The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1901-12-03

OOrreNpOndence uf The Progressive Farmer
The Agricultural Department. ex
poets soon TO announce a discovery
which, in it's ultimate results, may
| be described as of transcendant i'm
p rtAnCe. For the first time, a
method has been discovered of ccm
| batting the movement through the
il of the tiny worms that attack
the roots of plants, producing the
so CALLED ROOT KNOT DISEASE,
and causing the plants t. languish
and die So far, this method, which
is one of selection of resistan { strains,
has been proved to be availab BILE only
with the COW pea, which furnishes
the great forage and green fertilizer
crop of the South especially, but
there la good reason TO suppose that
it will also arply to such widely
separated products as peaches aud
viulets, as we'll as TO an immense
number of other plants which suffer
more or less from the rAvages Of the
worms. The investigation was be-
gun by 81. J. Webber, of the Divis-
ion of Plant Industry, in regard 20
the cow pea, because in some places
that plant seemed in danger almost
of determination. Whole fields be
came incapable of producing q crop,
leading TO the belief that the soil
must be exhausted, even though this
seemed impossible W th q plant,
which, by lis power of as%im ,lating
free nitrogen from the air, oontinu
ally fertiliz d the land on which it
grew. The roots would swell, de-
velop knots and finally the plant
would die. The Department soon
found that the trouble was due so
minute, almost invisible worms,
which moved through the soil much
test ting the roots with which they
come in contact. To arrest their
progress seemed hopeless. The De-
partmens, however, obtained speCi
mems IF every species of cow pea
some seventy-five in mum her-On
which is could lay it's hands, and
gre them al On the worst infested
land it could find, this happening t.
80 be in South Carolina. Seventy
four of the species withered and die d
under the attacks of the worm one,
~ nIO
fl ,urishing, immune 80 it's attack
This was last year; this year the
te-t was repeated, the Little Iron
c"w pea being grown under even
more trying conditions, and again it
withstO, d the test triumphantly. 1t
il not yet certain that all local
strains of the Little Iron pea will
bear the test equally we'll, but it ia
certain that this particular strain
will do 80, and the Department. ia
now preparing to distribute the seed
as widely as possible. Next year it
homes 80 have plenty of seed. The
Litsle Iron pea is some what rare in
this c runtry, but farmers wishing
TO grow COW peas are ad vi.ed TO try
it whenever they can procure the
seed, even though, as was said above,
all local strains have not yet been
proved immune.
SIMILAR tests are now being made
with b number OF other plants which
suffer from the rOOt-knOt worms. If
p,rticular varieties or strains oan he
found that are immune, they will be
distributed as rapidly as p 'asible II
No variety Can be found which full
| fill. the conditions, attempts will he
m 4de to develop one. Nearly alway",
certain individuals in an infested
CT 70 will escape the ruin thAt over
! { kes she ot lers by saving the seed
of these, planting them, and again
saving the seed of thO-e that sur
vive. n resist MT variety Can usually
be developed in time. This will be
done if necessary. 1t may be added,
by the way, that those who have
hesitat d to grow the COW pea in
their peach orchards, des sDite its fer
tiIiz ng value, for tear that it might
cause the infestation of their peaches,
oAn now use the Little Iron variety
with safety.
TOBACCO IN HAYTI.
According to Minister Powell, at
Hayti, that island will soon rival