AOIUCULTUIIAI. ArriU)iMUATUJN IJILI^ 1924. 



147 



Mr. Andkuson. I <!<> not ijuilc j^ot you. I tlo not know whfthcr 

 yoii mean l)ctv\«'on $J()().(M)() uml $;j()(). ()()() for tlu' wlioh* ('uinf>Hi^i, 

 NfW iMi^land Mini 



Dorlor IvKi.LKKMAX (intorposing) . No. n»). I nicun only for the 

 Northw<'st rrf^ion, in luldition to tnc $2(M). ()()() wliirii wc \\n\c at the 

 prosrnt tinir. 



DoctorTAVi-oii. Tlic j'lncrfToncv nppro[)rialion availuMc for llu- \ car 

 hi'^^innin;^ March 1, li>22. and cxlciitlin;; ihrowj^h .Maich, l'.t23. was 

 SloO.OOO, wliich covers the whoU' of the jjrowin^ season of 1922 and 

 tlie winter following;. 



Mr. Andkk.son. Well, .so far as \our plans j((>. without the deter- 

 mination of the (piestion of the policy to he pursued in the North- 

 west, the sum propo.sed is udecpnite to continue the work f 



Doctor Tavi.oic. Yes. This involves a full-speed-ahead pnt'jnim 

 alon<^ the l,ines that we feel sure of in the territory that is ripe for it. 



COTTON A.M) TUL'CK CHOI' DISEASK l.S VESTKJATIOXS. 



The next subappropriation on pa<;e S4, for the investigation of 

 disea.ses of cotton, potatoes, truck crops, forage crops, drug and 

 related plants: The estimates provide an increase of $10,000 — this 

 for two purposes -•S2..")0() for work on cotton diseases. The cotton 

 disease probably causing the licaviest damage l)eing root rot, regard- 

 ing the cause of which and the methods of combating not much is 

 known, althougli work has been done more or less during a con- 

 siderable period of vears. 



Mr. BiCHAXAN. It is as old as the cotton plant itself? 



Doctor Taylor. It is as old as the cotton plant itself, anil it has 

 increasingly become evident, as closer attention lias been paid to tlie 

 classing of cotton at tiie source, that root rot. as well as other factors 

 which interfere witli the normal growth of tlie plant and the lint 

 seriously impairs the quality of the lint and reduces the value of 

 what is harvested and baled. 



Mr. BuciiAXAX. Not only that, it cuts off its production ( 



Doctor Taylor. It cuts off production, and it injures the quality 

 of that which is produced in the root-rot affected plants. It kills the 

 stalk, the boll dries up. and you pick it and it has no staple to it. It 

 causes immature seed and stops production. 



Mr. BuciiAXAX. How long have vou been studving that root rot? 



I )octor Taylor. In a rather broken way for a number of years. 



.Mr. fk'CHAXAN. It is a germ, is it not ( 



Doctor Taylor. It is supposed to be caused by a fungus, but it is 

 one of those fungi which has not vet disclosed its full life history. 



Mr. BuruAXAX. Has it ever been called to your attention — this 

 is common notoriety down there that the plant of sorghum planted 

 in those patches wheiv root lot exists in cotton in two or three years 

 would destroy it ( 



Doctor Taylor. Yes. In fact, the only approximate control that 

 anyone has been abl(> to suggest thus far has been the use of tb.e land 

 for grasses, including soi-gliuni or other crops not susceptible tt> 

 disease, in rotaticm for a sullicient time to let tlie fungus measurably 

 die out of the land. 



