BSES bulletins

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Bulletins of the Division of Entomology, farm bulletins, general series bulletins, pathology bulletins and Queensland Department of Agriculture and Stock bulletin. 1901-1962.

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Chemical sprays for weed control; a guide to building a suitable power spray : farm bulletin no. 12
(BSES, 1952) Vallance, LG
Weeds have been the bugbear of the farmer from time immemorial. They have added to his cost of production and limited the growth of his crops in no uncertain manner. It is safe to say that ever since man commenced to till the soil to provide himself with the food required for his existence the major portion of his unceasing toil has been devoted to the eradication of these unwanted pests. In the early days his good friend the horse assisted to lighten his burden. The advent of the internal combustion engine and the development of the fast moving high clearance tractor brought about an immeasurable improvement. In all these practices the methods were fundamentally similar in that the weeds were destroyed by mechanical breaking off, mutilation of essential growing parts or severance of roots from close contact with the soil. Tine and disc implements have been developed which will work efficiently under widely varying soil and crop conditions. Nevertheless there are limits to what a machine can do and certain of these limitations are imposed by the conditions necessary for the most favourable growth of the crop plant itself. An instance that immediately comes to mind is that the crop with which we are concerned - sugar cane-thrives best in moist soils in warm and humid climates. It is under such conditions that weeds make their most vigorous growth, but it is an unfortunate fact that the wetter the soil the less efficiently will soil disturbing implements operate. Above all, the question of cost is of paramount importance, and in an endeavour to reduce the ever mounting cost of production, cane growers have focussed their attention on the most recent developments of chemical weed control which give excellent promise of being efficient, economic and practicable.
Dwarf disease of sugar-cane : farm bulletin no. 8
(BSES, 1933) Bell, AF
Dwarf disease is a new and very destructive disease of sugar-cane which was discovered in the Mackay district in 1930. Fortunately the outbreak was discovered by officers of the Bureau in its very early stages, and by prompt circularisation of symptoms and methods of control the possibility of the outbreak assuming large proportions was prevented. This disease is quite unknown in other parts of the world, and so far has not been reported in any part of Queensland other than a section of the Mackay district. Although the reason for the sudden appearance of the disease in sugar-cane is a mystery, it could be explained on the assumption that it was transmitted to the cane from adjacent weeds or cultivated plants, such as occurs in the case of mosaic disease.
Farm fertility trials; results for the 1930 season : farm bulletin no. 1
(BSES, 1931) Kerr, HW
During the past milling season the first series of farm fertility trials was harvested. In all twenty-nine experiments were carried through successfully; these were distributed throughout the cane areas from Mossman to Nambour. The returns from these experiments provide us with some very useful information, and our results must be regarded as quite satisfactory. With the progress of time many of the minor defects from which the earlier trials have suffered will be eliminated, and the quality of the results should be improved as a consequence.
Farm fertility trials; results for the 1931 season : farm bulletin no. 3
(BSES, 1932) Kerr, HW
The first set of farm fertility trials was harvested during 1930, and the results therefrom were reported in Farm Bulletin No. 1. Many of the trials were re-fertilized at ratooning time-the treatments, in most cases, being identical with those applied to the plant crop. In addition, a new series of trials was set out on selected farms, and the results of all experiments harvested during 1931 ( both plant and ratoon crops), are included in the present pamphlet.
Farm fertility trials; review of the work of experiment stations results for the 1932 season : farm bulletin no. 7
(BSES, 1933) Kerr, HW
In presenting the results of the Farm Fertility Trials harvested during 1932, advantage is taken of the opportunity to review also the work of the past year on the Northern, Central, and Southern Ex1periment Stations. The results of plot experiments harvested on these Stations have already been recorded in the Annual Report of the Director, but as certain of them are of special interest, a detailed discussion of their more valuable features is again presented . Attention is directed particularly to those trials which aimed at determining the manurial value of molasses, and the possibilities of irrigation in those areas which are at present dependent on natural rainfall.
Green manuring and soil organic matter : farm bulletin no. 10
(BSES) King, NJ
The following statement appears in 'Soil Conditions and Plant Growth,' by E. J. Russell. 'The effect of wild vegetation, sown grasses and clovers increasing the organic matter and nitrogen content of the soil, has long been known to soil cultivators. The old method of replenishing soil fertility was to alternate the periods of arable cultivation with a year's 'rest' when the land was left to cover itself with wild or self sown plants which were then ploughed under; this so-called fallow was prescribed one year in seven in the Mosaic law and one year in three in mediaeval England.'
Monthly notes on the greyback cane beetle and its control : farm bulletin no. 9
(BSES) Jarvis, E
Monthly notes on the greyback cane beetle and its control by Edmund Jarvis, entomologist.
Papers on cane culture, disease and pest control : farm bulletin no. 2
(BSES, 1931) Kerr, HW; Bell, AF; Mungomerey, RW
"Papers...read at the Second Annual Conference of the Queensland Society of Sugar-cane Technologists in March 1931, at Bundaberg, by officers of the Bureau." Fertilizers and their use/H.W. Kerr -- Tillage and cultivation/H.W. Kerr -- Sugar-cane diseases/Arthur F. Bell -- Cane breeding and its relation to disease control/Arthur F. Bell -- The present status of control of some Queensland sugar-cane pests
Soils in their relationship to sugar cane culture; a series of 4 radio lectures from 4QG, June, 1932 : farm bulletin no. 5
(BSES, 1932) Kerr, HW
In its broad meaning soil is that friable upper layer of the earth composed for the most part of mineral matter resulting from the breaking up and decay of rocks. It is thus the product of rock weathering, brought about by the action of the destructive forces of nature. These forces include the stresses set up in the rock mass due to alternate heating and cooling and the action of running water as an abrasive agent, assisted by the sand and gravel which it carries along. In cooler regions the water which enters the cracks of the rock may become frozen, and the force exerted in this way tends further to open up the cracks and hasten the break-down of the rock. Under humid tropical conditions the rock decay is effected chiefly by the chemical action of water, aided by gases such as oxygen and carbonic acid which it carries in solution. The products of decay of vegetation are frequently acid substances which also exert a solvent influence.
The cane growers' quarterly bulletin : special issue farm bulletin no.13
(BSES, 1962) Young, HE
A weed can be defined as an unwanted plant, or as a plant growing in the wrong place. Plants which are useful in their right places become weeds if they grow where they are not wanted. Guinea grass for instance is a useful plant in a grazing paddock but a bad weed in a canefield. Some plants are weeds wherever they grow, because they are a nuisance in useful land, or are harmful to the health of man or livestock. Weeds in sugar cane fields cost the grower money. When these pests are controlled better crops are produced which are also less expensive to harvest. Weeds compete with crops for water, sunlight and mineral nutrients. They increase costs of labour and equipment, reduce the quantity and quality of the product, and harbour diseases, insects and other pests. They are amongst the greatest obstacles to mechanizing production completely. Better burns, lower cutting costs and improved surface drainage result from a good weed control programme. At least half the cultivation which is required is on account of weeds. It has been estimated that the economic loss clue to weeds on farms is greater than that caused by insects and diseases combined. A good weed control programme includes the use of good cultivation methods as well as chemicals. The use of chemicals alone cannot be expected to give the best results. Most weeds of cultivated land mature and produce seed before the crop in which they grow is harvested.
The Childers cane beetle : farm bulletin no. 4
(BSES, 1932) Mungomerey, RW
The Childers Cane Beetle is a native scrub-land pest, which, since the destruction of the original scrub timbers and the cultivation of sugar-cane on these lands, has found a new set of conditions which have proved almost ideal for its development and multiplication, and it now ranks as the chief sugar-cane insect pest in Southern Queensland. Its main centre of occurrence is in the Isis district, but it also does considerable damage to cane at Goodwood, Bingera, Gin Gin, Bucca, and in the Woongarra district. It has been known as a serious pest for the past forty years, but the extent and severity of its infestations has now apparently reached a state of partial equilibrium, which, in a large measure, is dependent on weather conditions and to a lesser degree on the carrying-out of certain beneficial farming practices by the growers themselves. In the Isis district, the area destroyed by this pest varies between 100 and 300 acres yearly. In all of the localities mentioned above it is confined to the chocolate, red, and lighter coloured scrub soils, which are mainly of volcanic origin.
The treatment of cane setts with mercurial solutions : farm bulletin no. 11
(BSES) Hughes, CG
As long ago as 1870, when the sugar industry in Queensland was in its early infancy, a practical farmer said, "It is a natural presumption that both heat and moisture are necessary to develop the vitality of the cane sett," and an agricultural journalist associated with the paper, " The Queenslander," was moved to write of cold soil: "Plants put into it while in that condition vegetate but slowly; there is also some danger of losing them altogether, from absence of the stimulating heat which the more advanced season finds in the soil.'' The experience of nearly 80 years has served to emphasize the truth of these remarks and cane farmers generally are now aware of the conditions required for a satisfactory germination in a particular variety. The importance of a rapid, even germination in the production of a successful, profitable crop is also fully realised. A poor strike may force the replanting of a field and even if it does not, weeds grow in the 'gaps in the rows and frequently seed to be a nuisance in subsequent years; covering-in is delayed, and crop yields are reduced; and there is also the extra expense of supplying the misses, a practice which frequently can cost almost as much per acre as the original planting and then not repay the expenditure.
Value of different forms of lime; intensive cane production : farm bulletin no. 6
(BSES, 1933) Kerr, HW; Von Stieglitz, CR; Ker, HW; Barke, EJR
Title one: Early records show that the value of lime as a soil improver was known to agriculturists over 800 years ago, and its use has persisted as a standard practice through the intervening centuries. It is only quite recently, however, that its true functions have been clearly understood. Lime is, strictly speaking, an essential plantfood, and in its r;omplete absence the soil is quite sterile. The relative needs of various plant species for this nutrient vary widely, however. Lucerne and many other legumes appear to thrive only in soils abundantly provided with this plantfood. Sugar-cane, on the other hand, is not a lime-loving plant, and the employment of lime on the cane soils of the State must be traced to its virtues in other important respects.