Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1918-06-13


The people of Georgia, especially
farmers and fruit growers, ought to
be we'll posted on the variety and ex-
tent of the services offered to them
through the State Board of Entomol-
ogy-services for which there is no
charge and which have saved the
state, or its Individual citizens, in the
last twenty years, many millions of
dollars.
The Georgia State Board of Ento-
moIogy was established in 1898 with
an initial appropriation of only $4,000.
It had then only state entomologist
and a stenographer. Today it has grown
into splendidly efficient organization
OF fifteen, including state entomolo-
gist, assistant, experts, station super
intendents, stenographers and others,
and handles annually state appro-
priation of $4,000
Generally speaking the work of the
state board may be classified as in
spection work, enforcement Of quar-
antine regulations, investigations look
ing to the control of injurious plant
insects. and experiments for the con
troll of plant diseases.
To Save Food Crops
The particular purpose OF this ar
ticle is to call the attention of farm
ers and fruit growers to the service
the state board of entomology renders.
so that there may be wider applica-
ton of it right now to prevent the de-
Struction by insects and diseases or
food and fruit crops so badly needed
by Georgia and the country.
The inspection work includes in
xpection of the fT5 nurseries in the.
state, .as well MS foEeign shipments
into Georgia, to prevent the, dissent
AAtion OF injurious insects and plant
diseases In addition, many peach and
asple orchards, private grounds in city
and country, truck farms and cotton
fields. are inspected at the request OF
owners, and directions given regard
ing the control OF any plant diseases
or insects discovered in them.
Quarantine regulations which are
enforced by the board relate to the
boil .weevi and cotton products from
infested sections; to the shipment Of
nursery stock within the state and
from other states; to the pine blister
rust, the sweet potato weevil and the
foul brood of bees.
insects And Diseases
The department conducts expert
ments under the direction OF w. w
Chase, and furnishes information re-
lating to the control of peach insects,
such as curculio, peach-tree borer
shot-hole borer and San Jose scale;
apple insects, such as codling moth,
fat and round-headed borer, apple
aphis, woolly aphis, San Jose and 9th
or scale insects; Hessian fly in wheat
and, finally, garden and all crop in
sects and those which attack shade
trees, timber trees, Shrubbery and
flowers
Plant diseases have been given a
great deal of time and careful atten-
ton by the board. Among these may
be mentioned bitter rot, scab, leaf
spot, cedar rust and crown gall of the
apple; brown rot, scab, leaf curl,
crown gall and nematode gals of the
peach; various pecan insects and dis
eases; diseases of field and garden
plants such as potato blight, tomato
wilt, black rot of cabbages; and final
iy, the diseases which have proven so
destructive to cotton, such rs wilt, an
thracnose and leaf spot or black arm
Reducing Cotton Wilt
State Entomologist A. c. Lewis has
devoted much time each season since
1905 to cotton wilt and it's control Mr..
Lewis has succeeded in breeding six
new strains which are wilt-resistant-
four hybrids, including Dix-Affi, Lewis
So, Dillon Hybrid and Hendley's
Choice; and two. by selection, Mo
della and DeSoto, Covington-T ooIe,
now known as Council-Toole has also
been greatly improved by selection
These wilt-resistant strains original
ed and distributed by the board Of
entomology, are now saving the cotton
growers OF Georgia millions of dollars
each year. Thus the annual loss from
wilt to Georgia has already been re-
duced from $500, 900 in 1906 to $780,
900 in 1917. due directly to the work
of the board
Value of Variety Tests
The variety cotton tests conduct
ed by the department are proving of
immense value. The purpose of these
tests is to develop strains of cotton
which are both early maturing in or
der to meet boil weevil conditions and
wilt-resistant; and in addition to find
out which are best adapted to maxi
mum yield in particular localities.
These variety tests are now being con-
Quoted at Townsville and Valdosta.
where the board has two stations in
charge of Cotton Specialist Ira w.
Williams. Experiments at the Valdos-
Ia station are confined to sea island
cotton
The variety tests at Vienna, Amer
icus. Lumpkin and Brunswick. togeth-
er with the breeding plot at DeSoto,
sumter county are in charge Of
plants, relieving men who may be