The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-11-13
BLIGHT ON COTTON PLANTS.
Special Expert orion Investigating
Causes and Relief.

Causes and Relief.
From the Charleston News and Courier.
Mr.. William A Orton. the expert of the
United States department of agriculture.
who is studying the sea island cotton blight
in this section. spent yesterday in Charles
ton. The work Of Mr.. orion in the vi
cinity of this city is likely to be Of great
benefit to the sea island planters and may
result in facilitating Charleston as
market for this finest of ali the feecy
staple. Mr.. orion was sent 10 James and
Edisto Islands last July, and remained
until the latter part of August studying
the blight in the fields When he return
ed TO Washington he carried with him dis
eased soil and plants as well as healthy
soil and plants and has been studying the
disease in the laboratories and green
houses of the department in Washington
since that time. The gentleman has been
for the last week over the two islands
above named selecting fields in which to
prosecute further Investigations He will
return to these fields a planting time and
continue his studies Of the blight through
out the entire growing season. Mr.. Or
ton will leave Charleston to-day for Will
iamsburg county to study the blight on
upland or short staple cotton. The ex-
pert found the sea island plantations on
James and Edisto Islands pretty generally
infested with the disease. This particular
blight seems to affect the sea island cot
ton worse than il does the uDland-the
latter being harder and better able to
resist the encroachments of the blight
A reporter for the News and Courier
ca led on Mr.. O ton at the Charleston Ho-
tel yesterday for an interview on the
blight: He said
The investigations Of the United States
department of agriculture on the cotton
blight are su unfinished, though some
points of crest have been demonstrated.
The cause of the disease, which has
been the source Of 30 much ioss 10 the cot
ton planters on the sea islands and else
where, has been found TO be a parasite
fungus which ente.s the plant from The
soil and grows upward through the stem.
The water vessels or ducts are filed full
by the threads or mycelium of the fungus,
and the ascent of water from The roofs to
the leaves prevented. This leads to the
willing and shrveling of the foliage, and
usually to the death Of the Plant.
This fungus u.s. as all students of botany
know, lowly-crg anized form of plant life,
somewhat similar in nature to the moulds
often seen on bread and fruit. 1t consists
of delicate cororless threads of minute
SIZE which derive their food from the ris-
sues Vi lHS NOltOh pidHt, anu III so QO4nS
bring about the effect known to the plan
ters as blight
THE presence Of this fungus in the STEM
may be ascertaiuei by cutti0g or breaking
the stem, which will show brown els
celebration If the disease is present. The
blight Of cotton is very similar in nature
to the wilt of watermelon 50 destructive
to that crop in the South, but is not The
same as the wilt disease of the egg plant
and Irish potato, though the external char
acters of the two diseases are very SINH
lar.
"The fungus reproduces itself by minute
spores which are produced in enormous
numbers on the dead stems at this season,
forming a light pink coating, which may
be readily seen by careful observation.
There is Also a second form of winter
spore, which is borne on the roots below
the surface of the ground, and which, be-
ing covered by thick cell walls, is bet
ter enabled to live safely through the win
ter.
Though no means of killing this fungus
and preventing the disease on land al
ready infected has yet been discovered,
the department. of agriculture has expert
ments along this line under way al Wash
ington. which will be continued during the
coming season at both James and Edisto
islands.
1T will be readily seen, however, that
the most practical and hopeful measures
will be in the line of preventive treat
ment 1t is far better to keep the disease
from spreading than to attempt to rid the
soil of the disease once it has become well
infected and there are certain points
which should be strongly urged upon the
planters:
First. 1t is a waste of time and money
to plant cotton on land already known to
be infected with the blight. The disease is
practically certain to appear on such soil,
lose the crop without being able to reim-
burse himself for the cost of cultivation,
and he will in addition be likely TO spread
the disease further by so doing Blighted
land should be planted 10 some other crop
than cotton for period of at least seven
years, as the fungus has been known TO
live for period of five years and might
live even longer.
Second. Blighted cotton plants or
the cotton from such plants should
never be thrown on the ma
nure pile compost heap, as
this is one Of the ways in which the fun
gus is most readily carried. They should
be destroyed by burning. Neither should
hay be cut from land where blighted
stalks are still standing.
80 Great care should be taken to avoid
carrying diseased plants to a healthy field
as each one is capable of injecting a con-
siderable area.
Special fertilizer treatment is not likely
to have any effect on the disease. The
best fertilizer to use is that which will
lead to the most vigorous and healthy
growth of the cotton plant.
''The same disease has made its appear
ance in the upland or short staple cotton
in several places in this state, where il
often is known as 'Frenching. "
Mr.. orion says the blight extends, more
or less throughout the cotton belt and
he knows personally of several infested
", In