The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-01-30
Iron Cewpea, Velvet Beans and Beggar
 Weed for Diseased Soil.

Iron C0wpea, Velvet Beans and Beggar
 Weed for Diseased Soil.
 The following letter from Pike coun- ty is self-explanatory:
 Prof. ]. F. Duggar, Auburn. Ala.
 Dear sir:--wili you kindly advise me what le9umes can be planted with corn or elsewhere that are resistent at root knot. Are ground peas? Do you think the Iron pea would be safe? I planted some last year on land that had been Used for pasture mostly and had not been planted to corn or peas for eight or ten years. Three or more punches near together wilted. and an adjacent bunch of another variety. I knew of pea wilt in this county, and don't suppose it could have been carried by cattle. Do. you think it could have been trasmitted through the seed, and do you think wilt in cotton could be? I got the peas frem the Department of Akriculture, Washington.
 have seen a good many fields where the cotton wilted badly last year that had peas or peas and corn the year be- fore and generally find root knot worse than on adjacent land, but in no case have I found wilt in the peas.
 Hoping to hear from you and asking you 10 excuse length, l am,
 xxB.
 Dear Sir:--I was greatly interested in your letter of January 10th, relative to wilt and root knot of cowpeas, and wilt of cotton. The Iron cowpea has es- ceped the root knot on the Experiment Station at Auburn, but learn that oc- casionally it Is found on this variety. l think the best plant for you to grow between the corn rows in your part of the State where cotton wilt and root knot are present is the Iron cow pea. The wilt of cowpeas Is not the same as the wilt of cotton. Root knot or nematode is not regarded as indi- ly Increasing the. cotton wilt in this way When the rematode worm Is present in the, soil, as on many fields in South Alabama, the planting of ordin- ary varieties of cowpeas, which are very susceptible to rematode injury or root knot, results in a great increase in the number of worms; hence the roots of the following cotton crop re- eefye greater number of wounds from the microscopic rematode worm, and through these wounds 1t is thought that the organism causing cotton wilt, or black root, gains entrance.
 It is know that the wilt disease of cotton and of cowpeas are conveyed by ~~H~ S~AA @AAo Acl ny Iut SSou. 1nQeeu the chief hope of decreasing the amount of injury of black root in cotton, con bststs in the suseS IorAseed of immune piststts, chat 7s Che seed of cotton plants that have remained healthy while growing on land that is thoroughly in- fected with cotton wilt, and where the greater number of plants have died
 The velvet bean and beggar weed are potn either entirely exempt or practically exempt from root knot, but the velvet bean cannot be grown be- tween corn rows, and hesitate to rec ommend beggar weed. because of the extreme probability that it will be a serious weed in the cotton fields, the seed of the beggar weed adhering to the lint. In neighborhood where lit- tie or no cotton is grown, or on a field where corn is grown almost every yeeaS beggar Ysea iss apA excellent plant 70 grow with corn, springing up as a volunteer plant after corn is laid by. and continuously reseeding the land. On the station farm 1t has done this four or five years without resowing. It Is valuable soil improving plant. and also good for forage, though coarse. Peanuts are attacked by nematode worms, causing root knot, but the in- jury Is less than on most varieties of cowpeas. LET
 Director.