The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1909-10-27
BOIL WEEv|L'S RIVAL.
COTTON CROP is LOSING RE
CAUSE OF ANTHRACNOSE
Exhaustive Report Made by Clemson
College Expert ON Work Done nv
Him in South Carolina.

nature and of vital importance is the
announcement that comes from Glenn
son College to the effect that the cot
ton anthracnose is causing a loss to
the State of nearly s5,OOO,O0O annual
ly. More startling still is the state
| ment that the disease is spreading
rapidly and that many of the farmers
of the State, in all sections, are los
ing from one-fourth to one-half of
their crops.
The announcement came yesterday
In the nature of letter from H. W..
Barre, the botanist at Clemson. to
Commissioner Watson, who made q
request for a report on the investiga-
ton of the cotton anthracnose while
| on recent visit to the institution.
During the past year the expert
ment station at Clemson has made a
| thorough and exhaustive study Of the
ravages of the antracnose and have
collected data of a conclusive and
convincing nature which shows that
something must be done to check It
| and must be done at once.
I'm the majority of cases. says the
latter, "the original infection can be
traced to seed of some so-called inn
proved variety purchased from seed
houses or individual cotton breeders.
In number Of cases antracnose has
appeared this year where cotton has
not been planted before. The seed
which were used in planting the fields,
when they could be obtained, were
found to contain the anthracnose fun
gus. We have in this way traced a
large number Of cases Of anthracnose
to various seed houses"
The estimated annual loss in Geor-
gia from anthracnose is estimated at
$14.500,OO0.
The remedy" states the report,
"of course must be in the form of a
preventive. The seed are acting as a
distributing agent. This We are pre-
pairing to do and by cooperating with
the various other agricultural inter-
ests Of the State, we hope that some
plan can be perfected which will ac-
complish this. First then we must
induce the farmer to secure clean or
diseases free seed"
The following is the report as sub
mitted to Commissioners Watson:
I'm accordance with your request
made in company with Prof. Harper
this morning, am stating below in
brief the present status of the cotton
anthracnose investigation.
Owing to the spread of this dis
ease and the great losses which were
being sustained by farmers in differ
ent sections of the State, an investiga-
ton was begun here last year. This
investigation has been continued since
that time and in it we have tried to
study the different aspects of the dis
ease. We have investigated different
kept in mind the value of the results
from a practical standpoint. This
work has been laborious and tedious
and at times discouraging, but we are
pleased to report at present that we
are about to be rewarded for our la
Dor. While studying the seed taken
from the field where the disease oc-
cured last year, found the fungus
filaments and spores inside of mature
cotton seed. We then Immediately
set about to study the significance of
this. Upon terminating large numbers
of the seed it was noted that the dis
eased seed produced diseased seed
lings. Some Of these diseased seed
lings seemed to struggle through the
early part of their lives in spite of
the disease, and upon maturity pro-
duced diseased fruit and seed. Some
Of these seed matured sufficiently to
germinate the next spring and thus
continue to spread disease. Now, as
you will readily see, this phase Of
the investigation is Of an immense
practical Importance. Every one who
has the disease in his cotton and sells
or gives the seed to his neighbors or
other farmers, aids in distributing the
disease. Where it is once establish
ed it will remain indefinitely, as long
as cotton is planted continually on
the same land. Since l discovered the
fungus on the inside of the seed, I
have been using this as a clue and
have found some very interesting
things in relation to the history of the
badly infected areas in different Sec
uons of the State. In the majority
OF cases the original infection can