The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1913-11-12
TO CONTROL AN1ARACNOSE.
BULLETIN OF INTEREST 10 THE
COTTON pLA, VERS.
Patholoa1st Of Bureau OF Plant In.
dustry, Department OF Agriculture,
Describes Disease that Attacks
Cotton and Suggests Methods for
its Control.

Means Of controlling cotton anthrac-
nose, a disease which has been giving
q great deal OF trouble in practically
every county in South Carolina, are
described in q bulletin Just issued by
the department OF agriculture. It is
Farmers Bulletin No. 565, entitled
Cotton Anthracnose and How to Con-
troll IT," by w. w. Gilbert, pathologist
OF the bureau Of plant industry. The
bulletin will prove valuable to all
cotton planters who secure it.
Anthracnose, commonly known as
"boll-rot" has been one of the most
serious enemies to the cotton crop, be-
cause OF the fact that little was known
Of methods Of controlling it. Mr.. Gil
bert describes the disc and tells
how to gain control Of it.
1T occurs" says the bulletin, "in
every county in Soutf. Carolina and
appears to be on the Increase" Hence
the planters Of this section will be
especially interested.
The disease attacks not only the
bolls, but the seedlings and tho stems.
Tho boil injury is the most apparent
torn of the disease. The bolls become
covered with small red spots, which
rapidly grow in size.
The two principal remedial methods
are crop rotation and seed selection.
Fall ploughing and the growing Of a
winter cover crop have been found to
cause considerable reduction OF the
disease on an infected field.
The bulletin recommends the choice
OF resistant varieties Of seed where
land has become diseased with an
thracnose and recounts the results
Of tests as follows:
1T Is O. well-known fact that cotton
varieties differ markedly in their sus-
ceptibility to anthracnose injury,
though no variety is entirely immune.
However, since the factor Of seed in
lection Ia always to be considered, ii
is not safe to Judge from a single test
whether marked freedom from an
tracnose in a variety is due to in
herent disease resistance or merely to
absence Of seed infection. Disease
free seed even from a very sus.
ceptible variety planted on non-infect-
ed land would produce O healthy crop
nnless it we're infected from ada.
cent diseased cotton. Different tests
have given varying data as to the sus-
ceptibility and resistance OF varieties
owing to the lack Of uniformity In
seed. In soil Infection. and in weather
conditions. The best that can be done
is to choose varieties which have
shown the greatest disease resistance
combined with other essential quail
ties and to avoid those most suscep-
! tible to disease.
Several variety tests that have
been carried on agree in placing the
Cook. Brown. Blue Ribbon omong the
varieties most susceptible to anthrac.
nose injury. The Columbia. Allen
Long-Staple. Keenan,, Hardin, Half.
ald-Half, and sometimes the Triumph
have also shown themselves more
than ordinarily subject to injury from
the disease. In other tests the Tri.
umph has been fairly free from the
disease In other tests the Triumph
has been fairly free from boll-rot. The
same tests have placed the Toole
Poulnott, King, Dixie, and Dillon
among those most free from anthrac
| nose. Other varieties usually resist
ant to the disease are the Cleveland
Russell. Truitt. and Rowden. though
these have been known to show con-
siderable boll-rot."
EONSAL MEN ON NEW LINE.