The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1910-10-20
TO PREVENT ANTHRACNOSE.
Loss to Cotton $4,OOO,OOO During
Year in This State.

Year in This State.
Rotation of crops and careful seed
selection is given by experts as pre-
ventive for anthracnose, the disease
which has damaged the cotton crop
of South Carolina during the present
year to the extent of $4,000,000. The
Clemson experiment station, under
the direction of H. W. Barre, has
made careful study of anthracnose
during the past year and the above
conclusion has been reached. Prof.
Barre was among the visitors In the
city Yesterday. He said that the dis
ease had appeared in almost every
county in the State and that great
damage had been wrought in several
sections. He has been studying the
disease for more than year and is
an expert on the subject.
"The selection of seed and rotation
of crops is a sure preventive" said
Prof. Barre.
While here Prof. Barre conferred
with Ira w. Williams, the State agent
of the farm demonstration work.
During the past several weeks Mr..
Williams has received cotton affected
with the disease and recently bulle-
tin was issued telling the farmers
how to prevent the disease. The es-
timated damage to the crop by Mr..
Williams is s4,o00,o0O. This esti-
mate was confirmed by Prof. Barre.
eve find that the anthracnose sit
uation is getting to be very serious in
some sections of the State said
Prof. Barre. 1--WE are glad to report,
however, that from the investlga-
tions which have been conducted at
Clemson during the past few years,
It Is evident that the anthracnose
can be controlled. When the investi-
cations were started there nearly
two years ago, there was very little
known about this disease During
the first year of our work we found
that the fungus grows into the seed
and remains alive there as long as the
seed are in a dormant condition. We
found, further, that where seed which
contained the disease were planted,
they produced diseased plants. This
led us to believe that the seed are
the principle source of infection.
The results of this years expert
ment in the field have borne this out.
Where we picked cotton for seed only
from healthy stalks, or healthy bolls,
and planted these seed on land which
had not been in cotton for one year,
we had no disease. Where we
planted seed from diseased bolls, or
seed from cotton fields where the dis
ease was bad, we have an abundance
of the disease. We have also met
with large number of cases of an
thracnose over the State which have
originated through seed sent in from
certain seed houses.
we find also that some of the
people who are growing seed for sale
in this State have been distributing
the disease through their seed. AS
stated above, it is an easy matter to
get rid OF cotton anthracnose when
the people will take the trouble to do
it. All that is necessary is TO secure
seed that is free from the disease and
plant these on land which has not
been in cotton for one year. The best
way to secure fresh seed is to pick
them in your own field. In such
cases, where the disease occurs, 1t is
we'll to, be very careful not to pick
cotton for seed from bolls which show
any sign at all of the disease. And it
is still safer if you will pick cotton
for seed from stalks which are free
from the disease.
1T is hoped that the people will
take an interest in this matter and
make an effort to get rid of the dis
ease, which is now causing millions
of dollars loss to the cotton farmers
annually. For further information
on this subject. address the botanist
of the South Carolina experiment sta
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