The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1909-07-10
COTTON WILT
MORE DANGEROUS THAN THE
BOIL WEEyIL.
The Cotton Growing Industry of
South Carolina Threatened With
Great Injury.

South Carolina threatened Win
Great Injury.
For the past few years there
seems to have been noticeable in
crease in the distribution and prev
alence Of the disease known as wilt
of cotton. 1t seems to be gaining
foothold in every locality through the
central and eastern part of the State
and is doing inestimable damage. 1t
seems, therefore, that it might be
well to call the attention of the peo-
pie to what wilt is and to say some
thing concerning the methods of
eliminating it. Every farmer should
become acquainted with this dis
ease so that he can be on the look
out for it and know how to COM
bat it in the future. We have had
more inquiries concerning it this
summer than ever before, and it
seems to be spreading rapidly in
some sections of the State. We have
had no less than dozen inquiries
within the last few days concerning
it.
Wilt is a fungus disease. 1t is
caused by a minute vegetable organ
ism-a Fungus which gains entrance
into the doots and stems Of the plant
and grows there parasitically. The
vegetative portion of the fungus
which is made up Of numerous long,
tiny thread-like filaments, grows
through the tissue and interferes
with the functions of the plant. These
filaments get into the circulatory
system of the plant and grow togeth-
er in such masses in the water ducts
as to cut off the circulation of water
and of sap. When this stage is
reached the cotton plant necessarily
willis and dies.
1t is very easy to recognize plant
that is affected with or is dying from
wilt. For aside from the ordinary
symptoms which you would suspect
where plant willis, very marked evil
dence of the presence of the disease ie
found in the stems Of the affected
plants. If such plants are split open
dark streaks will always be found
extending through the woody tissue
of the stem and root. These streaks
are always very pronounced in the
wood Just beneath the bark. Other
smaller discolored areas are found
all through the roots and stems
These darkened areas are water ves-
sells of the plant which are filled with
and plugged up by the growth Of the
fungus.
The fungus which causes this dis
ease is more hardy than the cotton
plant on which it lives and continues
to live and grow after the host plant
is dead. 1t even lives over for sever.
al years on dead stalks and in the
soil and remains ready to attack any
plants as they come up. A field once
infected, then, would remain so fol
several years. The fact, too, thai
the fungus which causes the disease
lives in the soil and enters through
the roots of the cotton makes it hare
to fight. None of the given method:
Of fighting fungus pests, such as
spraying, seed treatment, etc., viii
have any effect on it. So we have
to resort to other methods. Now
plants like people and and like lower
animals, have different tendencies
Some people are healthier or more
resistant than other individuals
same is true OF lower animals ant
true it seems to even greater extent
with plants. Some varieties of cot
ton are more resistant to disease thar
others, and in the same variety
some individual stalks seem more
resistant than other individuals
The United States Department OF Ag
riculture has made use Of this fac
and has set about breeding disease
resistant varieties Of cotton. Thi:
has been carried on now for a mum
Der of years and they have had re
markable success. They are not abk
to give us variety Of cotton which
is practically immune from wilt
In order to help eliminate wilt from
the cotton fields of the South ant
thus save to the farmers the two
millions now lost annually from 1t:
effect, the Department Of Agriculture
has made arrangements for distribut
ing seed Of these disease resistan
varieties among the farmers in tht
sections which are suffering from
wilt. Samples of these seed can b'
had by writing to the congressman
of the various districts or by writ
ing direct to the United States De
partment of Agriculture at Washing
ton, D. C.
AS pointed out above this is thu
only method of eliminating the dis
ease and those who are suffering
from it should not hesitate to secure
and plant the seed of the resistan
varieties in the future. The DIXIE
and the Dillon are probably the bes
of these varieties.
Care should be taken to proven
the spread Of the disease. Where !!
.-1, ooo,r, In opo or in faU Dloce!