COTTON i771 
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-off:—The terms “‘sore-shin”’ and “‘seed- 
ling rot” are also applied to this very common dis- 
ease. Itis 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, 
