Huntsville gazette., 1890-08-30
CORNSTALk DISEASE.
It Promises to Seriously Affect the Co
Crop in Several of the Western States


was called recently to Fayette
County, Ohio, to investigate a serious
injury to corn, present in many fields,
and suspected to be due to insect at
tacks. l expected to find either the
corn-root louise or corn-root borer pres.
ent but the examination Of large
number of stalks showed that, while
the first mentioned insect was at work
upon occasional plants, it was not near
ly abundant enough to cause the mis-
chief. No root borers of any kind were
found, nor were other corn insects pres
ent in any considerable numbers. I
soon became satisfied that the injury
was not of insect origin, and on split
ting open the stalks found at the base
unmistakable evidence that the dam
age was due to bacterial disease
which has lately attracted considerable
attention in Illinois, Nebraska and
other Western States. 1t was first
found by Professors Forbes and BurrilI
in Illinois, and was described by the
latter in recent bulletin of the expert
ment station of that State. Prof Bur-
rill says that his attention was first
called to II by Prof. S. A. Forbes, in
1882 and in succeeding years. 1t has
also been discussed by DR.. f. S. Bill
lings, in Nebraska bulletins.
The disease is shown by the sickly
condition of the plants which are
checked in growth soon after coming
up, the lower leaves turning yellow and
dying. According TO Prof. Burrill, ''the
first indication of this disease in a field
of corn as noticed in ordinary observa-
tion is the dwarf condition of the
young plants. This commonly occurs
in spots of various sizes, from a few
rods to an acre or more, and often,
though by no means always, on soil of
a character different from that of the
rest of the field. 1t seems hard to de-
signate what special condition or quail
ity of soil is most usually associated
with the disease; but, upon the whole,
it is found in rich spots rather than
those Of poorer quality. In many cases
it is upon the lowest ground whether
Or not water has temporarily stood in
the hollows. Young diseased plants,
besides being smaller than the healthy
ones, are uniformly yellowish in color,
the lowest leaves showing worst. When
the affected plants are pulled from the
ground they are found to give way too
easily, in consequence of the death
of the Oldest and lowest roots. In Sc
we're cases at least one-half the roots
always the lowest--are injured and usu-
ally dead. The bottom portion of the
| 90 IL off !,
found dead or dying. If split longitud-
inally through the middle, the inner
tissue of this lower part is seen to have
a uniform dark color, and similar dis
coloration, gradually becoming less and
less pronounced, appears in the next
succeeding nodes or joints, while the
spaces between them (internodes) are
seemingly healthy. On the surface.
when carefully freed from dirt, brown
ish corroded spots can be found, some
times strictly bordered, again diffusely
spreading"
AS to remedies for the disease, I can
only quote Prof. Burrill again, who
says: ave know too little of the disease
to be able to suggest remedy. There
appears to be in considerable number
of cases more injury on land which has
been planted with corn the preceding
year, though the rule does not always
hold good. In one case the worst re-
suits followed when timothy sod had
been broken up and corn planted there
on; while timothy pasture not far dis
tant treated in the same manner gave
a thoroughly healthy crop of corn.
Grass and weeds have been carefully ex
amined without finding indications that
the same disease affects them. Prob
ably the bacteria live over winter in the
soil. If this is fact, then young corn
would be liable to suffer when growing
on land upon which the preceding crop
was diseased. When it is definitely
known whether any thing besides corn is
affected, we shall be better able at least
to theorize upon cure. e."-Clarence M
Weed, in Ohio Farmer.