﻿AGRICULTURE. 
  145 
  

  

  that 
  it 
  is 
  occasioned 
  by 
  the 
  larvae 
  of 
  a 
  small 
  beetle 
  or 
  bug, 
  

   which 
  is 
  hatched 
  from 
  the 
  egg 
  deposited 
  in 
  it, 
  in 
  some 
  

   unknown 
  manner, 
  at 
  an 
  early 
  stage 
  of 
  its 
  growth, 
  and 
  

   which, 
  feeding 
  on 
  the 
  succulent 
  and 
  pulpy 
  seed 
  in 
  their 
  

   early 
  stage 
  of 
  formation, 
  produces 
  the 
  disease 
  without 
  

   immediately 
  destroying 
  the 
  boll, 
  which 
  not 
  unfrequently 
  

   is 
  only 
  partially 
  damaged, 
  and 
  continues 
  to 
  grow 
  nearly 
  

   to 
  its 
  mature 
  size, 
  but 
  in 
  the 
  end 
  becoming 
  externally 
  

   black 
  and 
  hard; 
  the 
  decayed 
  state 
  of 
  the 
  interior 
  of 
  the 
  

   boll 
  presenting 
  an 
  analogy 
  to 
  the 
  peach 
  or 
  plum, 
  which, 
  

   though 
  often 
  presenting 
  even 
  a 
  fair 
  and 
  perfect 
  exterior, 
  

   is 
  found, 
  upon 
  opening, 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  long 
  preyed 
  upon 
  

   by 
  the 
  curculio, 
  or 
  peach 
  worm. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  certain 
  that 
  the 
  diseased 
  and 
  blackened 
  boll, 
  

   when 
  broken 
  open, 
  often 
  reveals 
  a 
  variety 
  of 
  small 
  in- 
  

   sects, 
  sometimes 
  in 
  the 
  different 
  stages 
  or 
  conditions 
  of 
  

   their 
  metamorphoses. 
  Which 
  of 
  these 
  is 
  the 
  real 
  enemy 
  

   can 
  only 
  be 
  determined 
  by 
  the 
  close 
  and 
  continued 
  ob- 
  

   servation 
  of 
  the 
  practised 
  entomologist. 
  

  

  This 
  disease 
  made 
  its 
  appearance 
  as 
  early 
  as 
  1810, 
  

   and 
  prevailed 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  for 
  more 
  than 
  ten 
  years, 
  and 
  

   occasionally 
  to 
  such 
  an 
  extent 
  as 
  almost 
  to 
  cause 
  the 
  

   abandonment 
  of 
  the 
  cotton 
  culture 
  — 
  a 
  contingency 
  pre- 
  

   vented 
  by 
  the 
  introduction 
  of 
  the 
  Tennessee 
  green-seed 
  

   variety, 
  which 
  was 
  exempt 
  from 
  the 
  disease, 
  or 
  much 
  less 
  

   affected 
  by 
  it 
  than 
  the 
  naked 
  black-seed 
  variety 
  first 
  

   cultivated. 
  

  

  For 
  many 
  years 
  the 
  rot 
  was 
  unheard 
  of; 
  its 
  partial 
  

   and 
  unfrequent 
  occurrence 
  being 
  too 
  inconsiderable 
  to 
  

   create 
  alarm, 
  or 
  occasion 
  any 
  appreciable 
  injury. 
  

  

  Its 
  reappearance 
  in 
  1852, 
  and 
  during 
  the 
  late 
  season, 
  

   has, 
  however, 
  on 
  many 
  plantations, 
  been 
  attended 
  with 
  

   considerable 
  damage. 
  

  

  The 
  remaining 
  disease, 
  popularly 
  known 
  as 
  the 
  sore 
  

   10 
  

  

  