The Savannah morning news., 1901-07-12
WILT DISEASE IN COTTON.
GOVERNMENT EXPERT INvESTI-
eating IN GEORGIA.

Prof. orion of the Agricultural De-
partment Discusses the Disease for
the Morning News-Is New in This
Section, but Has Appeared at BOs-
ton, Ga.-Why There Are No South
ern Men in the Agricultural De-
partment.
Waycross, Ca, July u.-Mr. W. A.
Ortan. associate pathoSogist in the United
State Agricultural Department was a
visitor to Waycross yesterday. He stop
ped over here as he pas en- route to Bos-
ton. Ga. where he goes to investigate the
witt disease in the cotton which has
been reported to have appeared near that
place. The correspondent secured an in
teresting interview with him concerning
this disease He is a specialist in the
culture and diseases of cotton.
mir. Orton is a native of Vermont. and
when asked why 1t was that a Vermont
instead of a Southern man was assigned
TO the investigation of cotton culture and
its diseases, he replied that the govern
ment would be more than glad to assign
this work 10 a Southern man who had
grown up in the cotton belt and was IA
milisr with the plant from a natives
standpoint, but there were no southern
men connected with the Department of
Agricultural Science; that the Southern
colleges do not teach agricultural science
and no Southern men ever made applica-
tion for positions in that branch of the
service.
characteristics of the Disease.
In regard TO the wilt disease. or
black heart as it is called in many
places" continued MIR. Orton, lit is
disease that has come into prominence
only in recent years. and the appear
anee at Boston, Ga, is the first that has
been noted in this section.
"Once it gets start it appears in the
same field year after year. and gradual
ly spreads 1t is recognized by cutting
across the stem of the blighted cotton,
the heart of the stem being black.
1T is caused by fungus in the soil. 1t
enters through the water vessels, chokes
them up and shuts off the water supply,
producing wilt. When it appears 1t is
useless to plant the land in cotton again,
as it will take the disease. 1t may be
reduced by selecting from the field seed
from healthy stalks that have withstood
and by this method may be eventually
overcome broken uD in
field Indeed, there is no other
known remedy. The fungus lives in the
soil six years, we know, and perhaps
longer. Other crops may be planted ON
the soil without infection, but it may re-
quire many years to eradicate the fungus.
In certain districts of South Carolina 1t
is out of the question to raise cotton
n nd uylaa he has
hold.
Attacks Sea Islands Chiefly.
wilt is most prevalent in sea island
cotton, but occurs also in short staple.
The government is using every means pos
sible TO destroy the disease, and we are
now importing and distributing a guam
tity of Egyptian cotton seed, which is
very healthy variety of cotton and is
not so much subject to infection.
Whenever wilt appears in field the
farmer should cut off the part affected
and not allow the pillow to drag the germ
from that part of the field to other parts.
He should also communicate at once with
the department at Washington, ana the
matter will be taken up"
New Species of Cotton.
Continuing, Mr.. orion said: THE de-
partment is experimenting with a new
tween the sea island and the short sta
pie 1t is the purpose to produce a cot
ton with the sea island staple and a
stalk similar to the short staple that will
grow in all sections where the short sta
pie grows, and withal a more healthy
plant than either We have been able
TO produce cotton and now we are try
ing to fix the type.
you see, by producing the type we
shall be able to grow in this country all
the long staple we use, and shall then
not have to import Egyptian cotton, co.
600 bales. or 100000 worth of which was
imported last year. 1t does not sell for
quite as much as our sea island and the
price is not affected by either our short
or long staple cotton.
1.-THE lower grades of our sea island
that is, the grades grown in this Sec
tion-are in greatest demand. The finer
grades, grown on the Carolina coast are
a drug on the market"
Mr.. orion went into the country while
here and secured some specimens of dis
eased cotton which he found near the
city and will diagnose 1t. He does not
think the specimens he obtained are af-
fected with wilt, but is rather anthrax