The Savannah morning news., 1901-09-20
RUNNING COTTON FIELDS.
A COTTON DISEASE THAT is ALARM
ING COTTON GROWERS.

what state EntomoIogist Scott Says
About 1.-THE RavaSes of the Dis
ease in Putnam County-The Long
Drought Seems to Have Encour-
aged It-Its Appearance Several
Years AGo-Progress Slow-Not
Spreading and Causing Alarm i'm
Several Sections-SOme of Its Feat
ures and PecuIiaritfes.
Eatonton. Ca. Sept. Estate En-
tomologist, w. M. Scott of Atlanta,
was in the county few days ago, in
vestigating the cotton disease, anthrax
nose, which has attacked so fatally
the cotton plant in certain localities in
this and other counties in the state.
He rode out into the infected districts
and visited several farms.
He reported that it was kind of
fungus, and resembled very much the
brown rot so disastrous to the peach
in certain localities. He could not de-
tect that it was at all the result of
parasites. AS to the true nature of
the disease, it's cause how propagated,
its possibilities, etc, he could not tell.
He could say that it was playing havoc
in the localities in which it is found
that if it should become to any ex-
tent general, it would practically de-
stroy the cotton crop.
Your correspondent has made careful
inquiry as to the extent of the dread
disease in this county, and its nature,
and the following facts have been de-
duced:
While the disease is scattered more
or less throughout the county, there
is in the eastern part a section, in
depth about four miles, and in length
seven or eight, extending up and down
the Oconee river. that has suffered fear
fully from its ravages. The damage
to individual crops varies In several
instances it is estimated as high as 80
per cent. and even higher.
A peculiar feature of the trouble in
this county is the fact that the terri
tory so badly diseased is the section
that passed through a scorching
drought of FIVE or six weeks duration
the past summer extending from about
June 20 to Aug. 1. No other part of
the county had this drought With
the balance of the county this section
had a superiority of rain through May
and the greater part of June, which
threw the crops dreadfully in the grass.
AT this juncture, so far as this local.
ity is concerned the rains ceased for
damage. In August the rains set in
again and the cotton crop responded
promptly and literally. 1t was at this
stage of the development of the crop
that the attacks of the disease were
first noticed. From the above 1t would
appear that a wet May and June, fol-
lowed by dry July and wet August,
were favorable to the development of
the disease.
Mr. Robert J. Griffin, a prominent
farmer living in the infected territory,
says the above corresponds with his
experience and observation. He FUR
Their says that the malady appears
first as slight bruise upon the cheek
of the boil, as if made by the tap of
a stick; that it proceeds inward, where
it works until the entire contents of the
boil are blackened and consumed; that
any one not familiar with the disease
might pass through an infected cotton
field before the malady becomes very
far advanced, and not observe the
wholesale damage going on within half
of the bols hanging upon the stalks,
because of the fact that the disease
works internally even to the
complete destruction of the matur-
ing lint before the outside hull is at
tackled: that when ii attacks the plant
all growth and development is stopped;
that cotton on red lands suffered more
tnd0 JndL Oh gray lHdl ldtt ptdiiNNd
cotton. that is. late enough not to
have fruit maturing in July, is not
affected; that a certain variety of cot
ton known as king" of which he has
a few acres, an early variety and
planted late. but of the same advance
ment in July. as later varieties plant
ed earlier-escaoe ped the disease; and
that cotton this year, on account of eX-
cessive rains in the spring, has no tap
root.
While the presence of the disease in
this county has been noticed as far
back as 1885, no bad effects have ever
been experienced until two or three
years ago-and no very serious results
until this year. This fact seems to
Indicate that the trouble is growing
BY the two or three farmers who
had taken any notice of the malady
prior to this year, another popularity
of the disease has been observed. I'm
til a year or more ago the disease APP
peared only in the planters wages
crop. that of the tenants remaining in
tact From this 1t might be argued
that intensive methods favored the de-
velopment of the infection. If this,
however. be true as a rule, this year
has proven an exception, for the dis
ease is found in the crops of the ten
ants as well as those cultivated by
the wages hands. and is just as de-
serious the disease. This is true wheth-
er the fertility is natural or the re-
suit of artificial application. New
grounds of two or three years, but well
charged with humus, seems to offer
favorable conditions An old variety
of cotton, known as New Era" that
has been in use in this section for
twenty-five or thirty years. seems to
offer less resistance to the malady than
other varieties.
While the above in the main is cor
rect, as to the ravages of the disease
its effects, its peculiarities. and the
conditions which seem to favor it's de-
velopment, still closer investiga lions
are disclosing other effects and pecu-
liarities apparently the opposite OF
those previously accepted as settled
and, no doubt. as the trouble is better
understood, old theories must give
place to more conclusive ones.
M. b. d.