The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1901-01-30
grown on healthy land and also showed
. smaller number Of root tufts.

4
sistance to disease is trsnsuissibe
through the seed to succeeding genera
tions. An experiment designed to settle
this point proved remarkable suc,ess
It was carried out by Mr Elias L. Rlv-
ers, Of James Island, s. G., who selected
g healthy plant of sea island cotton shat
grew in badly blighted field in 1899
The seed from this resistant plant was
| saved and planted in single row
through field that had been Infected
With the wilt disease fer several years,
The scioining rows were planted with
! seed from his main crop, grown on noo-
| infected land. The Wilt disease made
almost clean sweep through the ordi
nsry cotton, IS per cent Of the plants
being killed, while in the row planted
with seed from the resistant plant not
a s,ogle plant was killed by the wilt
disease.
These plants were vigorous and pro
ducuve. The dWardng noted in E Up
t,an SD upland cotton grown BY the
writer on infected land at Dillon, s G,
was not so marked here. The quality
of ,hs lint good, though not equsl to
the crop from which the selection was
m.de Itis believed, however, that by
continued cross breeding and selection
in succe eding years the quality of the
cotton may be improved without loss OF
resistance to the wilt disease. Work
q oug this line has already been started
IN a small way by the department,
which it IS hoped may be enlarged.
II hss been shown that much can be
accomplished 10 the control of the wilt
disease of cotton By simply selecting
seed from resistant plants. It Is very
probable that better results will be OBJ
tanned By cross breeding these resistant
individuals, for in this way the resis-
tant qualities Of two plants will be
combined aud there will be added the
increased vigof which usually comes
from crossing On the other hand, If
The flowers of . resistant cotton plant
should be ferrilised by pollen brought
by insects from a diseased plant, as
may easily happen in the field, plants
grown from the resulting seeds will
very likely be less resistant than if they
had been fertilized by pollen from sn-
other res slant pIsnt. On this account,
in the selection Of resistant races, it will
be desirable to cross by hand as many
flowers as possible in order to increase
the chances Of success.
Ia connection With the work OF the
department large number Of crosses
between resistant plants hsve already
been made. 1t has been our aim to se-
cure resistant claims from our Common
races by Gross fertilizing plaats Of the
same race, and at the same time to IN
crease the productiveness aud improve
the quality By selecting the best plants
Of each sors for breeding.
The fact that the Egyptian cottons
are resistant to the wilt disease had led
to the attempt to produce . resistant
long staple upland cotton, By hybridiz-
ing resissans plants of tine common up
land races with the Egyptian ootton.
1t is very desirable that everyone who
| undertakes the breeding Of resistant
cotton should at the same time pay
great sttent on to securing more pro
ouc.ive race and q finer qaality Of
| staple.
CONCLUSION.
There is great promise Of sue
cessful remedy for the cotton wilt dis,
! ease 10 selection Of seeds from healthy
plants growing on Infected soils and
| by continuing to select and cross breed
the most resistant plants in succeeding
crops With view both to resistance
| and quality of staple.
It would be veil in the case of up.
land oo.ton to start with s race like the
jackson, which is already highly re-
sis,aut, aud improve and fix the quality
by careful cross breeding and selection.
In places whore thi, cluster type Of
cotton is undesirable res stant strain
of the sorts commonly cultivated can
probably be obtained by CT oss breeding
and sele ction. II is hardly to Re ez-
pected that this process will result in
perfectly immune race the first year.
Even though much OF the cotton be,
come diseased, the selection should be
+! continued each succeeding year until
the qualify OF Resistance Is fixed.
Ia the case Of the sea Island cotton,
where length and fine quality Of staple
are essential, The PROCESS Of SELECTION
and breeding should be The same. Re
sistancc to disease must be the primary
REQUISITE, and from the resistant plants
those bearing the finest lint may bs
sele ected.
The Egyptian cottons will probably
prove of the greatest value when Cross
ed With our upland races SO as to ado
the vigor and quality Of the former to
the productlveaess OF the latter. 1t Is
hoped that the department will be able
TO exten3 its work along this promising
line.
In addition to selecsion'for resistance
all practicable preventive measures
should be applied. Rotation Of craps is
even moe important on these infected
soils than on healthy ones, for the con
tinual growing Of cotton on these lands
will Increase the amount Of disease and
decrease the Resistance of the cotton.
Prompt destruction Of diseased plants
is also very important. Every efor
should be made to avoid the Infection Of
healthy fields BY animals, tools, wash
water fren diseased fields, diseased
plants, Infected compost, etc. As al
ready stated, land oEce infected with
this disease remains infected for 81 ua'
kneRa period.
Indians Uprising.