The Cordele dispatch. (Cordele, Ga.) 19??-1971, 1919-02-28


80 minutes. Soil disinfected in this
manner would have to be kept in large
12in) flower pots, boxes, barrels or
lard cans, and the seeds planted there
in, to avoid reinfection of all soil and
to insure plants free from wilt.
For the gardener who wishes to
grow a number of plants, or for the
trucker and general farmer, who
grows an acre or more of tomatoes,
the above method is not practical.
In such cases the grower must either
use new land or plant on old land and
take the chance of losing from 10 to
80 per cent of his plants from wilt
if commercial seed are used.
For number of years various State
experiment stations, and the United
States Department of Agriculture,
have been breeding tomatoes and Sc
lecting seed for resistance to the wilt
organisms. AS there appears to be
difference in the disease producing
organisms in the various States, a
number of strains of wilt resistant
tomatoes have been produced.
While such strains may be a sue
cess in the section where they were
developed, they are not always equally
resistant to wilt producing organisms
in another section of State; therefore
it is important to produce strains
adopted to the local conditions. Such
EXPERIMENTS have been conducted for
some time by the Georgia Experiment
Station to get strains suitable for
Georgia.
In 1918 a, strain of tomatoes deve
loped by the United States Depart
mcnt CT Agriculture was tested in a
lumber OF counties in Georgia. 1t did
not prove equally successful in all
counties, but this strain Of wilt resist
ant tomato seed was such an improve
ment over commercial seeds, that it,
and three other wilt resistant strains
produced by the United States Depart
ment of Agriculture are to be tested
on a more extensive scale in. Georgia
this season. The writer is distributing
this seed in Georgia, and it is sent
by him to county agents who give it
to people whose land is infested with
the tomato wilt organisms and who
will plant the see according to direc
tons furnished by the Government.
In this way definite records are OBJ
tanned as to the value of the different
strains for the varius counties of
Georgia.
There is no sufficient wilt resistant
seed raised as yet, for general distri
button, therefore it is supplied only in
a limited way growers who will help
test it, and keep records on the results
The four strains of wilt resistant
tomato seed furnished by the Govern
ment as we'll as strains from other
States will be carefully tested on wilt
infested land at the Georgia Expert
ment Station, in comparison with
strains developed by this station.
In this cooperative work it is hoped
that strains of wilt resistant tomatoes
best suited to Georgia conditions, will
sooon be developed, thus making it
possible to grow tomatoes success
fully year after year. on wilt infested
soil.
AS the supply of wilt resistant to
mato seed is limited it is expected
that growers who have seed furnish
ed them this year will save their own
seed for next year, and some to give
their neighbors, if the plants grown
this season prove to be resistant to
tomato wilt
1t is desired to obtained as much
information as possible relative to
the presence of tomato wilt in Geor-
gia; therefore it will be appreciated