The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1904-08-10
THE COTTON BLIGHT.
A New Enemy of Upland Cotton That May
Prove Destructive.

The appearance of cotton blight in
this section of the State is ando1lbt-
edly serious matter and it may uIti-
mately be productive Of as great or
greater loss to the upland cotton grow
ers as the blight, or wilt as it is some
times called, has been to the growers
of Sea Island cotton in the coast re-
gion of this State. The blight was
first observed in Privateer township a
few days ago and Mr.. Fl. Drane Tin
dal, of Tindals, who has made an in
vestigaiion in his vicinity for the pur-
pose of ascertaining the extent to
which the crop Of his vicinity has
been affected, states that there is
more or less diseased cotton on every
farm in the community. The blight
causes the cotton to wilt and the
leaves shrive] turn red and drop off,
leaving the stalks bare and stunted.
The disease first appeared in irregular
spots and the cotton presented so
much the appearance of having been
struck BY lightning that no pacticular
attention was paid to it, but when it
began to spread and appeared in spots
the cotton was examined more closely
and it was found to be dying gradu-
ally. When the diseased stalks we're
pulled up and the roots inspected it
was found that the woody portion of
the roots were black and hard. On many
of the roots there were Dodular en-
largements not found on the roots Of
healthy plants.
Inquiry develops the fact that the
new cotton disease is not confined to
the Privateer sections, but is some
what prevalent in Providence township
and in othe. parts of the county also.
From the following article taken
from the Columbia Record of the >3d
instant it will be seen that the disease
is also destroying cotton in the upper
part of the State:
"Reports have been received from
Greenville and Laurens county of a
sort of blight which is destroying the
cotton to considerable extent. The
blight appears to be a sort of rust,
attacking the young leaves and caus-
ing them in few days to turn brown
and die, Section Director Bauer
when asked about the new enemy to-
day said that it was probably a sort of
fungus growth which is sort OF
blight. There has been little so far in
this State except in the sea island dis
tricts several years ago and when it
was found that it was contagious it
was killed out by letting the ground
alone for a few seasons. While he had
not received enough information about
it to speak authoritatively he did not
think it would do much damage now,
that the crop was so far advanced.
Here is what the Greenyille News
says ofit:
'sCotton plants in the fields extend
ing along the Augusta road, from this
city almost as far as Princeton, in
Laurens county, have been attacked
by some kind of blight which resem-
bles rust, but which appears to be far
more pernicious and baneful in Its
effects, than either rust or what is
usually known as blight. In fact,
none of the planters, familiar with
The various diseases to which the
cotton plant in this section is heir,
has the least idea what this new enc
my can be. It attacks the tender
leaves, and in few days they turn
brown, wilt and die. The boil is not
attacked and the new scourge is evil
dent}y not the celebrated and greatly
dreaded weevil. First, small spots
appear on the under side of the leaf.
They grow thicker rapidly, as though
innnmerable little insects were feeding
on the surface, and soon the entire
leaf is brown and dead. 1t is not de-
voured By the insect, or whatever the
cause Of the destruction may be, but
seems rather to be poisond.
"Several farmers were in the city
yesterday from the effected area, and
one of them exhibited two stalks OF
cotton which had been attacked by the
pest. Many of the leaves were dead
and others we're becoming yellow and
brown. The loss of the leaves was be
ginning to tell on the bolls and the
plant generally which had been great
lyinjured in the process of develop
ment.''