Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1910-11-11

known as root knot. This sometimes
causes enlargement of the roots of cot
ton and cowpeas and other crops as we'll,
and has led to the belief that the culti-
walton of cowpeas results in the intro
duction of black root into the soil. This
however, is not true as the root knot
disease is widely distributed in sandy
soils throughout the south. This disease
is not produced by a fungus or spore, but
by minute worm which penetrates the
roots and lives therein, causing them to
break open at a large knot. They can
often be detected on close examination in
the form of small pearl-like bodies. These
nematodes when attacking cotton roots,
however, injure them so that the spores
of wilt readily enter and complete their
growth and destructive work at the same
time.
With this knowledge before it, it is
possible to outline a method Of proce-
dure for combating the wilt disease.
First of ALL in any section affected with
this trouble there will be found plants
resistant to 1T. The seed should be Sc
lected from these from year to year,
and presently a strain immune to this
pest can be developed. There are two
strains of seed now on the market,
known as Jackson's Limbless and Dill
lon, which are largely resistant to this
trouble and can be purchased and util-
lied by you on your affected land with
excellent results. Probably you can
secure some of this seed from the state
department of entomology in Atlanta,
which has been carrying on some in
teresting experiments along this line.
If you gnow the Iron cowpea you will
find it resistant to the wilt disease, and
not so subject to injury from the root
worm.
l would not advise you to plant all
of your affected land back to cotton
next year, but try part ~f it with the
varieties of seed suggested, and 1 am
quite sure you will be able to secure
a good crop with proper soil prepare
tion and cultivation in spite Of the fact
that the land is not infested with black
root. 1t is discoveries of this kind that
make the work of the colleges worth
more to the farmers in a single season
than they cost in many years.
Personally, we would prefer to turn
the land with two-horse pillow, even if
it be somewhat sandy. Of course, as
deep breaking with sandy land is not as
desirable as with red clay land, but if
you have a heavy subsoil, it will pay
you to mix some of it with the top soil
and also to break the land deeply.
Flowing and stirring the whole surface
VI the BIOuuu 10 IluCD u NC
to. breaking out middles. That is a
practice which sh ould be obsolete in
Georgia by now, and the sooner it be-
comes so the better for the prosperity
and success of the farmers.
1t is good practice to use such compost
as you can make available on the farm,
and we believe that high grade fertil
izer will prove helpful on your land
You should use not less than a 3-1O-6
formula on the land where you are
troubled with cotton rust, and the APP
plication should not be less than 500
pounds per acre. We would prefer to
put this much fertilizer under the drill
row at the time of planting and mix
ing it with such yard manure and COM
post as is available, and then if the crop
did not grow to suit us, side applica-
ton of nitrate of soda.
AS to the implements to use, we have
found the disk pillow satisfactory, though
the two-horse turning pillow is very
fine implement to use on most soils.
Subsoiling may be done with a bull
tongue or with one of the special two
horse subscribers now made by the lead
ing manufacturers Of plows.