Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1919-04-11

| trouble which only recently has been
| considered to be of economic i'm
portance. Often, especially in bot.
| tomlands, it has been noticed that
| certain plants remain stunted. In
| the past it was considered that the
competition had been too great and
these plans had lost OUT in the
| struggle for existence. Now it is
known that most of the dwarfed
plants are affected with a definite
disease which destroys the root SyS-
tenn. Not much data has been col
lected as to the occurrence of the
disease Gin spite of it's prevalence)
but it is assumed that the damage
is due to a soil organism. In Geor-
gia the disease has a general dis
resulting in loss Of 20 to 70 per
cent of the stand. Usually diseased
plants produce no ears.
1t has been observed that poorly
selected seed results in greater dam
age from root-rots. No doubt proper
line of disease resistance, will prove
the chief method of control.
Control Measures: AS with all soil
organisms, the adoption of a system
of crop rotation will prove Of prime
Importance in eliminating root-rots.
Of equal importance is the proper
selection and testing Of seed.
Rust is primarily a disease of the
blade, although the sheath is often
attacked When the disease appears
in it's worst form the foliage of the
entire plant dies and no ears are
produced. After the tissue is killed
it is soon attacked by various moulds
and rots which effectually destroy
the feeding value. A light attack
apparently does little damage, al
though the ability of the plan to
manufacture food may be consider
ably reduced, resulting in the grains
being poorly filled.
Rust has a general distribution
over the state and no doubt results
in noticeable reduction of the yield,
uncommon to find as high as 1 per
cent of the plants of a field which
had been entirely destroyed by rust.
Control Measures: The chief means
of control will be the development
of resistant strains. The field Sc
free plants, if carried out consist
emily over a period of years, will
result in a market reduction. in rust
damage. Since the disease organism
is carried over on old plants, the
adoption Of system of crop rota-
ton will be Of material assistance.
Completely turning the old stalks
under in the early winter will UNI
doubtedly reduce the amount Of in
lection.
Ear Rots are of two kinds G)
localized rot attending insect tchief-
ly ear Worm) damage, and (2J COM
plete destruction of the ear due to
rot organisms which enter through
the stalk or by way of the silk. The
prevention of insect damage. would
undoubtedly greatly reduce the
amount of ear rot, especially that
mentioned under class On the other
hand the rots which completely de-
stroy the ear seem to be independent
of insect damage and it is thought
that the rot producers are soil Or
ganisms which attach the roots, as
cent the stalk and penetrate the ear,
destroying it's food value. The in
conspicuous fruiting bodies of the
disease appear on the stem and base
of: the shuck and are probably car
ried over in this way. On the ear
itself the disease appears as a white
or pinkish mouldlike growth between
the grains, which are more or les:
discolored (yellowish to blacklist
1t is thought that the planting
diseased seed will produce diseased
plants, but this point is questionable
1t is known, however, that continu-
Gus cropping of land to corn results
in an increasing amount of ear rot,
which would indicate that the trou-
BILE is due to a soil organism or to
the diseased stalks left in the field.
Ear rot is common over the entire
state, but seldom attains serious pro-
portions except locally. In 1918 the
loss on certain farms in the western
part Of the state ranged as high as
80 per cent. f's''
Control Measures: Crop rotation
seed corn will undoubtedly hold the
disease in check. The prevention of
insect damage is also of importance.
HANDLING A BTEEDrNG GRAPE