Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1920-05-29
Managing Bright Leaf Tobacco

Tobacco. like all other valua BILE
farm crops is readily attacked by va
rious diseases which, if left uncheck-
ed. will quickly destroy it. In addi-
ton to fighting diseases care must
! be exercised as to topping and suck
| ering at the right time. Neglect of
| any of these matters will prove
| fatal mistake and will certainly re-
| suit in great loss to the individual
growers concerned. Few crops re-
quire the exercise of greater skill in
| harvesting than tobacco. Hence, data
| accumulated to show the nature and
| character of the diseases attacking
| tobacco and the best methods of con-
trolling the. same is of paramount
| Importance to all who are engaged at
| this time in the cultivation of this
| crop. In addition to the foregoing,
this article contains all the available
| summarized information on topping,
suckering and harvesting. The facts
! presented are based on information
collected through the agency of field
! representatives of the Georgia State
| College of Agriculture.
1t is common to see spots of vary
/ ing size in tobacco fields where the
| plants make little or no growth, al
| though other crops may grow we'll on
| these spots. These unproductive
! spots show up from year to year and
may increase in size. Lining or fer
! tilizing the soil has no effect. The
|
I make very little growth and are vel
lowish in color instead of normal
white. No effective remedy has been
discovered for this disease.
Nematode OF root-knot is caused
| by minute eelworms or nematodes
which bore into the roots. These lit
tie worms, which are scarcely visible
1\to the naked eye, cause the roots to
develop gals or swellings, which
vary in size but may become very
| large. The growth of the plants is
| checked and when the disease is very
bad the leaves may turn yellow. This
disease can be controlled to a very
| large degree by crop rotation. Crops
like tomatoes, Watermelons. canta-
| loupes, cabbage and all varieties OF
cowpeas except the iron and Brab-
ham are subject to injury from nema-
tode. 1t is not advisable to follow
these crops with tobacco. Ordinarily,
tobacco should not be grown oftener
than once in three or four years on
infested land. Liberal use of min
eral fertilizers, especially potash,
will reduce injury from flematode but
cannot be depended on to control the
disease.
The chief indication Of mosaic or
calico is a nothing of the leaf, por-
lions of which are of lighter green
color than the remainder Of the leaf.
| In severe cases of the disease the
leaves may be twisted or othrwis
deformed. Mosaic disease may lower
the yield and quality sometimes, but
| it seldom does serious damage. No
satisfactory method of control is
known.
A number of names have been ap-
4 piled to leaf spot diseases, among
| which are blight" fire" firing, -
"wildfre," Drown rust" "speck.'
"frog-eye," etc. These troubles are
supposed to be due to germs that
r OF ha
ceDt under certain conditions. Fer
titity of the soil, fertilizers used an /
weather conditions are some of the
| factors concerned in bringing about
outbreaks of these diseases. The
disease may attack the plant at any
stage of growth but the leaf is not
Usually seriously attacked until al
! most mature. Leaf spot is rarely
ever serious except IS results of wet
| weather. An over abundance of am
monia in the soil or fertilizer is like
ly to increase injury from the dis
eases. The only control measures
known are liberal applications of pot
| ash avoidance of. too much ammo
MIA in the soil or in the fertilizer,
and making sure that the tobacco is
not topped too low.
Tobacco wilt Granville wilt) is
| caused by a small bacterium or germ
which also causes a destructive rot
of Irish potatoes and tomatoes. The
germ enters the plant through the
roots and multiplies so rapidly that
through the plant become SO plug
ged that the leaves droop and in
time die. The woody portion of the
stalk has yellowish to black streak
| when the bark is peeled off. This
disease is very destructive in sections
of North Carolina, especially in Gran
Vile county, and also in some sec
tions in the cigar district in Florida
| The writer has seen no evidence of
this disease in Georgia. However, 1T
evidence of the disease is found it
| should be reported at once.
The disease varies a great deal
weather conditions. Once the soil has
| become infested it is almost impos-
sible to get rid of it. Fertilizers
seem to have nothing to do with the
occurrence of the disease. No rem
satisfactory. By a systematic rota-
ton in resting the land, wilt can be
controlled to very great extent.
Tobacco should not be grown or
infested fields oftener than once in
four years. Also crops like tomatoes
and Irish potatoes should not be
grown on infested land as these
crops furnish food for the wilt germs
The object is to starve the germ by
keeping the land free from plants or
|
dition should two crops of tobacco
be grown in succession on infested
| land.
Frenching is often confused with
mosaic or calico, and the names OF
| these diseases are frequently inter.
changed. Frenching is not a germ
or infectious disease but is thought
to be due to an improper balance OF
| plant food, or an insufficient supply
| OF food. In severe cases the leaves
| of the plant become so long anC
narrow that they appear stringy OF
and brittle. With milder forms OF
the disease. the leaves are small anC
narrow and stand erect.
The disease may appear at any
stage of development of the plant
and frequently occurs only in the
top Of plants that are almost ma.
ture. The disease is usually due tt
| unfavorable soil conditions. A fire.
quent source of the trouble is poor
drainage. 1t is true also that de-
ficiencies in the food supply of the
soil may cause this disease, since il
is apt to appear in low spots Of the
field after heavy rain.
| The remedy for this disease is tC
correct the soil conditions by thor
| ough cultivation, thereby 1oosenine
the soil about the plants. In a ma
jority of cases the disease will dis
appear after the tobacco has had 6
thorough cultivation.
Tobacco under proper conditions
grows very rapidly and in about
eight or nine weeks after trans
i planting begins to form seed heads
These seed heads haye to be broker
out. In topping the aim is to i'm
prove the quality of the leaves pro
duced and to aid the different plants
in maturing at the same time. Nc
regular rule can be given for top
! ping. Experience is the only teach
er. If the plant is topped too higF
the leaves will be small and thin
therefore lacking in body. On the
other hand, if topped too low the to-
bacco is sappy and likely to cure te
a dark color. In either case, The
quality is low and the tobocco does
not command a good price.
A good plan to follow is. to begir