Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1921-08-26
TOBACCO DISEASE
In THIS COUNTY
Wildfre Appears in Several
Fields-Some Total Loss
Little Known of Disease, but Connect
cut and Massachusetts Experiment
Stations Have Been Investigating.

Stations Have Been investigating
Within the past week n serious tobacco !
disease infection in Windham county !
which in some instances will result IN
the loss of entire fields of tobacco, has
been called to the attention OF County
Agent r. Wilton Harvey by several
growers The disease is known as Wild I
fire and its discovery resulted IN the
county agent making a visit to Amherst,
where he took up the question with Prof.
I Chapman, who has been conducting eX-
| periments this year.
| y Little is known about the disease, al
| though the Connecticut and Massachu-
sets experiment stations have been con
Quoting experiments this year, the expert
ments having been brought about because
of the appearance of the disease in those
states last year. Its appearance promises
to be a matter of much concern unless
measures are taken to control it.
The first sign of the disease consists OF
the presence on the leaves of small, yell
low. circular spots with brown centers
about the size of a pin point. Within
two or three days these brown centcrs will
have enlarged to spots one-fOurth to one
half inch across. with a border of water
soaked appearance. The tissue surround
ing each spot is yellowish or pale green
in color. Various factors, including the
age of the plant, weather conditions and
mineral nutrition. modify the amount OF
yellowing or chlorosis of the affected
leaves. The bud leaves of plants in the
seed bed may be pale green. erect and SLOW
in Stleveoping on plants whose older
leaves are diseased. Such plants may
perish in the plant bed, or may not survive
transplanting.
Sometimes the diseased areas under
field conditions are not uniformly brown.
but consist of several concentric rings of
different shades of brown. with the light
| est one in the center. Not uncommonly,
too the spots are so abundant that they
fuse. making large, irregular areas
These dead spots may either dry in place
or rot out so that the leaves present n
ragged appearance.
The disease has been found to occur on
the flowers and on the seed pods. 1t
forms small. dark, irregular spots on the
corolla and calyx, and prominent brown
spots on the pods.
The present season has offered favor
able conditions for the spread of the dis
ease-damp weather and fairly cool
nights.
Should the grower have n compare
lively small amount of the disease it will
probably pay him to harvest his crop di-
rectly even though it is not quite ripe
as the infection does not thrive on dead
plants.
year will be forthcoming. experiments
carried on thus far seem to indicate that
most of the infection came from COnnecti-
cut.
In all probability it will be we'll for the
lgrowers to be exceptionally particular in
tregard to their seed. 1t is hoped that
certified seed may be obtained before it is
time to set the beds Best results have
been obtained this year where the beds
(soil. sash. glass. etc., have been sub
jected to 10 to 125 pounds of live steam
for from 30 to 40 minutes. Unfortu-
nately few farmers are equipped to do
this and as a substitute formaldehyde
solution | to 10 is recommended. This
will disinfect the soil and the bed. 1t is
also thought best to soak the seed in
the above solution for ID minutes. Sew
eral of the growers this year underesti-
mated the Importance of the time element
in this process and killed their seed.
This solution is concentrated and by ex-
pertinent it has been found that ID min
utes of soaking will kill the wildfrc germ
and still allow the seed to terminate.
Eighteen or 20 minutes will not do.
AS soon as the plants come up they
should be sprayed with Also bordeaux
mixture with an addition of two pounds of
dry or four pounds of paste arsenate of
lead. This will take care of the flee
beetle which is thought to have a part in
transmitting the disease. This process
should be repeated weekly. 1t is sug-
gested that the bed be run as dry as pos
| sible, but should watering become nee
eSsary it should be done in the middle
of the day when the sun is shining in or
der that the plants may dry off readily,
as wldtire thrives on damp plants.
In addition to this careful watch
should be kept for infected plants and
suspects should be eliminated from the
bed. No one should be allowed to work