172 COTTON 



thus controlling soil conditions, will favorably in- 

 fluence the plant so that it can outgrow the trouble. 

 Liming the soil to improve its mechanical con- 

 dition ; good tillage so as to loosen and aerate the 

 soil; frequent cultivation in the spring so as to dry 

 out the soil, usually after rain, and at the same 

 time warm it up, are the best means of helping the 

 plant when the fungus appears. 



Wilt: 'This disease has also been called "french- 

 ing," anc^ftends over a considerable portion of the 

 SoutherjMBotton Belt. The fungus gains entrance 

 through ike roots and thence goes into the wood 

 tissue of me stems. The growth of the fungus in 

 the stems naturally hinders the upward and down- 

 ward movement of the plant solutions, thus inter- 

 fering with the physiological processes of the plant. 

 How the disease works may be readily seen by 

 splitting open the stem: a brownish diseased con- 

 dition will be noticed. Occasionally you find that 

 a greater part of the leaves of the affected plant 

 drop and the plant dies, a new growth probably 

 appearing from the lower part of the stalk. 



The only remedy lies in securing a variety or 

 breeding a variety that will resist the disease. This 

 is the only direction from which help can come. By 

 going into the field and selecting seed only from 

 plants that have lived through the plague, you can, 

 after awhile, secure plants that will grow on in- 

 fected soil. 



Mosaic Disease: The name "yellow blight" 

 is also applied to this disease. It follows as the re- 

 sult of uncongenial conditions of soil and weather, 

 and even of other diseases that seem to sap the 

 strength of the plant. Healthy leaves, or leaves 

 from very healthy plants, are seldom if ever at- 



