabanus . The egg

—laying pe riod ofTabanidae is (1s t brood) from February to April, (2ndbrood) , from June to July, and (3rd brood) from Septemberto Oc tobe r. The re are c e rtain spe c ie s ofTabanus whichmay be found to lay the ir eggs e ithe r in May orAugust,but the majorlty behave ‘inthe manne r s tate d above .

Tabanid paras ite s have be en obse rve d during the wholeegg

- laying pe riod ofTabanidae more orle s s, but no re cords e ems to have be en made re garding the behaviour ofTaba


SCIENTIFIC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHve ry small paras ite s .on2nd D e c embe r. The se paras ite swe re ‘diffe rent from those ofthe large r spe c ie s ofTabanus .

I’aras it iz ed egg-masse s of T. albimedz

’

us andT. cras sus we re obtaine d on2nd De c embe r.

Fifty- one egg-mas se s ofT. cras sus and T. albimed ius

we re obtaine d on8th De c emberbut only s ix ofthem werefound to contain larvae and paras ite s . Paras ite s began t oeme rge on11th De cembe r.

Eggs ofT. sanguineus and T. albimed ius colle c te d on'

27thNovembe r we re examine d on8th De c emberand afewwe re found to harbour paras it e s in the irpupal s tage .

The following egg-mass e s, both old and fre sh, we re

obtaine d on10th De c embe r,via,54 egg-mas se s ofT. cras sus ,

29 ofT. bicallosus , 7 ofC . s t imulans, 5 ofT. albimed ius .

Ofthe s e only unhatche d e gg-masse s ofT. albimed ius and

T. cras sus were found to contain paras ite s .“One egg-mass ofT. albimed ius was taken on1lth

De cembe r paras ite s from thi s egg-mass began t o eme rge on13 th De c ember; all thes e paras ite s we re qu ite ac t ive ands ome ofthem we re see n to be pairing.

Seve ral egg-mas se s ofspide rs,which we re found nearthe egg

-mass e s ofTabanus ,were also c olle c te d to se e i f theTabanus paras ite s could be obtaine d from them. Manyspide rs ’ eggs we re found infe ste d with hymenopte rousparas ite s, but they we re quite diffe rent from thos e ofTabanas .

Thre e egg-masse s ofT. albimed ius we re obtaine d on

15th Dec ember; and one ofthe s e be ganto hatch larvae on17th De c ember; paras ite s began to eme rge on19th and 20thand we re found pai ring onl t De c embe rs some ofthemsurviving until 31s t D e c embe r. The total numbe r ofparas ite s which eme rge d from a s ingle egg-mass ofT. albimedius

was 237, whe reas the numbe r oflarvae which eme rge d fromthe same egg

-mass was 55 .

Thirte en egg-mas se s ofT. sanguineus and two of

T. albimed ius we re obtaine d on18th De cembe r and fromthe se p aras ite s we re se en to eme rge on23rd De cembe r.


One egg-mass ofT. crassus , obtaine d on23rdNovem

ber, began to hatch out paras ite s on20th D e cembe r ; thise gg

-mas s was kept undis turbe d outs ide the Laboratory ina tank full ofwat erand mud, and the paras ite s we renotic e d to survive until 6th Jannary 1920.

Fre sh egg-mas s e s ofT. bicallosus and Chrys op s sp .

we re found on26th De c embe r, but no paras ite s eme rge d-from the s e e ggs .

One old e gg-mas s ofC . s t imulans was examine d care

fully and was found t o contain s eve ral paras ite s ofasmalle r varie ty.

Two ve ry old egg-mas se s ofT. albimed ius , c ove re d up

with a kind offungus,we re obtaine d on4th Jannary. Oneofthe s e was opene d up onthat date and was found to contain living paras ite s .

One egg-mas s ofT. sanguineus was notic e d to hatch

tout paras ite s on4th Jannary.

One egg—mas s ofT. albimed ius be gan to hatc h out

larvae on7th Jannary. The paras ite s from the same mas s

.eme rge d on8th Jannary.The total numbe r ofparas ite s which eme rge d from

:a s ingle egg- mass ofT. albimed ius was 253 and the numbe roflarvae which eme rge d from the same mass was 57.

One old egg-mass ofC . s timulans was found to contain’paras ite s (small varie ty) on9th Jannary.

One egg-mas s ofT. sanguineus obtaine d on 31s t

D e cembe r began to hatch out larvae on7th Jannary 1920;paras ite s eme rge d from this mas s on9th Jannary.

Seve ral paras ite s we re s e en eme rging from the egg

mas se s ofT. albimed ius and T. cras sus which we re colle c te dduring the se cond we ek ofDe c embe r ; onbreaking open thee gg

-mas s e s, the paras ite s we re found al ive on15 th Jannary.One egg

-mas s ofT. cras sus , c olle c te d onl1th January,was se en hatching o‘

ut paras ite s on18th January.

One egg-mass ofT. albimed ius type , which was

c ove re d up with fungus, began to hatch out paras i te s on

129th Jannary.

100 SCIENTIF IC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHOne fre shly- lai d egg

-mas s ofC . s timulans was found“3on8th February

Eleven egg-mas se s ofC . s t imulans we re obtaine d on

15th February ; no paras ite eme rge d out ofthem.

One adult T. albimed ius was se en on20th February.

Thre e old egg-mas se s ofT. cras sus we re obtaine d on

23rd February, but no trac e ofparas ite s was se en amongs tthem.

Thre e fre shly- lai d egg-mas se s ofT. albimedius we re

obtaine d on23rd February, and by 27th February 71paras ite s eme rge d from the s e egg-masses .

One egg-mas s ofT. bicallosus was obse rve d on23rd

February with one paras ite on it ; it was kept unde robs e rvation and s evenparas ite s we re found to eme rge on1s t March .

Be twe en 25th and 26th ofFebruary 91 egg-mass e s

were colle c te d ; they be longe d to T. albimed i’us, T. virgo,T. bicallosus and C . s t imulans .

Egg—laying ofTabanids was note d in large numbe rsat Birouli ghat whe re the Estate cows we re ac custome d tograze .

Be s ide s the foregoing, work onthe paras ite s ofbirdswas c ontinue d at Pusa, the following paras ite s be ingobtaine d from diffe rent ne sts z— (i) Two Spe c ie s ofbloodsucking midge s ofthe genus Culic oz’d e s we re found in ve rylarge numbe rs in c rows ’ ne s ts . The ne s t ofa c row was

invariably found line d with hors e hairs and '

the midge swe re found ins ide the hairs quite inflat e d with blood. The

membe rs ofthe genus Culic oid e s are in the habit ofdrawing more blood than they cancarry onthe wing ; I have ve ryoften marke d the se flie s quite incapable offlying afte r the irmeal ofblood. About 6 p erc ent. ofthe c rows ’ ne sts we refound infe ste d with blood - sucking midge s whe reas the ne stsofs eve ral othe r birds which we re examine d onvariousoc cas ions did not reveal the pre s enc e ofthe s e midge s .(ii) Squirrel bug : This bag has proved to suck blood of

"

man, rabbit and goat unde r Laboratory conditions . It wasfound mainly ins ide the ne st s ofsquirre ls . It be longs to .


102 SCIENTIF IC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHKCl (and NH4Cl), all, exc ept LiCl, appeare d to have ve rylittle toxic ity, the exc eptional behaviour ofLiClbe ing whatwas expe c te d. It should be mentione d that as some ofthechloride s we re insoluble in wate r, attention had to be c on v

fine d only to those chloride s that ente re d into true solutionwith wate r, and forthe s tudy oftoxic i ty e quimo le cular '

solutions ofthe salts we re always taken .

(2) Expe riments we re continue d onthe corre spondenceofthe toxic ity ofvolatile organic compounds to the i r boilingpoints . Cotton plugs thoroughly soake d in the chemicalswe re allowe d to remain for48 hours in small phials containing a thin laye r ofwate r, care be ing taken not to bringthe plug in contac t with the wate r. Thre e larvae of

'

St egomyia s cu t ellaris we re then introduc e d in each ofthephials and the time when they die d note d. The data so farobtaine d are s canty and do not warrant a definitec onc lus ion .

(3) Obs e rvations we re c ontinue d on the comparativebehaviour oflarvae and pupae ofmosquitos towards solubleand insoluble salts and po isons . Whe reas mosquito larvaeare gene rally readily kille d by minute quantitie s ofHgClsprinkle d in wate r,the pupae have almost always be enfounclto re s ist the ac tion ofthe salt and to turn into adults . .The

same was obse rve d with othe r halogen salts ofme rcurywhich were insoluble in wate r and also some ofthe insolublealkaloi ds . The re sults obtaine d s e eme d to c onfirm the preVious conc lus ion that the soluble subs tanc e s ope rate chieflycutane ously and the insoluble substanc e s orally Effec t ofme rcurous chloride onmosquito larvae ,’ read be fore the SixthSc ience Congre ss).

(4) In connexion with the Impe rial PathologicalEntomologis t’s work on Culic ifuge s a s e rie s ofc oncurrentobs e rvations was carrie d out onthe de te rrent e ffe c ts ofthefollowing chemicals onChee todacus z onatus with a View t o~

finding out any analogy be twe en the chemotac tic reac tionoffruit flie s and that ofmosquitos . The expe riment c ons iste d in dissolving varying quantitie s ofme thyl eugenol.

INSTITUTE, PUSA, FOR. 1919- 20

111 spirit, adding fixed quantitie s ofthe repe llents to the

solutions and expos ing the mixture in e qual quantitie s .The following is anabridge d statement ofthe ave ragenumbe r offlie s that came t o the repe llents (which we re trie dlnvarious s trengths) C innamic aldehyde ,0; Turpentine ,38 - 2 ; Camphor, 17 -4; Nap thaline , 22 6; Ke ros ine ,Benzine , Ac e tic ac id, 192 ; Carbolic ac id, 0; Oxal icac id, 118 ;Hydrochloric ac id, 108 ; Sulphuric ac id, 34 ;Me rcuric chloride , 0; Soap (unsc ente d), 12 -8 ; Formalin,286 ;Amyl ac e tate , 78 ; Control (Me thyl eugenol only), 33 2 .

Some chemical change s e eme d to have taken plac e in the caseofme rcuric chloride .

(5) A furthe r attemp t was made to find out the role ofblood in ovulation in mosqu itos . In my previous pape r itwas s tate d that eggs we re obtaine d with peptone and inafew case s with milk,but the exc ee dingly small pe rc entageofsuc c e s sful expe riments pointe d to some ac c idental fact orbe ing re spons ible forovulation . The following we re some

ofthe standpoint s from which the problemwas attacke dLeucocyte s are pre sent in the blood ofbothve rtebrate s and inve rtebrate s (which have be enfound to be attacke d by mosqu itos); Asleuc ocyte s are charac te rize d by amaeboid movements and also in some othe r re spe c ts - theypre sent a near paralle l t o Amoebaand Euglena,it was cons ide re d probable that the larval habitofeating Euglena in wate r was continue d intothe adul t habit of eating leucocyte s (whilesucking blood) ; and if so, Euglena might takethe plac e ofleucocyte s even during the adults tage . But out ofthe thre e expe riments triedwith Euglena (swe e tene d with cane sugar),onlyin one case we re e ggs laid by S. sagens . The

thre e experiments we re continue d forthre ewe eks . The re sult is, howeve r, ofinte re s t inas

104 SCIENTIF IC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH(ii) Eggs we re obtaine d in two out offour expe riments

trie d with she d goat’s bloods (swe e te ne d withcane sugar) . With aview to studying the e ffe c tsofthe diffe rent c ons tituents ofblood, attemptswe re made to separate out the s e rum from the

she d blood by means ofa c entrifuge but this didnot suc c e e d, probably onac count offailure to

prevent coagulation .

( iii)Wills tat t erhas re c ently confirme d the analogythat was be lieve d to exis t be twe en chlorophylland haemoglobin,but no eggs have hithe rt o be enlai d by mosquitos fe d with swe e te ne d plantjuic e .

(iv) Mosquitos enc los e d with tende r plants (fromwhich they c ould suck the juic e i f the y would )di e d within four days without ovipos iting.

(o) In View ofGoeldi’s opinion that honey and othe rswe e t subs tanc e s have aninhibitory orneutralinfluenc e onreproduc tion,’ sac charine and glyc e rine in various s trengths we re offe re d to themosquitos but they re fus e d even t o tas t e

x

any ofthe liquids .

(6) A large numbe r ofexpe riments was carrie d out onthe behavicar of be d bugs in a varying tempe rature .Healthy adult be d bugs we re enc los e d 111ve ry small airtightt ube s de s igne d to c ontain the least pos s ible amount ofair,and the tube s containing the bugs we re imme rs e d in wate rkept at a fixe d tempe rature by means ofe le c tric curre nt.The expe riments ne ce s s itate d sus taine d obse rvation in orde rto dis c riminate be twe en apparent and real death . The mainissue ofthe expe riments was the e s tablishment ofthe fac tthat a two minutes exposure to a temperature of52°C . is

gene rally suffic ient to kill the be d - bug.

(7) In July 1919 the following we re disc ove re d in thehole ofanold tre e

(i) A large numbe r ofadult sand - fiie s (Phle botomussp . near minutas ),


106 SCIENTIF IC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHbe low the e lbow,we re us e d in each t e st . The numbe rs repre s ent time in minute s be fore biting began .

Two laste d foranave rage of133; hours, thre e foronehour, the re s t forle s s than anhour. In the case ofeachofthe thre e firs t - name d preparations (Nos . 1, 2 and 3) onemosquito bit be fore the expiration of10 minute s duringone te s t, although gene ral biting did not begin till longafte rwards and allthe mosquitos we re hungry. In takingthe ave rage figure , the s e thre e re sults have be en omitte d,asalso one te s t inwhich Lawson’s pomade remaine d e ffe c tivefor155 minute s .

The following is the de taile d lis t and the figure s, asgiven,fai rly repre sent the re lative ave rage efficacy ofthe‘

di ffe rent p reparations(1) Lawson

’

s Mosquit o Pomade

(2) Cas s1a, camphor, and soft -

paratfin(offic ial)

(3) Citrone lla Irritat ion.

Eu carc it Irritat ion

(5) Paraquit vas e line (Me s srs . Irritat ion<Thomas) .

(6) Muscatol Irritat ion

(7) Bamb eroil (offic ial) Irritat ion

(8) Mosquito e s s enc e (A. and N. Irritat ionSt ore s) .

Menthol and Turp ent ine Irritat ion

(10) 'Nap thaline s oft soap (1)(offic ial) .

(11) N. C . I . Powder(offic ial)(12) Kerosine oil

(13) Eucalyp tus oil (Kemp )Keat ing’s p owder

89 Consist ency good .

Irritat ion p erc e pt ible whenfre sh but “

trans ient .87 Consis t ency fair.

Irritat ionvery p erc e p t ible .

62 Liquid .

ne gligible60 Liquid .

ne gligibleLiquid .

negligible42 Liquid .




ne gligible .

16 Cons istency not verygood . Irritat ionnegligible .


(15 )Vermij elli (offic ial) 1

(16) Carbolic ac id soft soap (1) Canhardly be t e st e d

as it remove s thee p id ermis .

(ii) Similar te s ts we re made with about 140 othersubstanc e s from which it appears that it is hardly pos s ibleto produc e a preparation which will remain fully e ffe c tivefor3 hours .

“A brie f lis t ofsome ofthos e substanc e s which remaine ffe c tive forove r 9minute s is given be low

(1) Cinnamic ald ehyd e castoroil (100) 100

(2) Cre osot e Kerosine (19) 60

Cre osot e Castoroil (100) 50

(4) Cre sol Castoroil (100) 55

(5) Carbolic ac id Cas toroil (100) 40

(6) Iodoform Me thylat e d sp irit (100) 45

Thymol Me thylate d sp irit (100) 25

(8) Mustard oil 25

(9) Alc oholic extrac t ofb e d bugs 15

(10) Prop osot e (cre osot e , p h enyl prop ionat e ) 36

(11) Safrol Castoroil (100) 30

(12) Vinegar 20

(13) Nap sal Cas toroil (100) 20

(14) Alc oholic ext . ofButch 10

(15) Orthonitrotoluol Castoroil(100) 10

Taroil Cas toroil (100) 10

(iii) Te sts ofrepe llent powe r at a distanc e of 3 4

inche s . About 40 substanc e s we re te ste d by a comparativeme thod. The s e le d to the c onc lus ion that (1) the fac torsconc e rne d with dis tanc e repuls ion and c ontac t repuls ionare probably not i dentical ; (2) ne ithe r distanc e repuls ionnorcontac t repuls ion is apparently proportional to the

poisonous e ffe c t on the mos quito ofthe vapour ofthe

substanc e us e d ; (3) mosqu itos probably cannot be kept at adis tanc e from the body (by any prac tically applicablechemical repe llent) forany length oftime . The followingis the lis t ofsome ofthe chemicals trie d. They are in orde rofthe i r me rits in each ofthe thre e s e rie s

(1) (73) Creosote ,Nap thaline , (m)Wood oil, (iii) Oil ofCass ia, (iv) Eucalyptus oil, Lavende r oil,

108 SCIENTIF IC REPORTS OF THEAGRICUIZTURALRESEARCH(vi) C itrone lla oil, (1m) Ke ros ine oil, (viii) Formalin, (ix) Ac e tic ac id, (x) Mus tard oil, (xi)Tinc ture ofIodine , (xii) Me thylate d spirit.

(2) (i) Phenol, C itrone lla,Anilin,Thymol,M e thylate dsalicylate , (ii) Benzine , Ac e tic ac id, Iodoform,

Cre sol, Carvac rol and Amyl alcohol .2 . Ele c trical X - rays expe riment . Mosquito larvae of

various age s, pupae and imagine s we re expose d. The e ffe c tofthe one -minute exposure 011the newly hatche d (one hourold) larvae was ve ry prominent, all ofthem dying within29 hours . The othe r s tage s did not s e em affe cte d . Thisexpe riment couldnot be repeate d owing to want offac ilitie s .

3 . Obs e rvations we re made onthe effe c ts ofdepre ssant sonrats . Small dose s ofc ocaine mixe d up with bajri flour,forme d into a dough and made into small balls,we re offe re dto Mus m t tus . The rats we re kept s ingly in cage s . Atthe end ofthre e days the rats deve lope d pe culiar symptoms ;they grew wild and bit at my hand and also at cage barsand othe r mate rials when oiiere d to them. Oh the e ighthday they showe d cannibalis tic symptoms and de stroye d oneanothe r.

“4. Mosquito clas s ificat ionwork was continue d.


110 SCIENTIF IC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHonnitrificat ionwas shown by the re sults obtaine d whenstraw was adde d with the dung orurine . The los s e s ofmit rogen that take plac e during s torage are be ing furthe r ihve st igate d .

Obse rvations ofthe e ffe c t ofthe s e manure s onthe c ropy ie ld ofcats in p ot culture showe d the growth ofthe plantto corre spond to the amount ofnitrate forme d in the nitrifi cat ionte sts , but whe re a bad phys ical c ondition was prod uc e d in the soil, the yie ld was smalle r than that expe c te dfrom c ons i de ration ofthe nitrate figure s .Oats we re grown in both pots and plots to which roots ,

s tems, and leave s orthe whole plant ofdhaincha (Se s bania,aculgata) and cowpea we re adde d . The c rops obtaine dcorre sponde d to the nitrate formation obtaine d in the

laborato ry nitrificat ionte sts with the s e plants and the i rp arts .

Study ofthe wide variations in the ac cumulation ofnitrate during the de compos ition ofvarious oilcake s inPusa s oil tend to the conc lus ion that they are due to the

diffe renc e s inthe re lative proportions ofcarbohydrate andnitrogen in the cake s . The oil content had ve ry s light influenc e onnitrificat ionand the addition ofsuch mate rialsas c e llulose , filt erpape r, sawdus t, s tarch, cane sugar andglucose t o cake s rich in nitrogen, re tarde d the accumulat ion ofnitrate . Further, in the cas e ofmahua (Bas s ialat ifolia) cake ,no nitrate was found afte r e ight we eks

’

inc ubation, exc ept when the cake had previous ly be enfe rmente d.

The nitrogen c ontent ofso il unde r fallow and growingc rops was studie d. Both nitrate and organic nitrogen(contents ofthe c roppe d plots we re lowe r than those offallow plots and the d ifierenc e s we re greate st during thep e riod ofmos t

.

ac tive growth ofthe c rop .

Biological analys is ot soils . Biological analys is ofs oil from anabandone d c offe e es tate in Mysore was carrie d out .Nitrogenfixat ion. Expe riments onthe effe c t ofthe

accumulate d product s ofit s me tabolism onthe nitrogen


fixing powe r ofAzotobac te r are be ing carrie d out . So farit appears that the s e produc ts appre c iably lowe r the

amount ofni trogen fixat ion.

Nume rous colonie s ofac tinomyc e te s have invariablybe en found growing onAshby’s mannite agar plate s, inoc ulat e d with a dilute ‘

so il suspens ion. Twe lve spe c ie s we reexamine d fornitrogen—fixing powe r. Only minute gainswe re re corde d, but as thi s group oforganisms is one ofthemos t abundant in soil, the i r ac cumulate d e ffe c t may be ofc ons ide rable importanc e ,and furthe r inve s tigations ofthe irac tivitie s are be ing taken up .

Se ven soils, two from Pusa and five from Mysore ,we ree xamine d fornitrogen fixat ionunder anae robic conditions .In liqui d culture gains ofup to 6-5 mgm. nitrogen p ergram dextrose we re obtaine d . Sugarcane megas se has

prove d anadmirable me dium forthe growth ofnitrogenfixing organisms . '

Afte r inoculation with mixe d culture sofnitrogen—fixing organisms, it s nitrogen c ontent rosefrom 02 7 p erc ent . to 1-3 p erc ent . in two months .

IV]

. INDIGO .

Owing to the short rainfall and backward condition oft he plant no expe riments in manufac ture have be en carrie d out s inc e those ment ione d in the las t report.

Pure culture s ofindican hydrolys ing bac t e ria we remaintaine d in the laboratory ; the culture In

lo,the most

effic ient , isolate d thre e years ago, has los t none ofit s effic iency in that pe riod.

V. STERILIZATIONOF WATER .

Inve s tigations onthis subj e c t we re continue d,and sup

p lie s ofthe s te rilize r EC.

” we re manufac ture d forthewe ekly dis infe c tion ofthe we lls onthe e state .

Two to thre e p erc ent . ofavailable chlorine was foundt o be the maximum poss ible obtainable with e conomy

.

of

c urrent consumption,and in highe r concentratlons s tablli ty

112 SCIENTIF IC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHrapidly diminishe d . 2 -5 p erc ent. is the opt imum aime d

at fore conomy in produc tion and stability ofthe produc t .Stability te s ts showe d that solutions ofthis strength

c ould be made stable fors ix weeks at plains tempe rature s(30

° C .) and fors ix months ormore at hill stations(20

0— 22O C) .

VI . PEBRINE.The work onpebrine was taken ove r by Dr. A. Pringle

Jame son, Protozoologis t, who arrive d in Oc tobe r 1919.

Laboratory ac commodation is be ing provide d forhim andhis s taff in this Se c t ion .

VII . PROGRAMME OF WORK FOR 1920- 21.

1. Majorsubj e c ts .

G ene ral biology ofsoil(a) Nitrogen fixat ion, symbiotic and asymbiot ic .

(5) Bac te rial fe rmentation oforganic matte r in so ils .

(0) Influenc e ofbac te rial ac t ion onavailability ofphosphat e s in the soil.

2 . Sp e c ial enqu irie s .(a) Indigo manufac ture .

(5) Othe r indus trial problems conne c te d with mic robiological ac tivitie s .

3 . Minorsubj e c ts .(a) P lant pathology.(5) Revis ion oflaboratory me thods in soil b iology.

Hutchinson,O. M .

Hutchinson, C . M.

VIII . PUBLICATIONS .Re p ort on Agricultural Bac t eriology,1918-19, forth e Board ofSc ient ific Advic e .

Pebrine inIndia. M em . ofthe D ep t . ofAgri . inIndia,Vol. I,No . 8 . (In the

pre ss .)


114 SCIENTIF IC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHREPORT orTHE PROTOZOOLOGIST.

(A. PRINGLE JAMESON, D .Sc .)I jo ine d my appointment at Pusa on17th Oc tobe r .

1919, but cons ide rable inc onvenienc e and de lay we re ex

p erienc e d in ge tting the work ons ilk—worm d is eas e s prope rly starte d onac c ount ofthe extreme slowne s s withwhich the apparatus orde red at home was de live re dalthough ready fordispatch in Septembe r 1919, the lastcons ignment was not re c e ive d until April 1920— and alsoonac count ofthe lack ofass is tants, sanc tion forstaff nothaving be en re c e ive d until May. I f it had not be en forthekindne s s ofMr. C . M .Hutchinson and '

othe r ’heads ofSe ctions who lent me suffic ient ass istanc e and apparatus togo onwith, it would have be en prac tically impos s ible to havestarte d c e rtain l ine s ofwork .

The first s ilk -worm diseas e that is be ing'

inve s t igat e d ispebrine . This diseas e is cause d by a ve ry minute prote zcan paras i te . Sixty years ago the s ilk industry inEurope was nearly extinguishe d by it and fears are ente rtaine d le s t it should as sume e qually se rious proportions inIndia. The work onthis disease was initiate d by Mr.Hutchinson and it. is b e ing carrie d onfrom the point whe rehe le ft off. It falls naturally into two parts . First theinve s tigation ofthe life - history ofthe paras ite ,Nos ema.bombycis ,which caus e s the disease ,and second the invest igat iOnofmeans ofc ontrolling the disease . The secondline ofinquiry is, ofcourse,more orle s s d ependent onthere sults ofthe first .

g

(a) L‘

fife -his tory ofthe paras it e . Attention is be ingpaid at pre sent to the early s tage s ofthe life - his to-ryfi the

behaviour ofthe spore s when introduce d into the gut ofthe s i lk -worm and the initial attacks ofthe paras ite onthe t issue s ofthe host. This work is ve ry difficult to carryoninthe hot weathe r as much ofit entails the cutt ing ofextreme ly ‘ thin paraffinwax s e c tions , but already a cons iderable amount ofinformation has re sulte d from this lineofinve st igation. It is, howeve r,much too early inthe in


quiry to make any definit e pronounc ements onthe li fehistory .

(5) Exp eriment s ond is eas e c ontrol. The following aresome ofthe line s ofinve stigation be ing pursue d . Variousrac e s ofs ilk -worms are be ing te ste d regarding the i r re s is tanc e to dis ease . Thre e small hat chet rearing hous e s havebe en e re c ted and in them expe riments on d is infe c tion,length ofli fe ofspore s,and me thods ofinfe ction are be ingc onduc te d . The e ffe c t ofc limatic conditions ondisease isbe ing te ste d Various rearing me thods are be ing inve stigate d in re lation t o disease . C e rtain extreme ly intere stingfac ts have be en brought to light by the s e expe riments, e sp e c ially.with regard to infe c tion ofthe worms in surroundings highly charge d with infe c tious mate rial and also withregard to the le thal qualitie s ofthe dis ease . But he re againthe time has not ye t c ome formaking any definit e statements .The Gove rnment ofIndia having ac c epte d Profe ssor

Lefroy’

s re commendationthat a se e d supply s tation bee stablishe d in Shillong, the matte r is now be ing pushe d oh .

A s ite forthe laboratory buildings has be en given by theGove rnors ofthe Pas teur Ins titute and a plot ofland forgrowing mulbe rry has be en s ele c te d. The plans and e s t imate s have bee n drawn up and hmal sanc tion is awaite d .

It is hope d that bui lding ope rat ions Will be s tarte d immediat ely and the main buildings e re c te d by Oc tobe r . Seve ralhundre d mulbe rry cuttings have be en se t out in the ShillongFruit Farm by the Sup e rintendent, Mr. C . II .Holde r, towhom thanks are due forhis kind as s istanc e .

PROGRAMME orWORK FOR 1920- 21.

The inve stigation of the li fe —history of’Nos ema;

bombyc is is be ing continue d. The expe riments on

disease c ontrol, e t c ., will be carrie d on and expande din the light of the re sults obtaine d. Expe rimentsona large s cale t o te s t the value ofhill ame lioration willbe s tarte d next year, as s oon as a s tation is e s tablishe d inthe hills . It is hope d that a beginning will be made Wi ththe study offlacherie .

116 SCIENTIFIC REPORTS OF THEAGRICULTURAL RESEARCHAPPEND IX .

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY , SUGAR BUREAU .

(WYNNE SAYER B.A.)I was

‘

p lac ed onsp e c ial duty fora p eriod oftwo years witheffe c t from 20th January, 1919, to und ertake the c olle c t ionofallavailable informat ioninc onne c t ionwith the sugarindus try inIndia,p end ing a furth erc onsid erat ionby th e Government ofInd ia ofthe que s tionofe s tabl ishing a SugarBureau . Ane s tablishm ent oftwore c ord ers,.two c lerks , and two typ ist s ,with one Sup erint end ent ,was sanc t ione d to enable me to carry onthe work, but one ofth e se

p os ts has be envacant forthe whole t ime , the pay and the t emp oraryp os it ionnot be ing suffic ient t o at trac t a suitable man. The de signat ion ofmy p os t was change d to that ofth e Se cre tary, SugarBureau, with effe c t from 13th April, 1919.

It will not b e out ofp lac e h ere to give a briefhistory ofthesuc c e s s ive s t e p s Governm ent have takent o enc ourage th e indus try,inthe cours e ofwhich this offic e came t o be creat e d .

Sc ient ific work onthe sugarcane cr0p was s tart e d at Manjri inthe Bombay Pre s idency by Mr. Mollis onin1894 and at Samalkot inMadras by Dr. Barbert oward s the c los e ofth e last c entury . Inthe s e two Pre s idenc ie s some valuable re sult s were obtaine d . InBengal and the Unite d Provinc e s also som e work had b e endone .

But it was aft erth e AgriculturalDe partm ent s were re - o-rganiz ed byLord Curz on’s Government in1905 that the foundat ions ofth e im

p ortant work b e ing done by Mr. G . Clarke at Shahjahanpur, Mr.Som ers Taylorand th e lat e Mr. Woodhous e at Sabour, Mr.Meggit t inAs sam, Mr. Clouston in th e Central Provinc e s, andMr. Robert son Brown at Pe shawarinthe North-Wes t FrontierProvinc e were laid, while the work already inprogre s s inMadrasand Bombay was expand e d .

In1911Pandit MadanMohanMalaviyamove d are solut ioninthe Imp erial Legislat ive Counc il re c ommending that the duty onimp ort e d sugarshould be so raise d as t o make it p os s ible fortheind igenous sugarindustry to survive the c omp e tit ion to whichit was expos e d . The lat e Mr. Gokhale ’

move d an amendmentre c ommend ing that Governm ent should orderanenquiry by a

Comm it t e e ofc omp e t ent p ers ons into the pre s ent c ondit ionofthesugarindus try inInd ia with a view t o as c ertaining what ac t ionc ould and should be takenby the Stat e to save the indus try fromthe threat ene d ruin.He p oint e d out that there was a great dealthat Governm ent c ould do forthe industry even ifit did notimp os e ahigh prote c t ive tariit , in th e mat ter, forins tanc e , of


118 SCIENTIFIC REPORTS OF THEAGRICULTURAL RESEARCHinthe c ountry it was mos t d e s irable that th ere should be a c entralorganiz ationwhere re liable information, advic e , and as sistanc ec ould be had .

It will thus be s e en,that the format ion ofth is offic e was a

natural evolut ionofth e s erie s ofs t e p s which th e Governm ent hadalready taken forthe improvem ent ofthe Indian sugarcaneindus try. The ap p ointment ofth e Ind ianSugarComm it t e e duringthe yearby the Governm ent ofIndia with th e Se cre tary ofStat e ’sap provalmarks afurth ers t e p inthe sam e d ire c tion. It is exp e c t e d

that the Commit t e e will submit d efinit e re c omm endat ions as t o th eSugarBureau ’

s c onst itut ionand func t ions, it s re lat ion to th e

provinc e s, and wh ere it should be locat e d .

The firs t p ie c e ofwork undertakenby me was th e c olle c tionand indexing ofallavailable lit erature onthe subj e c t p ublish e d inIndia, s ift ing th e mass e s ofinformat ionavailable invarious offi c e sand arranging them ina form c onvenient forreferenc e . Much

progre s s has b e enmad e inthis dire c t ion, but it was imp os s ible topay undivide d att ent ionto this p art ofth e work as num erous c orresp ond ent s begant o s e ek advic e as s oonas the offi c e was e s tablish e dand I was incharge ofthe dutie s ofth e p os t ofImp erial Agric ulturis t up to 4th January, 1920, and was also ap p oint e d a memberofth e Indiah SugarCommit te e . Enquirie s re lat ing to sugarandsugarcane beganalso to be transferre d to this offic e by the Agricul;turalAdviserto th e Governm ent ofInd ia, the Governm ent Sugarcane Exp ert,D

-

ire c to’r- GeneralofComm erc ialInt e lligenc e , and oth eroffic ers. The enquirie s range from m ere re que s t s fors tat is t ical informat ionregard ing acreage , yie ld ofsugarcane p eracre and im

p orts of. sugarinIndia, to varie tie s ofcane ,m e thod s ofc ult ivat ion,manure s re quire d, localit ie s wh ere sugarfac torie s canb e put up ,

the machinery re quire d and how t o ge t it, e t c .

As it is most e s s ent ial to have anup- to- dat e library fora c entral

p lac e ofreferenc e like this, s te p s have b e entakento lay the toundat ions ofone which will grow infuture . During the yearund erreview volume s have be enre c e ive d e itherby p urchase , ex

change , orfre e sup p ly, and they are be ing c ont inually add e d to .

Scient ific and otherp eriodicals b earing onthis indus try are b e ingsubscribe d for.During the yearunderre p ort I p lac e d mys e lfin touch with

almos t all the sugarexp erim ent s tations ofthe world, the princ ipalsugarmachinery manufac turers in Great Britainand th e Unit e dStat e s ofAmerica. InIndia I am in touch with all th e sugarfac torie s and also with the offic ers ofth e provinc ial D e partm ent s

ofAgric ulture c onne c te d with sugarand sugarcane .


As mentione d above , I have b e enap p oint e d a memb eroftheInd ianSugarComm it t e e inaddit ionto my dutie s as Se cre tary,SugarBureau‘

, with effe c t from 26th Oc tober, 1919. This has givenm e a furtherop p ortunity ofge t t ing firs t hand knowle dge oftheexis ting s tat e ofthe - Indiansugarindustry .

Oh 14th May, 1920, I and the Sup erint endent ofmy offic eRao Sah ib Kasan31D . Naik, proc e e d e d with the SugarCommit t e eto Java.Here th e op p ortunity was taken ofinsp e c t ing all the

librarie s inthe exp erim ent s tations and inth e '

ofliic e ofth e Se cre taryto the Java SugarSyndicate . A great d ealoflit erature was c olle c

t e d, and numerous p oint s onwh ich we were unc ertainas to the

me thod s adop t e d inJava were c leare d up . I also brought backwith m e a c olle c tionofth e lat e st Java varie tie s , inc luding a canesp e c iallyre c omm ende d forNorth India by Dr.Je swe it , Sugarcanebre e ding Exp ert , PasoeroeanExp erim ent Stat ion, which have b e ens ent onto th e Coimbatore Cane -bre e ding Stat ionforp lant ing . I

have also arrange d by th e kindne s s ofDr.Je swe it ,and Dr.-Kuyp er,offic iating Dire c torofth e PasoeroeanExp eriment Stat ion, t o ge tany cross e s done ofcane s _

which do not flowerinIndia. It is ant ic ipat e d that this will be ofinvaluable as s is tanc e to th e sugarindustryinBihar, as no cros s ing has hith ert o b e enp oss ible with th e Mungofamily which up to date has refuse d to flowerinIndia.

PUBLICATION .

I c ontribut e d a pap eron The World ’s SugarSup p ly wh ich

was p ublishe d as a sup p lem ent to the is sue ofth e IndianTradeJournal,’ dat e d 12th March, 1920.

CALCUTTASUPERINTENDENT GOVERNMENT pnmnm , 11mm

8,HASTINGS STREET


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