244: 
DISEASES OF THE COTTON PLAIST. 
Many of these are frequently seen at the same time on the 
same boll. They spread themselves, sometimes faster, 
sometimes slower, as if induced, either by the state of the 
atmosphere, or condition of the plant, changing color as 
they progress, until they assume a dark brown, approach- 
ing to black, and until the whole exterior is in like manner 
affected ; or untU it receives, from some cause, a sudden 
check, and then this appearance is only partial In the 
first case, the disease has penetrated to the centre of the 
fruit, the fermentation is complete and universal, and is 
seen in a frothy, white liquid thrown out on the surface. 
Putrefaction follows, and the destruction of the seed and 
immature wool being finished, nothing is left but the rind, 
or exterior coating of the boll, which, exhausted of its 
juices, hardens, turns black, and thus terminates the pro- 
cess. In the other case (that of suddenly checked disease), 
the interior of the boll in some instances remains unhurt ; 
in others, it is only partially injured; and, in the last case, 
the pods, remaining unhurt, mature and expand. This, 
however, rarely happens, as the disease is wonderfully 
capricious, going and coming unaccountably, attacking at 
one time with more, at another with less violence ; so that 
the fruit, which escapes entire destruction on the first at- 
tack, may fall a victim on the second. Nor is this capri- 
ciousness justly attributable to the changes in the atmos- 
phere, as its origin does not seem to have any connection 
with the weather." 
It is very difiicult to find out the true cause of this dis- 
ease, as it sometimes appears in dry as well as in wet years, 
although it is generally more destructive during rainy sea- 
sons. The young bolls are often found rotted, as well as 
the half-matured and old, so that the age of the fruit does 
not appear to have any thing to do with it. Many of them 
