The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1912-04-06
BREEDING RESISTANT COTTON
STATE COLLEGE OF AGRICULT-
URE HAVING SUCCESS.
How Varieties Have Been Crossed
and Plant Immune to AnthraC-
WI GnnIEnl

and Plant Immune to AnthraC-
nose, or Wit, Secured.
The following bulletin issued by
the state college of agriculture tells
of the work of the college in breed
ing a variety of cotton that will re-
sist the disease of anthracnose:
The State College of Agriculture
undertook a few years ago to perfect
a variety of big boil cotton to resist
the much dreaded fungus disease,
anthracnose. For this purpose a typ
zeal plant of the Cook cotton was Sc
lected and one of the Kilgore varie-
ty. The initial plants were bred pure
and free from disease for a year,
and new selections made on crosses
effected between choice plants,
bringing the pollen from the Kilgore
to the Cook. After the cross the
Cook type was made the basis for
selection, and a few plants of this
type had the larger bolls, which had
been one of the purposes of the cross.
The great object for which the work
was undertaken was the elimination
of anthracnose, to which the Cook
variety seemed especially susceptible
OF this cross one plant from the
progeny Of the large boil selection
was free from disease when others in
the same row had as high as 25 per
cent of the disease. The reduction
of this in single year was quite no.
in
of the plants diseased in the plants
planted with the select seed. In
1909 no disease was found, but the
selection was kept up and especial
care given to the shape of plant and
size of bolls.
The success with the selection in
the experimental plats was so mark
ed that it was decided to arrange
for distribution of a limited num-
Der of packages of them over the
state in 1911. Farmers who desired
to try them were required to pay 81
for half bushel package and sign
an agreement to make a certified re-
port on furnished blanks of the sue
cess of the seed, and eight packages
were accordingly sent out to as many
farmers, and reaching twenty-five
counties These counties extended
from Pickens to Colquitt and from
Carroll to Bulloch, and represent al.
most every soil area in the state.
The reports received from these
farmers are most encouraging. OF
the entire number nineteen reported
no trace of disease, and from the
other nine reports of a few bolls of
anthracnOse, a few one-sided bolls
that | took for anthracnose,' or not
more than one per cent. This piece
of land always has anthracnose, and
other cotton by yours has as much as
rs per cent this year This is an
illustration of the reports in the
words of the farmers who planted
the seeds. This was not satisfactory,
and an effort was made to get sam
pies of the disease from fields last
referred to. A laboratory examina-
tion showed the following to be the
facts: Perhaps some anthracnose in
one of the six bolls sent for examina-
ton, but not the cause of the rot
Another, of the ten specimens for
warded one had anthracnose, but no
trace of the disease found on the
other nine Antracnose was found
in the samples sent from five fields,
but was the least significant of dis
ease and proved to be the cause of
decay in only two instances. The
most of the trouble was brought on
from the effects of the sharp-shooter,
and several bolls had milldew, which
was brought on from excessive rains.
The present year thirty-three
farmers have already received the
newly selected seed from the college
under the same conditions as in
1911, and the best selections ever