The eastern clarion. [volume] (Paulding, Miss.) 1837-1863, 1858-11-27

/ seed. II was good season for cotton on
! my farm. and if there was any dry rot
then, ] did not observe il. The year 1856
was not a favorable year for cotton on my
place; we had too much dry weather in
July, August and September And this
year ! noticed. for the first time. the dry
rot. | estimate that ! lost that year. from
! tins cause, $50 lbs. per acre. Having been
familiar with the dry rot some thirty
years ago, ] determined ut once to change
my seed. procured some Petit Gulf seed
from near Enterprise, but a | had dis
covered IN these seed small traces Of the
J genuine dry rot the same year ] procured
/ some fresh seed that ! was assured came
from the Mississippi. river. With these
I Two parcels OF seed < planted portion Of
/ my crop, enough % r;l4Se seed for ,t.e 1iext
! crop. and the balance of nv crop was
| planted with faulty seed OF 1856. The
/ year 1857 was another unfovorable year for
/ cotton in my neighborhood; we had worms
1 in abundance, and too much dry weather
III the principal cotton months The Petit
| Gulf seed, both old and new, had the dry
! rot about alike, loosing some 10 or Is lbs
| 10 the acre; but in the other cotton that
I was preparing to discard estimate that
/ ! lost between 300 or 400 lbs. to the acre
4 The present year, (lS5S.l | entirely dis
/ carded these seed and planted the Petit
Z Gulf. both old and new mixed. This year
/ has not been a very favorable year on my
! farm; | lacked rain too much, although
/ generally it has been a wet season until
/ September and October: both Of these
/ months have been remarkably dry. ! es-
| innate that | shall lose of this crop from
/ 20 to 80 lbs. to the acre from dry rot:
/ while on two farms adioinngminc, planted
with the same seed ] had discarded the
/ loss will not fall short of 500 TBS TO the
/ acre, under less favorable seasons for the
/ promotion Of the rot than existed on my
I farm. The same result has been obtained
wherever those seed were planted on land
I of like character, although in different
neighb6rhoods.
Again. have observed, to my entire
satisfaction, in several instances, that the
rot is worse, decidedly so. on manured
/ land than land not manured in the same
( field and Immediately in contact with the
manured portions. This incontrovertible
fact will set aside any theory based upon
any deficiency in the soil or the presence
of any deleterious principle, because the
manure would certainly supply the def
| cheney or correct whatever was injurious.
But it fully establishes one of my posi-
tons, that the want OF moisture is promo
tive Of the dry rot. Every farmer is IA
| miliar with the fact. that in the highly
! manured land no crop viii stand a drouth
well the first season after the manure is
/ applied, and upoH this principle ! would
| explain the reason that manure viii in
crease the dry rot, both from its tendency
10 become dry in dry weather, and from
| the increased growth of the plant, it is
less able to stand drouth. Again there
are many low and damp places in many
| farms upon which cotton viii not grow
freely until hot weather, and hence will
be late cotton, that have rOtted as badly as
on dry and warm land. This, at the first
| blush. would seem to initiate against my
| theory. but when examined ii will sustain
it, This Is, no doubt, owing TO the cX-
/ treme dry weather extending from the
middle Of August TO the present time.
October 2Sthl. The bolls on all such
land being late. We're affected with this
drOuth in a very critical period Of their
growth. and hence were in a favorable
condition To take the disease. noticed
many instances of this and my attention
was called to 1t by a close and practical
4 observer. ! feel perfectly confident that
am llVA A4llNldhtH III 'tNNt-4 Nlli- "a 10 Ift
true. that this season drouthy land OF
drouthy spots in the field where other
portions Of the field were less drouthv
were more injured by the rot than other
land Some rains which fell about the
middle of August had very marked et.
feet in checking the rot. so much so as tC
cause some rejoicing with one of my neigh
bors. whose cotton was. suffering severely.
but the subsequent drouth renewed il
with great severity. If it be a fact that
want of moisture or dry weather promote
the rot which no one can deny who has
carefully observed its character, then the
converse proposition Is true, that the pres
cuce of moisture or seasonablc weather Is
mtavorable to it.
made another effort last spring TO Oh
tain seed that were entirely free from the
dry rot | purchased in Mobile another
sack of Petit Gulf seed. that came from
Louisiana: also a sack of seed, branded
pure white Mexican seed, also from a
Louisiana plantation, his name upon it,
and through a friend obtained two sack.
of Col Nick's 100 seed cotton, direct from
Vicksbmg. and also another variety OBJ
tanned from the north end of this county
and some Prout seed. The Petit Gull
were killed by the frost, but the Mexican
the Prout. and Col. Nick's seed, all show
the genuine dry rot to a small extent. i
} is now a matter of grave consideration
! with me, and should be with all cottoI
planters. if am right in my conclusions
= where can seed be obtained perfectly un
affected with dry rot. | apprchend tina
E the Petit Gulf seed will no longer be
0 | remedy. | have examined several crop
4 planted with these seed in different place
, where il might be supposed the seed OH
ginated from different sources, and in al
? of them. rs well as in my own and othc
I fresh seed, the dreaded evil may be touu,
\ more or less. The Boyd cotton on tire
/ farms which | have examined. where III
g seed have come from two sources som
/ distance apart. viii lose this year iron
g this cause 100 lbs. or more TO the acre.
q is also to be found in the Dean cotton an
I in the Golden Chaff to a small extent.
! The rot extends more or less all owe
!. this county, and | have heard complaint
: Of it in different sections of the countr
!, and in every variety of soil, showing mo,
! conclusively that the evil is widc-sprea
: and affects almost every variety of cOttO
:, now cultivated. ] will now show. thinl
y fully. that we may expect the evil to il
: crease more and more, subject to pcculia
A. ities of soil and season. so long as the pre-
n ent faulty seed are planted. This was tru
- of the Mexican seed thirty years ago an
=, i true of the seed | planted in lSjG.-
: That year lost $50 lbs to the acre I'll
= next wear | lost with the same seed .
= least 300 lbs. to the acre. This year tlS5,
! | planted none of them. but they wei
Il. planted ON DR. Reeds and Mrs McLaugl
= Inns farms both adjoining mine, and q
"a other farms within my knowlede, and ii
20 loss on all of them is at least 500 lbs.
n the acre. Those who planted these see
- last wear lost about the same proportic
!, that did. / advised one of my frien,
j last winter not to plant these seed agai
a. His want of faith in my opinion ha, co
n / him about 80 bales of cotton. From Il
!. above premises it may be safely assume
3. that all cotton now affected with the d
=, rot will sooner or later take the san
- course. The next thrown away seed
y, predict will be the Boyd cotton. and Il
81 cluster cottons generally. The dry rot
=, fccting the cotton crop at this time is
+, sentially the same in all respects with tn
4, which affected the Mexican cotton thir
i years ago. The orange colored spot
=, peculiar to that rot, can be readily fouI
IL i'm this. except that it is not SO general
a, present rs il was then and there is Fl
ducntly in the present rot, early in Il
~ season. a uniform redish copper col
Ill spread over the greater portion Of a bo
70 that do not recollect to have observ
~ then. The boil is generally grown
~ size. but not in maturity. before there
a any indication of the coming mischief.
u The first indication externally is usua'
no an orange colorcd spot or two on tho h,
10 OF the boil while it is green, and otherw
has a healthy appearance These sp,
ly vary in size from an eighth to half in
NC or more in diameter. The color is son
ry times bright, but oftener it has a dull a,
all rusty appearance. Other spots are oft
&c colored like ripe chestnut. except IL
Of they have more dead aspect general
mt In some cases the dull orange SPOT,
Iat tie elevated, is surrounded bv a narr
he ring, little depressed, of duh chestr
lis color. In other cases, it is indicated
tie one or more little dark and dead loolli
tn spots, rather depressed on different p
in tons OF the boil. If one of the above
ew ger spots happen to cover the line of O
ng of the subdivisions Of the boil, it is apt
To- crack and partially open, and reveal
,re damage that is being done on the insl'
hit In other cases the whole boil will pres6
tit a~niform copper color with one or mt