SEED ANIi PLANT DISTRIBUTION. 61 



both Sea Island and Upland cotton and by the experience of several 

 cotton planters, demonstrate that the wilt can be overcome by the use 

 of resistant varieties, and this seed is distributed this year in Georgia 

 and Florida to enable the farmers to tesl it- merits and grow for them- 

 selves a stock of srt'd for future planting. 



DESCRIPTION OF COTTON WILT. 



The especial feature of this variety is its resistance t<> the wilt, and 

 since some who receive the si'rd may not he familiar with that disease, 

 a brief description of it is included here. For more detailed infor- 

 mation write to the Department of Agriculture at Washington for 

 Bulletins 17 and 27 <>f the Division of Vegetable Physiology and 

 Pathology. 



The Wilt Disease is also known a- " Blight" and " Black-root." It 

 is injurious to Sea island cotton on the Sea Islands of South Carolina, 

 and in southern Georgia and in Florida, and to Upland cotton over 

 wide areas in several State-. It is worst on sandy soils, where it per- 

 sists year after year. Prominent symptoms are the wilting of the 

 plant-, which are dwarfed or killed, the hrown discoloration of the 

 inner wood of stem and root, and a tufting of the small rootlets. 



The wilt is caused by a parasitic fungus in the soil, which enters the 

 loots and grows upward through the water- carrying vessels of the 

 stems, which it clogs. It i- aggravated by continuous cropping in cot- 

 ton, hut can not he remedied by rest or rotation, since the fungus 

 can live in the soil for an indefinite time after it has once obtained a 

 foothold. It is not due to the poverty of the land nor to the use of 

 commercial fertilizers, and can not. so far as known, he (aired by add- 

 ing any fertilizer or other substance to the soil. 



CONTROL OF THE WILT. 



The onlv remedv known is the use of resistant varieties. When 

 land is badly affected by wilt and seed of resistant cotton can not be 

 had, some other crop than cotton should be planted. 



In all cases, even where the disease does not occur or where a resist- 

 ant variety is available, a rotation of crops is to be recommended, such 

 as corn with cowpeas or peanuts; second, velvet beans; third, cotton; 

 or, first, corn with cowpeas or peanuts: second, oats followed by cow- 

 peas: third, cotton. 



DIRECTIONS FOE. PLANTING. 



In order to fully test the resistant qualities of the variety, this seed 

 should, if possible, be planted on land where cotton has in previous 

 years suffered badly from wilt (black-root). Do not plant Upland 

 cotton near the Sea Island. Much of the ,k running- out" of the long 

 staple cotton in south Georgia is due to accidental hybridization with 



