The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1910-07-13
NEMATODES KILL COTTON
TUE assistant STATE ENTOMOL-
ocIST IN TERRELL COUNTY.
rvp1ains Why Cotton From Resistant
Seed Is Dying of BlackrOot. IL
Illustrates Value of Rotation.

Iustrates Value of Rotation.
The recent publication by The
News that cotton from resistant seed
s,rnisbed farmers by the State De-
LLartment of Agriculture was dying
n Terrell county brought Mr.. A. c.
owls assistant state entomologist,
bern TO make an investigation
Mr. Lewis spent part of Thurs
dow and Friday in Terrell county
Looking over the cotton crop. In
nomnany with Judge M. G. Statham,
Mr. I w. Glass and Mr.. w. j. Mathis
bo visited a number of cotton fields,
nnd was especially interested in look
ING after cotton diseases and insects,
principally the black root or wilt and
the red spider.
Mr., Lewis has been working on
tho black root of cotton for five
Years in Georgia, and by careful and
continued selection has secured sew
oral strains of cotton that are quite
assistant to the disease. A number
of farmers around Dawson received
some of this cotton seed last spring,
and several fields where this seed had
hoen planted were visited. In some
cases the resistant cotton was found
to be dying almost as badly as the
other varieties of cotton, but in 9TH
nrs is was much better
Nematode Worms in the Soil.
Mr.. Lewis explained that the dying
Of the resistant cotton is due to
the great number of nematode worms
in the soil. The nematode worm, he
said. causes gals on the roots of the
nIants attacked, and this makes a
favorable place for the entrance of
the fungus causing the disease. The
nematode worms alone are hard on
the plants, and when the two work
together even the resistant strain of
cotton may die more or less The
resistant cotton not being as resist
ant to the nematOde worms as it is
TO the fungus causing the disease it
NAV die some if the nematode worms
are very numerous.
They Like Variety.
The nematodes attack a great num-
Der of plants, the most prominent
being the following: Cotton, okra,
cowpeas Gall varieties except the
iron peaS), watermelOns, cantalOupes,
potatoes (sWeet and Irish) tomatoes,
cabbage, sugar cane, chufas and hairy
vetch If none of the above crops
are planted for two or three years
the nematodes will be starved out,
and the fungus will be reduced so
cotton will grow much better than it
did before The fungus causing the
disease forms spores, and these
spores are capable of living in the
soil in a dormant condition for sew
eral years without losing their vi
tality. If cotton or okra is planted
in this soil the spores will begin
growth and attack plants. A rOta-
ton of eight or ten years will not
completely eradicate the fungus from
the soil, but rotation of two or
three years will so reduce the nema-
tOdeS that the resistant cotton will
die but very little.
Peanuts and Velvet Beans in Corn.
Mr.. Lewis strongly urges the farm
ers to sow the iron cOwpeas after
oats. In corn he advises them to
plant the iron pea, the peanut or vel
vet bean. These three leguminous
crops are great nitrogen fixers, and
are free from attacks by the nema-
tode worms, and hence are very val
liable for planting in regions infested
by the nematodes.
One field visited showed in a
marked way the results of planting
diseased trees and other crops for
several years. Mr.. J. w. Bridges
had field where four years ago
nearly all the cotton died. This field
was planted for three years in oats
and peanuts; last spring it was plant
ed in Tool and Dixie resistant cot
ton, and but very little of either va