COTTON 171 



of its ability better to survive or resist the fungus. 



Leaf Blight: This disease, while very common 

 in cotton is not very serious. It is a fungus that 

 attacks the older leaves of the plants, and such 

 others as have been disturbed in some manner so as 

 to affect nutrition and assimilative power. You 

 will sometimes find this disease associated with 

 other diseases that affect the leaves and have 

 weakened them, thus destroying their power to re- 

 sist disease. The leaf blight is distinguished by 

 the reddish circular and somewhat irregular spots 

 surrounding a rabbit brown or white central area. 

 As yet no remedy has been suggested for this 

 trouble, and likely none will prove satisfactory that 

 does not involve a better adaptation of the plant to 

 its environments. This adaptation will enable the 

 plant in a measure to resist this disease or any 

 other disease for that matter. 



Mildew: This is another fungus disease that 

 affects the parts of the leaf limited by the veinlets. 

 Its area of infection, thus far, has been rather limited 

 and little harm has so far resulted from it. While 

 it may occur in many parts of the Cotton Belt, its 

 damage is small and unimportant. No remedy 

 has been suggested. 



Damping-ofj: The terms "sore-shin" and "seed- 

 ling rot" are also applied to this very common dis- 

 ease. It is a fungus attacking the young plant just 

 beneath the surface of the ground. The parts 

 affected assume a shrunken appearance, brownish 

 or reddish in color. The time of attack is in early 

 spring, when the cotton plant is small and delicate. 

 Wet weather aggravates the trouble and from the 

 nature of the disease, perhaps effective remedies 

 cannot be applied. Any soil treatment that may 

 be given so as to fit the plant for its environment, 



