The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-09-05
Cotton Anthracnose.

"imon NeWel, State Entomologist
 of Ga, in Southern Cultivator. Recently, the cotton planters in
 some parts of Laurens and Dodge Counties, Ga, have been considerable
 alarmed by the appearance of a rather serious trouble in their cotton fields Specimens of the injured bolls and plants which have been sent to the State Department of Agriculture ana
 to the State Entomologist. show that
 the loss is being caused by the diseas SC
 of cotton known as antracnose The appearance of this disease is most characteristic and most common.
 ly noticed as it occurs upon the bolls although 1t does occur to some exten, upon both the leaves and stems of the cotton plant.
 The first symptom of the disease
 upon the bolls is the appearance oi small red specks or dots. These ran. idly enlarge in size with the result that the part of the surface affected becomes sunken and soon attains q blackened color. These diseased areas are usually circular or oval in form but as several spots frequnetly occur upon single boil. these diseased areas sooner or later unite so that half or even more of the boil Is affected
 
 ened area, and although they are col orless, their abundance gives the con- ters of the diseased areas a grayish appearance. These spores correspond to and have the same function as do seeds of higher plants and 1t Is by means of these spores that the disease is spread from boil to boil and from plant to plant The attack of the an- thracnose fungus. oftentimes results in the boil remaining closed and the lint within fallss to mature. At other times the tip of the diseased boil will open up slightly, but in this case 1t also fails to mature and the boil even tually dries up, assuming dark brown color. Strangely enough, the attacks from this disease are often attributed to insects, the cotton plant CT believing that the bolls have been "stung" by some very small and elu- sive Insect, and that he sees only the effect of the poisoning" As matter of fact, insects are in no way respon- sible for this trouble and have no con- nection with 1t whatever aside from the possibility that certain insects may carry the spores upon feet or peaks as they travel from one plant to anoth- CT.
 This is case in which the reme- dy Is hard to apply. partly because of the nature of the diesase and also be- cause of the morphology and life his tory of the fungus causing the dIs- ease have not been thoroughly worked out by scientists. An intimate knowl- edge of all stages of a disease or of the development of an insect In most cases gives clue to how the disease or insect may be successfully dealt with. This very necessary intimate knowledge of insects and diseases can only be obtained by careful and thor oug scientific work, hence II is that the scientific work proper is indirect ly of the greatest importance to the farmer.
 At this season of the year, (July August and September), we know of nothing the farmer can do to check the cotton anthracnose except that possibly where the disease has not obtained much of Q start. the diseased polls could be carefully picked off and burned up. thereby reducing the crop of spores that will later spread de- suction through the field. Even in this case the fungus is likely to have a start upon the leaf-scars and injured parts of the stems and 1t could not be entirely eradi- ,ated in this manner In fact, the of this plan Is question: able but 1t is the only plan that can De applied at this season that offers my chance whatever of success. Spraying the cotton plants with some like Bordeaux mixture, Is mpracticable. as the fungus obtains a hold deep in the tissues of the cot on plant. where 1t can not be reached oy any applications.
 Tn spite of all this the pIanter can ake some very sensible measures tow lrds reducing the damage from this l lisease another season. It seems i highly probable that the fungus of | his disease may continue to live in | he soil for some time and thus rein 1 ect the following crop of cotton. In | ocalities where the antracnose oc- urs therefore, cotton should not be planted next year upon land that has l otton upon 1t this year. In other words. cotton should not be placed l lpon the same field two years in suc- ession. This is only a part of the loctrine of rotation of crops" Did he farmer carry out a systematic nd intelligent rotation of crops, year fter year, in which the same crop ever succeeds itself upon the same l 'iece of land. his losses from insects | nd disease would be greatly reduced l without any attending cost whatever, | nd in addition 5he-fsIt' 0txs- of htS ]