The dragline operator hooks the bar, raises the load, dumps and returns the net and the bar to its proper position for reloading. The factory grab then moves the cane from the pit to either storage or to feeder table for immediate grinding.
This new operation of handling Raceland administration cane saved 113 man hours per day. This amounted to a savings of 7 648 man hours during the 1956 grinding season. In addition to the savings in labor, this operation also made it possible to harvest the crop with a smaller total labor force, in spite of Hurricane Flossy. This alone is an added comfort since scarcity of labor becomes more pressing each. year.
Changes in the Napoleonville operation were limited to transporting cane from the field derricks to the Raceland Factory. Ten dump type trailer bodies were designed and constraicted for this purpose. The trailer beds measure 36' in length and 8' in width. Three box type compartments each measuring 12' x 8' x 8'4" are hinged to the right side of the trailer bed. Each compartment contains a full length door hinged at the top of the right side of each compartment. Each door has two latches operated from the left side to insure safety.
An effort was made at the Napoleonville properties to load field
wagons to 12' length bundles to fit into the compartments. The 12'
length loads were lifted from the tractor wagons in slings by a dragline
and was either loaded loose in the compartments for immediate shipment
or was stored in slings for shipping in the same manner at night.
Upon arrival at the Mill yard at Raceland the cane was handled in the following manner. For grinding immediately, the cane was dumped from the compartments into a pit and picked up by the factory tower grab and placed on feeder t a b l e s . For other than immediate grinding, the compartments were dumped by a dragline into a pit and stored by derrick g r a b s .
At the beginning of grinding much difficulty was encountered in dumping cane from the compartments. However, with modification of the door and with experience and t i m e , unloading conditions were im- proved although not entirely s a t i s f a c t o r y . Plans are being considered to further modify the doors so that the top hinged cross member will in no way interfere with dumping of the c a n e . This method of handling the cane of the Napoleonville properties afforded savings in labor, freight c o s t s , and in efficiency.
With this new method of handling loose cane in side-dump t r u c k s , the switch Locomotive at Raceland was not used and the scrapping of cane on the tracks was completely eliminated. This operation plus other revisions at the cane shed affected a further saving in the cost of operation.
Cost figures indicate that a substantial saving in freight was realized as well as the receipt of fresher cane which contributed to greater efficiency in the yard and in mill operation g e n e r a l l y . The grinding of fresher cane contributed in no small measure to an increased recovery of sugar r e a l i z e d .
Compartment type delivery trucks was not only unique in appear- ance, but also made travel on the highway comparatively safer than the conventional method of truck hauling.
Acknowledgement is given Mr. Charles A. Wainwright, Chief Engineer and his Staff for designing and engineering the new operation.
Without this valuable assistance much less would have been accom- plished.
Acknowledgement is also advanced Mr. Russel Ramp, U . S . D . A . , Houma Station, for his valuable assistance and interest in the project.
From experience gained during the 195 6 harvesting season, the
industry should seriously consider both the Tractor Chain-net method
of dumping as discussed, as well as the compartment dump type Truck
method. Consideration should also be given to the conversion of con-
ventional type truck-trailers to the Chain-net method of dumping. It is
felt that the conventional truck trailer can be converted at a reasonable
cost.
W. H. Long, Assistant Entomologist Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station
Many i n s e c t s and related animals compete with us each year for Louisiana's sugarcane crop. Several of t h e s e p e s t s are well known and the injury they inflict is often apparent. Many others may go unnoticed b e - c a u s e of their small s i z e , small numbers or secluded h a b i t s . No attempt will be made here to mention all of the p e s t s known to attack sugarcane in Louisiana. However two of the currently more important pest control problems a s s o c i a t e d with sugarcane production will be briefly d i s c u s s e d , with emphasis on recent findings and a look at the future in sugarcane insect r e s e a r c h .
Sugarcane Borer
The annual cooperative survey conducted l a s t February by the U . S . D . A . Sugarcane Insect Laboratory and the L . S . U . Agricultural Experi- ment Station showed that the number of sugarcane borers surviving last winter in cane trash was sufficiently heavy and widespread to c a u s e destructive infestations during this growing s e a s o n if conditions are favorable for development of the p e s t . By June 1 deadheart counts from several areas of the Cane Belt indicated a generally scattered infestation of first generation borers with heavy infestations in local a r e a s . This should, under average conditions, give rise to a more uniform and in- jurious infestation of second generation borers throughout a major portion of the Cane Belt.
42
It has been emphasized in the past, and properly s o
/that the most logical approach to the problem of controlling the sugarcane borer is one which recognizes and places proper emphasis on the various control measures available. These have been classified as cultural practices, biological control, varietal resistance and chemical control.
Such cultural practices as shredding of cane tops, thorough clean- up during harvest, burning trash and cane pieces, chopping or shaving and wrapping of middles, early cultivation in fields heavily infested the previous year, planting borer-free cane, cutting cane at the ground level and fall-breaking of stubble fields undoubtedly aid in reducing borer in- festations by destroying or reducing overwintering borer populations . Other practices such as concentrating and isolating corn plantings when possible and occasionally destroying small areas of heavily infested corn have been reported beneficial (3). Such measures should be standard practice when and where they are practical and agronomically feasible. However, these practices should not be considered insurance against injury from the sugarcane borer.
It has been estimated that a single pair of borer moths could
give rise to over 200,000,000 borers in four generations (9). Fortunately
this reproductive potential is never fully realized under normal condi-
tions, thanks to such natural forces as fluctuating weather conditions
and the presence of predators and parasites. Considerable attention
has been given to the latter, particularly to the egg parasite, Trichoqramn
which is now available commercially for release in cane fields . The
r e l e a s e of t h e s e laboratory-reared p a r a s i t e s in the field suddenly i n c r e a s e s their number there to a level higher than the original Trichogramma popula- tion had been able to attain by the time of r e l e a s e . Such a change in the natural balance between borer and parasite populations probably i n - c r e a s e s the efficiency of the total parasite population to some e x t e n t . Just how much saving is realized by t h i s practice in terms of immediate crop yield is uncertain. Certainly the r e l e a s e of p a r a s i t e s is appealing from the standpoint of cost of treatment per a c r e , but again cannot be de- pended upon to control severe borer i n f e s t a t i o n s .
When borer populations reach sufficiently destructive l e v e l s to warrant i n s e c t i c i d e applications the time for cultural control measures is p a s t , and the parasite and predator populations have not kept pace with the borer population. The latter should not be considered u n u s u a l , but is normal, s i n c e an increasingly large host population is prerequisite for the continued i n c r e a s e in numbers of i t s natural e n e m i e s .
Chemicals are commonly employed in Louisiana to control second generation and in some i n s t a n c e s second and third generation cane b o r e r s . Forty per cent ryania dust and cryolite are recommended and commonly used at the present t i m e . Early research with synthetic organic i n s e c t i - cides led to the conclusion that t h e s e materials were of no u s e in most of the cane growing areas of Louisiana b e c a u s e of their toxicity to the natural enemies of the borer (6). This conclusion was b a s e d upon the observation that although several of t h e s e compounds showed good initial control of the cane borer, the insect often i n c r e a s e d to l e v e l s
h i g h e r t h a n t h o s e found i n u n t r e a t e d p l o t s during t h e i n t e r v a l b e t w e e n t h e l a s t d u s t a p p l i c a t i o n and h a r v e s t . This s u g g e s t s t h e p o s s i b i l i t y of ex- t e n d i n g t h e d u s t i n g period by i n c r e a s i n g t h e number of d u s t a p p l i c a t i o n s , by i n c r e a s i n g t h e l e n g t h of t h e i n t e r v a l b e t w e e n a p p l i c a t i o n s / or by s o m e p r a c t i c a l c o m b i n a t i o n of t h e t w o . S t u d i e s of t h i s sort w e r e c o n d u c t e d with r y a n i a in 1953 and 1954 and i n d i c a t e d t h a t both i n c r e a s i n g t h e t o t a l number of d u s t a p p l i c a t i o n s a n d e x t e n d i n g t h e c o n t r o l program b e y o n d t h e u s u a l s e c o n d g e n e r a t i o n d u s t i n g may r e s u l t i n g r e a t e r profits ( 5 , 7 ) .
In s t u d i e s c o n d u c t e d during t h e p a s t two y e a r s ( 2 , 6) e n d r i n and t o x a p h e n e h a v e shown c o n s i d e r a b l e p r o m i s e . R e s u l t s with 2 0 per c e n t t o x a p h e n e d u s t h a v e not b e e n a s uniform a s t h o s e with t w o per c e n t endrin d u s t , h o w e v e r both h a v e shown b e t t e r c o n t r o l of b o r e r s t h a n 40 per c e n t r y a n i a d u s t . This c o n t r o l o f t h e borer h a s r e s u l t e d i n i n c r e a s e d y i e l d s o f c a n e and s u g a r per a c r e i n t e s t s a t C e n t e r v i l l e and B u n k i e , L o u i s i a n a . The u s e of e i g h t a i r p l a n e a p p l i c a t i o n s of two per c e n t endrin d u s t and g r a n u l e s t o c o n t r o l both s e c o n d and third g e n e r a t i o n b o r e r s at Bunkie in 1956 r e s u l t e d in 97 and 98 per c e n t r e d u c t i o n s , r e s p e c t i v e l y , in t h e numbers of bored j o i n t s at h a r v e s t - t i m e . This u n u s u a l d e g r e e of c o n t r o l w a s r e f l e c t e d in a v e r a g e i n c r e a s e s of 1,847 p o u n d s of s u g a r p e r a c r e r e s u l t i n g from t h e u s e of e n d r i n d u s t , a n d 2 , 0 5 0 pounds of s u g a r per a c r e from endrin g r a n u l e s . T h e s e i n c r e a s e s g a i n e d in t e r m s of t o n s of c a n e per a c r e w e r e 8 . 4 6 t o n s for e n d r i n d u s t and 8 . 5 4 t o n s for endrin g r a n u l e s . C o n s i d e r a b l e i n c r e a s e s i n y i e l d w e r e a l s o r e a l i z e d from t h e u s e of 40 per c e n t r y a n i a and 20 per c e n t t o x a p h e n e
d u s t s , but were of the order of one-half of t h o s e resulting from the u s e of endrin. In a small-plot experiment conducted at C e n t e r v i l l e , Louisiana in 1955 endrin and toxaphene dusts resulted in better borer control and larger i n c r e a s e s in yield of cane and sugar per acre than did 40 per cent ryania d u s t . The use of all three i n s e c t i c i d e s to control both second and third generations of the borer resulted in yield i n c r e a s e s greater than those obtained from only second generation control.
If endrin and toxaphene, particularly endrin, continue to give the same sort of control accompanied by increased yields this year that they have for the past two y e a r s , what could prevent their being recommended for sugarcane borer control? Possibly two t h i n g s . First there is the possibility of the presence of i n s e c t i c i d e residues in the edible products of the c r o p . Samples of sugarcane juice were taken l a s t year for residue a n a l y s e s . This a n a l y s i s is a troublesome, expensive and time-consuming operation and all of the results are not yet a v a i l a b l e . A more extensive effort is being made this year to gather additional residue d a t a , and it is hoped that the results from this y e a r ' s a n a l y s e s will be obtained more rapidly. The second possible objection to the recommendation of endrin or toxaphene for borer control l i e s in the effect that t h e s e chemicals might have on the natural enemies of the sugarcane borer. This is a question definitely worthy of consideration. We hope to obtain informa- tion this year regarding the effects of t h e s e materials on the Trichogramma egg p a r a s i t e .
If endrin and/or toxaphene continue to give a degree of borer
c o n t r o l a c c o m p a n i e d b y i n c r e a s e d y i e l d s o f c a n e a n d s u g a r i n t h i s y e a r ' s e x p e r i m e n t s a s t h e y h a v e i n t h e p a s t two y e a r s , a n d i f c h e m i c a l a n a l y s e s show them to be s a f e from t h e s t a n d p o i n t of r e s i d u e h a z a r d s , t h e s e m a t e r i a l s may be r e c o m m e n d e d for u s e in t h e Bunkie a r e a next y e a r . Further t e s t i n g would b e n e c e s s a r y before any o f t h e s e s y n t h e t i c o r g a n i c i n s e c t i c i d e s c o u l d b e r e c o m m e n d e d for t h e e n t i r e C a n e B e l t .
This y e a r s t u d i e s a r e u n d e r w a y t o c o m p a r e g r a n u l a r with d u s t formu- l a t i o n s of e n d r i n and t o x a p b e n e , and to try to e x t e n d t h e l e n g t h of t h e i n t e r v a l b e t w e e n a p p l i c a t i o n s from one t o two w e e k s , t h e r e b y r e d u c i n g t h e t o t a l amount of i n s e c t i c i d e r e q u i r e d to c o n t r o l a s i n g l e g e n e r a t i o n of b o r e r s and making p o s s i b l e t h e c o n t r o l of t w o g e n e r a t i o n s for t h e p r e s e n t c o s t of c o n t r o l l i n g only o n e .
At t h e p r e s e n t time c h e c k i n g of f i e l d s to d e t e r m i n e w h e n and w h e r e to d u s t is a t r o u b l e s o m e and t e c h n i c a l p r o b l e m , but n e v e r t h e l e s s a n e c e s s a r y o n e . F o r t u n a t e l y for t h e g r o w e r s t h i s s e r v i c e i s c o m m e r c i a l l y a v a i l a b l e . I t s e e m s p o s s i b l e t h a t t h e h i g h l y t e c h n i c a l n a t u r e o f t h i s problem may b e t h e n a t u r a l r e s u l t , a t l e a s t i n p a r t , o f t h e p r e s e n t r e - s t r i c t i o n of c h e m i c a l s r e c o m m e n d e d for borer c o n t r o l to m a t e r i a l s t h a t are not sufficiently t o x i c to t h e i n s e c t . With t h e u s e of a more t o x i c c h e m i c a l , such a s e n d r i n , i t i s p o s s i b l e t h a t t h e e x a c t time o f a p p l i c a - t i o n c o u l d b e c o m e l e s s c r i t i c a l . Also t h e d e g r e e o f b o r e r i n f e s t a t i o n p r e s e n t l y d e e m e d n e c e s s a r y t o w a r r a n t c h e m i c a l c o n t r o l m e a s u r e s might be l e s s e n e d , but not to t h e e x t e n t t h a t a s u b s t a n t i a l profit from t r e a t - ment i n d o l l a r s and c e n t s could not b e r e a l i z e d .
Several of the p o s s i b i l i t i e s mentioned thus far are not yet supported by experimental d a t a . However, they do represent some of our thinking at the present time and indicate the direction being taken in some of our research related to the sugarcane borer.
Soil I n s e c t s
For several years the L . S . U . Agricultural Experiment Station and the U . S . D . A . Sugarcane Insect Laboratory have conducted experiments designed to find chemicals for controlling soil i n s e c t s and related animals which attack s u g a r c a n e . This has been a difficult problem and one which has not yet been satisfactorily solved. Soil i n s e c t s spend a large portion of their lives on or beneath the soil surface so that their presence usually goes unnoticed, except in c a s e s where infestation is so heavy that plant injury or retarded plant growth becomes readily apparent.
Numerous field experiments with soil i n s e c t i c i d e s have permitted the recommendation of chlordane as a soil treatment to be applied at the rate of two pounds of i n s e c t i c i d e per acre on the cane seed p i e c e s in the open furrow shortly before covering with soil (8). This treatment is presently recommended on heavy soils in the cane growing area of Louisiana where it is believed to control a miscellaneous group of small i n s e c t s and related p e s t s . It is a l s o recommended to control wireworms in sandy s o i l s .
In some i n s t a n c e s decreased yields have resulted from soil t r e a t - ment, and t h i s has been somewhat more common on sandy soils where
wireworms w e r e not a problem t h a n on h e a v y s o i l s ( 8 ) . An e x p l a n a t i o n for t h i s p h e n o m e n o n i s not p r e s e n t l y k n o w n , but i t d o e s i n d i c a t e t h a t further s t u d y i s n e e d e d .
One of t h e most p r e s s i n g p r o b l e m s r e l a t i v e to s o i l a p p l i c a t i o n of i n s e c t i c i d e s is t h a t of i n c r e a s i n g our k n o w l e d g e of t h e i n s e c t s and r e l a t e d p e s t s w h i c h i n h a b i t t h e v a r i o u s s o i l t y p e s o n w h i c h s u g a r c a n e i s grown and t h e injury t h e y may i n f l i c t . Some s t u d i e s h a v e b e e n made along t h e s e l i n e s by t h e Houma and Baton Rouge s t a t i o n s ( 4 , 10), and further work w a s i n i t i a t e d t h i s spring a t Baton R o u g e .
The p r o c e s s of s t u d y i n g s o i l a n i m a l p o p u l a t i o n s is a slow and l a b o r i o u s o n e , but one which h a s a l r e a d y b e g u n t o y i e l d d i v i d e n d s . P r e v i o u s work i n L o u i s i a n a h a s i n c r i m i n a t e d c e r t a i n c e n t i p e d e s , milli- p e d e s , s p r i n g t a i l s , b r i s t l e t a i l s , Symphylids and s n a i l s a s b e i n g t h e most important s m a l l s o i l i n h a b i t a n t s w h i c h injure s u g a r c a n e b y g n a w i n g r o o t s o r pruning root h a i r s . Among t h e l a r g e r s o i l i n s e c t s , w i r e w o r m s , t h e s u g a r c a n e b e e t l e and s u g a r c a n e w e e v i l h a v e r e c e i v e d s p e c i a l mention as p e s t s w h i c h may c a u s e injury of i m p o r t a n c e ( 4 , 10).
Renewed efforts t h i s spring t o l e a r n more about t h e s o i l - i n s e c t c o m p l e x p r e s e n t i n c a n e f i e l d s h a v e s o far b e e n l i m i t e d t o e x a m i n a t i o n of s o i l s a m p l e s in t h e f i e l d . T h e s e s a m p l e s h a v e c o n s i s t e d of one c u b i c foot of s o i l c o n t a i n i n g a s t o o l of c a n e . The s o i l is s i f t e d and e x a m i n e d by h a n d on t h e s p o t . U s u a l l y t w o men e x a m i n e t h e s o i l w h i l e a t h i r d o n e d i s s e c t s t h e underground p o r t i o n s o f t h e p l a n t s . All i n s e c t s and o t h e r s m a l l a n i m a l s t h a t a r e found are r e c o r d e d and s a v e d for i d e n t i f i c a t i o n or
further s t u d y . As of June 1 only 238 of t h e s e samples had been examined from four cane f i e l d s . This small beginning has revealed the presence of substantial numbers of white g r u b s , southern corn rootworms, grape c o l a s p i s l a r v a e , a n t s , millipedes and more than one s p e c i e s of soil-inhabiting bug with piercing-sucking mouthparts. The latter belong to a family of i n s e c t s commonly referred to as "burrower b u g s . " The adults are black or brown in color and about one-fourth inch or slightly l e s s in l e n g t h . Nine s p e c i e s of this family have been reported as p e s t s of sugarcane from several p l a c e s around the world (1), but little is known of their habits or of the injury they inflict. (They have been reported to suck sap from various plants near the ground.) Thirty samples examined in a field of heavy soil at Franklin, Louisiana showed an average of five burrower bugs per sample in spite of the fact that three-fourths of t h e s e samples were taken from chlordane treated p l o t s .
White g r u b s , southern corn rootworms and grape c o l a s p i s larvae have not been considered important p e s t s of sugarcane in Louisiana, however their presence in several fields indicates that they too may bear watching c l o s e l y . They are important p e s t s of corn, p e a n u t s , g r a s s e s , c l o v e r s , and a variety of other plants in various parts of the country.
We believe that the s o i l - i n s e c t complex in Louisiana cane fields deserves much more work. A good start has been made during the past several y e a r s , and we hope that in time to come additional knowledge of the p e s t s involved together with further information on the effects of
insecticides, dosages and methods of application will enable us to control this group of pests more efficiently.
Literature Cited
(1) Box, H. E. 1953. List of sugar-cane i n s e c t s . A synoptic catalogue of the sugar-cane insects and mites of the world, and of their insect parasites and predators, arranged systematically. London.
Commonwealth Institute of Entomology.
(2) Concienne, E. J . , Sibley, L. and L. D. Newsom. 1957. Sugarcane insect investigations . Report to the Sugarcane Contact Committee, March 12, 1957. (Mimeo. rept.)
(3) Dugas, A. L. 1957. The sugarcane borer problem in Louisiana today.
Proc. Am. Soc. Sugar Cane Technologists 5: 8-17.
(4) Dugas, A. L. 1957. Status of sugarcane insect problems in Louisiana.
Proc. Am. Soc. Sugar Cane Technologists 5: 4 3 - 5 1 .
(5) Dugas, A. L . , Concienne, E. J. and James Brazzel. 1954. Sugarcane insect investigations. Report to Sugarcane Contact Committee, March 9, 1954. (Mimeo. cept.)
(6) Dugas, A. L . , Concienne, E. J. and L. Sibley. 1956. Sugarcane insect investigations. Report to Sugarcane Contact Committee, March 13, 1956. (Mimeo. rept.)
(7) Dugas, A. L. , Concienne, E. J . , Sibley, L. and H. Joyner. 1955.
Sugarcane insect investigations. Report to Sugarcane Contact Committee, March 9, 1955. (Mimeo. rept.)
(8) Dugas, A. L. and Ralph Mathes. 1954. Soil treatment with chlor- dane recommended to increase sugarcane yields on heavy s o i l s . (Mimeo. rept.)
(9) Holloway, T. E . , Haley, W. E . , Loftin, U. C. and Carl Henrich.
1928. The sugar-cane moth borer in the United States. U . S . Dept. Agric. Tech. Bul. 4 1 .
(10) Ingram, J. W . , Bynum, E. K. , Mathes, R. , Haley, W. E. and L. J.
Charpentier. 1951. Pests of sugarcane and their control. U. S.
Dept. Agric. Circ. 878.
DISEASE OF SUGARCANE IN LOUISIANA, 1957 R. J. S t e i b , I. L. Forbes and S . J . P. Chilton
In order to determine if the heat treatment now recommended for the control of the ratoon stunting d i s e a s e in Louisiana is the best to u s e , a number of t r e a t m e n t s , both h o t - a i r and h o t - w a t e r , were used to treat d i s e a s e d s t a l k s of C . P . 44-101 and C . P . 3 6 - 1 0 5 . While treating the c a n e , thermocouples were placed in the cane stalks to determine the exact temperature from the start to the end of the treatment. An examina- tion of the plant cane progeny from the hot-air treated cane revealed that 17.5 per cent of the stalks were d i s e a s e d when the internal temperature of the stalk was kept at 50 C (122°F) for 4 hours but when kept for 5 o hours at the same temperature the d i s e a s e was eliminated. When a higher temperature for a shorter period of time (52°C for 3 hours) was used, 5 per cent of the stalks were found d i s e a s e d in C . P . 4 4 - 101;
however, a 4 hour exposure at: the same temperature was effective.
The 53 C for 2 hours and 54°C for 1 hour treatments were sufficient to control the d i s e a s e . The treatments which controlled the d i s e a s e did not reduce the stand in the spring. The same varieties plus variety Q. 28 were treated with hot-water in order to compare the two heat treatments. Since it is known that hot-water will c a u s e a serious r e - duction in germination in the spring in Louisiana, only two t r e a t m e n t s , 50 C for 2 hours and 5 0°C for 2 1/2 hours were t r i e d . Examination of
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