70 



tables also serve to increase the nuniber of gall worms. 

 Such crops should not be grown on wilt-infected land, 

 because they increase the number of nematodes in the 

 the soil and consequently increase tlie loss from wilt 

 whenever cotton is planted on such land. 



The common varieties of cotton differ widely in 

 their resistance to wilt and root-knot. In those sec- 

 tions of the Cotton Belt badly infected with these dis- 

 eases have originated varieties more or less resistant. 

 Some of them have proven very profitable, even when 

 grown on badly wilt-infected land. However, not all 

 of the wilt-resistant varieties have desirable qualities, 

 as earliness, easy harvesting, etc. 



In 1911, this Station began a series of experiments in 

 which many of the wilt-resistant or "anti-blight" va- 

 rieties were planted side by side and carefully studied. 

 The experiments were located on badly infected lands 

 in different parts of the state, and their results, along 

 with some recommendations, are published in this 

 bulletin. 



■ On the Alabama Experiment Station farm at Auburn 

 there was then no badly infected wilt-land. Therefore, 

 the experiments had to be located away from Auburn, 

 where suitable lands and farmers willing to co-operate 

 were available. Such men aiid locations were found 

 in Butler, Lowndes, Lee, Macon, Pike, and Tallapoosa 

 Counties. This experimental work has been supported 

 by the aj^propriation made by the Legislature of Ala- 

 bama in the "Local Experiment Law." 



Plan of Experimknts. 



A representative of the Station alwaj's selected the 

 land, and laid off the plots. The preparation of the 

 land and its cultivation were left to the farmer con- 

 ducting the experiment. 



The same kind of commercial fertilizer was 

 used on most experiments. It was mixed at the 

 Experiment Station, sacked and shipped to the experi- 

 menter. It usually consisted of 320 pounds of acid 

 phosphate per acre, 160 pounds of kainit and 200 

 pounds of cottonseed meal. Some years 100 pounds 

 of nitrate of soda was applied as a side dressing about 

 the second or third cultivation. 



The cotton seed of the different varieties were ob- 

 tained from the originator or some reliable grower 

 each year. The planting was usually done under the 



