168 
COTTON 
brown areas at first are produced, and eventually 
the bark dies. As a result of this injury the leaves 
may turn yellow, wilt, and fall from the plant; 
though, unlike the rust with which these symptoms 
often are confused, the plant rarely if ever produces 
another crop of leaves when affected by the anthrac- 
nose. 
As a result of the boll anthracnose, very serious 
losses may result. A boll when attacked by this 
fungus assumes, particularly on the side exposed to 
the sun, a bronzy yellow due to the growth of the 
vegetative threads (mycelium) of the fungus in the 
walls of the fruit. If the bolls are nearly mature, 
especially if the weather is not very moist, no very 
serious damage to the bolls may result, and they 
may open in a perfectly normal manner. But if 
the bolls are attacked when young, or if the weather 
is rather moist, the fungus may cause the boll to 
open prematurely and expose the lint to rotting. 
The anthracnose may become epidemic, and cause 
very great losses. In this way it caused very 
serious trouble in many parts of Alabama during 
last season. Under such circumstances the sur- 
face of the bolls often becomes covered with 
a pinkish coat composed of the spores of the 
fungus. 
At present no remedy is known, but if the ravages 
of the disease render such effort necessary, it may 
be possible to select and develop resistant strains 
or varieties that will be nearly immune against its 
attacks. 
Shedding the Bolls: — This trouble has been long 
known and is very frequently a serious loss to the 
cotton farmer. Alternating wet and dry weather is 
the main trouble. Every farmer has noticed that 
during a time of excessive wet weather the ground 
