Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1922-03-15
BOIL ROT AND DRIxHrnD SEED.
Director Barre Sums Up the Work Of
Experiment Station.
(Clemson Bulletin.)

In view Of the recent newspaper
discussion of boil rot and the sui
phuric acid method of treating cot
ton seed, and in order that the farm
ers may not be confused or inadyert-
emily misled by any Of these articles,
the following conclusions, based up
on more than ten years of study by
the South Carolina Experiment Sta
tion, are given:
The stations study Of anthracnose
or boil rot dates back to 1908. The
progress made has been reported
continuously in the station publica .
tions since that date. The extension
service, through its weekly News
Notes." has kept the farmers inform
ed as to the practical results obtain
ed. 1t may be we'll at this time to
repeat some Of the recommendations
already published.
The treatment Of cotton with con-
centrated sulphuric acid was first
tested by Director Duggar, Of the
Alabama experiment station,i in 1911.
He found that it reduced the infec-
ton, but not enough to control boil
rot. Our results agree with his. In
1909 we discovered that the anthrac-
nose fungus actually penetrates the
seed before they are mature and re-
mains alive within the seed until
planting time the following spring.
This important discovery that the
fungus Is carried within the seed was
announced and fully described in the
10000 annual report of the station
and has served as the basis for the
control measures which were devel-
oped, and which have been pub
lished from time to time.
Investigations have been conduct
ed, using different chemicals and
gases, different methods of heating
and drying, etc., continuously up to
the present time. None Of the meth
DDS yet devised have been effective
for practical use in completely elm
inating the fungus which, living in
the seed, perpetuates the boil rot.
The station does not recommend
the treatment of seed with concen-
trated sulphuric acid to control boil
rot alone. For the practical farmer
better way Of eliminating boil rot
Is by careful seed selection and crop
rotation and the use of three-year-
old seed, since in seed Of this age all
the boil rot spores have died out.
The station has emphasized these
methods through the practice Of
which the disease has been largely
eliminated from the State, resulting
in the saving Of millions of dollars
to the farmers. Where the careless
practice Of planting diseased seed Is
persisted in, the disease still causes
serious loss. AS indicating the pres
ent 1imited extent of boil rot, we
were able, in the fall Of 1920, after
| diligent search, with the help Of the
| county agents, to locate only one
field in the State from which we
| could obtain seed heavily infected
with boil rot for use in our labora.
tory and field experiments. In spite
of the fact that seed are brought In
to the station every year from ali
over the State for planting in oul
tests, only once have We got hold 0i
infected seed, and at no time during
the past three years has the per cent
of cotton bolls in any field of the
experiment station or college farm
affected with anthracnose, or boil
rot, exceeded one per cent. Usually
no infection has been found excep
In experimental plots, where we OF
purpose planted diseased seed.
Any one desiring information al
to the concentrated sulphuric acit
treatment Of cotton seed will fint
full directions in our "Weekly News
Notes" Of April Q, 1921. Additiona
scientific information Of special in
terest may be had from Station Bull
letin No. 1874 Of April, 1912; An
nual Report Of 1918; Bulletin No
1914, OF December, 1915, and from
Annual Reports Of 1919, 1920 ant