Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1930-01-16
DEEP FILLING
TO Be STUDIED
Department of Agriculture
Experts Investigate
Valley


WASHINGTON, Jan. 16-The ef-
feet Of deep filling n connection
with the control OF eradiction OF
cotton root rot and potato scab
In the Lower Rio Grande Valley
and the Winter Garden section Of
Texas will be investigated by the
Department OF Agriculture experts,
according to information received
from o. r. Cook, head OF the cot
ton division of the Bureau Of Plant
Industry.
The action OF the Department Is
predicted upon a request OF Con-
gresham John N. Garner. During
a trip through the Valley last sum-
mer Mr.. Gamers attention was
called to he results Of deep filling
on the C.. r. Johnson lands at san
Perlita In Wlllacy county, the z. =.
Engelman development near Elsa III
Hidalgo county and the farms OF
A. N. Tandy g. Sons near Los Fres-
nos in Cameron county, as well as
numerous other places where deep
tilling has becom- the accept
practice. xcellent results are be-
ljeved to have been obtained in re-
ducing cotton root rot On q En-
gelman and johnson '-nds, ana "A.
N. Tandy g. Sons, who rank among
the largest potato growers IN
Valley, reported that they are satls-
fled deep tilling has materlany t.
duced potato scab.
Upon his return TO Washington
MIR. Garner called the attention OF
the Department Of Agriculture 10
the results obtaint in the Valley
by deep tilling and requested that
the Department make a STUDY OF
this method and TO issue a bulletin
thereon in their findings JUSTIFIED.
In q letter to Mr. Carriers Office
which was transmitted TO . De-
partment Of Agriculture. G. X. Jonn-
son of San Perliat, who handles .
large 2 OF cotton, stated: IN
regard to our success Win sug-
soiling. we found through expert
ence that 1t IS q great snip -
eliminating root rot and also neips
10 RETAIN moisture, especially WneIe
we have a clay sub-son, as u gives
the water a chance to penetrate the
ton soil into the clay where II can
be easily retained by clean cultiVa-
ton.
Our experience last year was
that the cotton land that was sub
soiled made about one-third better
Weld and no root rot showed u)
AZ ali. and OH some OF the older
Ian5 IN which root rot had been
prevailing il was shortly eliminat-
ed. 1t is my opinion that letting
the air into the soil will Ill the
fungus that Is responsible Tor tne
root rot. We also found the SUD-
soIling excellent for corn and ieed
as well as for tomatoes
Cotton root rot has proved one
of the most pe-plexin- problems
with which the Department mas
had 70 deal in recent years. Having
ascertained that SO many sors
contribute TO the spread OF this
plant disease that q general rem
cdy or method for 1t q control APP
pears improbable. the Department
IS now directing its efforts toward
ascertainin- the most efficient To-
cal remedies.
Efforts will be made by the De-
partrnent 10 secure the co-opera-
ton Of growers in Willacy, Gamer
on and Hidalgo counties IN max
ing these studies and DR.. d. G.
Neal or II. c. Mcnamara, who have
been conducting cotton root rot
experiments at the GreenviIle. Tex
as station several years, VIII spend
some time In the Valley during the
summer. In a letter TO G. r. john
son Of san Perlita Mr.. Cook stated:
I'VE are much interested in the
results YOU have obtained with sub
selling in South Texas and would
be glad 70 have any additional data
that may be available from your
experiments with this method.
Studies bv this Department OF the
root rot fungus have been IN pro-
rresS for several years and local
remedies are being investigated as
RAPIDLY as possible. Our expert
ments have bSen confined largely
to the general vicinity Of Greenvtlle
in North Te- IS and at the y. 3.
field station at San Antonio. 9th
er work IS being done near Temple
end Au...in in cooperation with the
Texas State Experiment Station.
we und -tand that you prob
ably would be interested IN a series
of co-one-atiye experiments with
deep tillage and other measures
for root rot control. and We are re-
ouestlng one OF our field mel TO
visit you during the coming season
with q view Of including South
Texas territory in Dur program OF
governmental work"
The Department has also writ
ten to c. -. Eagelz- an a. Edinburr
Nd Clvdr Trndv az Brownsville
equesting such data as they may
have available and 70 secure their
cooperation In the investigation.
The experiments az Greenville
and other points in Texas have
disclosed that such remedies and
methods rs have been tried to
control Gotten root rot Go not
prove equally efficac!ous in the
varying sell type and different