Florida Agricultural Experiment Station


caused considerable damage in a limited area. The disease may
attack all of the parts of the cotton plant above ground and may
cause the death of the entire plant. The injury to the stem is
the most severe manifestation of the disease, though leaves and
bolls may also be seriously injured. The disease on the stem us-
ually occurs around the axils of the leaves where a lesion or canker
forms that soon brings about the death of the leaf. The cankers
become sunken and the diseased tissue becomes ragged and often
falls out. This type of attack is characteristic of the Asochyta
disease. Measures recommended for controlling other diseases,
particularly rotation, will probably prevent this disease from
reaching serious proportions.

 DIRECTIONS FOR DELINTING COTTON SEED
 By A. F. CAMP
 The process of delinting cotton seed with sulphuric acid consists
of dissolving the lint on the cotton seed with concentrated sul-
phuric acid and then washing off the acid, leaving the seed with
a smooth brown coat without any fuzz. This treatment will kill
most of the disease organisms carried on the seed, resulting in
healthier seedlings and a better stand. The process will also aid
germination materially in light dry soils.

 EQUIPMENT
 The equipment necessary for delinting consists of two large
wooden tubs, which can easily be made by cutting a water-tight
barrel in half, wooden paddles with long handles, some hardware
cloth with one-eighth inch mesh, and a supply of commercial sul-
phuric acid containing at least 75 percent acid. (Acid ordinarily
used by fertilizer companies in making acid phosphate can be
used). Construct a strainer from one of the tubs by boring a large
number of inch-holes in the bottom and covering the bottom, in-
side, with hardware cloth tacked in place; a convenient strainer
may also be made by replacing the bottom of a stout box with
hardware cloth supported by lath slats. The strainer should be
placed over a hole in the ground deep enough to drain away the
acid and wash water. The inside of the tubs may be covered with
hot roofing pitch to prevent the acid from acting on the wood.