Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1913-01-02
| Will SEND OUT SEED
OF RESISTANT COTTON
State EntOmOIOgist is Dis.
tributing Seed

state entomologist, has perfected sew
eral strains of cotton that are very
resistant to wilt or black root dis
ease Of cotton. Mr.. A. C. Lewis has
had charge of the work on cotton dis
eases since 1905, and has written two
bulletins and circular giving the
results of his work The last publ
cation, Circular No. Il, deals with
the control of the wilt disease and
gives some practical suggestions on
seed selection. These publicatio is
have been sent out to the farmers
in he state in large numbers. Copies
0t the above mentioned circular may
be secured by writing the state ento-
n.olos list, or A. C. Lewis, Atlanta, Ga.
One of the resistant varieties men
toned above, the Modella, was secur-
ed from the Excelsior by continued IN
Giyidual selection for number #
years. This variety is very resistant
to wilt, yields we'll makes from 81 to
81 per cent. lint, and natures som
efrlier than other varieties of cot
ten
The most important variety of co.
ton so far perfected by Mr. A c. Lewis
is an early maturing resistant strain.
In the progeny rows of this cotton
this season open bolls were found
1913 days after planting No seed OF
this variety is available for distri-
button this year, as only one row,
the earliest, was saved for seed This
will be propagated as rapidly as pos
sible, and in another year seed will
be sent out
The early varieties, such as the King
and Triumph, that are grown in Texas
in the boil weevil region, can not be
grown successfully in South Georgia
on account of their great susceptible
ity to the wilt disease In the variety
tests this season "a per cent of the
King died from the wilt disease, and
only Is per cent. of this early variety.
1t may be well to mention here, for
general information, that there is no
variety of cotton that is immune to the
boil weevil The value of an early
cotton, under boil weevil conditions,
is that a large per cent of the cotton
natures before the boil weevils be
come very numerous.
From the above it will be seen that
the late varieties, such as the Sea
Island long staple will suffer most I'M
der boil weeyil conditions. Knowing
this and in order to see if it would be
possible to secure long staple COT
resistant to the wilt disease, Mr.. Lewis
in 1905 crossed the Dixie with the
Egyptian Nit Afif cotton From this
hybrid he has secured after seven
years of careful and continued selec-
ton, a strain of cotton the lint OF
which averages over one and one
fourth inches in length, and makes
about 80 per cent lint This strain
natures much earlier than the Sea Is
land, about as early as the ordinary
varieties of cotton, and is very resist.
ant to wilt 1t yields about as Uctl
as other varieties of cotton, and It
present this type Of cotton is worth
from 16 to IS cents per pound. Only
a small amount of seed of this varsity
is available for distribution this sea-
son.
The state board of entomology has,
however, a large amount of the seed
of the Modella and Dixie resistant
strains for distribution This seed
was grown under his supervision from
increase plats, which were grown fro,A
individual! selections. Hence this is
pedigree seed in the true sense of tie
VOID. The farmer receiving the seed
Will be eXpectd to pay the express or
freight on the same. The board of En-
tomolcgy also has a small quantity of
Iron ard Brabham cowpeas for distli-
button These should be grown where
cctton is to be planted next season,
as they are resistant to the Nematoce
worms, which stunts cotton to a great
extent, and makes the wilt disease
more severe than it would otherwise
be.
Applications for seed should be sent
TO the state board of entomology, or
M. A. C. Lewis, Atlanta Ga.