Show I 1 SMUT OF WHEAT IS preventable DISEASE nai 1 M t x w s at ij JL 1 afa jn s s fj V afi A yai 1 arte rte no jl S PAM j tl T by v i k aa 1 I 1 I kt v 1 I 1 XA amu faw 6 q 41 t M M n Q 18 w mry w w p T wy ilk t simple apparatus for tho the Form alln treatment consisting of trough tub and sawhorse a trough lh b tub c pine plug d perforated tin plate prepared by the united states department of agriculture wheat growers in this country not infrequently experience serious losses caused by preventable diseases wheat Is preyed upon by a number of parasitic fungi three of which are classed BS as smuts two of these smuts are common pests peats in the wheat wheatfields fields of north america the other commonly known as flag smut lo Is thus tar far unknown to this continent though it la Is fairly common in australia kust raila and certain other parts of the world where wheat culture has been in progress for or centuries says the alio department at 0 agriculture of tho the two smuts bunt or covered smut of wheat sometimes referred to as stinking smut Is found wherever wheat is grown sometimes resulting in losses to the farmers of tho the united states of or more annually not infrequently fields planted to untreated seed and giving promise of yielding 30 to 40 bushels per acre of good wheat will produce a crop of covered smut amounting in cases to as much as 40 to GO 60 por per cent of the crop this smut disease is caused by a parasitic fungus which attacks the growing wheat plant before the first leaf appears above ground once inside the attacked seedling it continues Us its growth and by the lime the wheat begins to head the diseased plants produce a crop ot of smut it we examine the heads of such a plant wo we find instead of normal wheat grains only a lot of smut balls in other words the materials produced by tho the living plant ter for tho the purpose of building up sound wheat grains have been consumed by the parasite in forming its masses of at smut spores which finally occupy tho the i exact position in tho the wheat leads that would have been filled by the kernels lind had they been allowed to develop these smut balls consist of at nothing but millions of spores in each case by a thin enveloping membrane when the smut balls are crushed th the spores give off an odor not unlike that df herring brine tho the liberated spores become attached to tile the seed which it if planted without previous treatment may produce another crop of smutted wheat treat seed with Form alln bunt or covered smut of wheat to Is one of the most moat easily earll prevented of any of the cereal diseases the following procedure Is recommended jaun all seed wheat through a fanning mill la in order to blow out the unbroken 4 v r t bunt or stinking smut of wheat two smutted heads smut balls this being done the grain should be soaked ten minutes in a solution consisting of at one pound of commercial obtainable at nearly all drug stores added to 40 gallons of water the seed thus treated to is next allowed to drain and to Is then piled on the floor and stirred frequently until sufficiently dry to sow BOW if during this proc process tho the kernels have hava swollen very much the drill should be set to sow A a little thicker else the quantity sown sow n per acre will be less lesa thai was intended rotation in severe cases recent milecent experiments haye have shown that in n certain sections sec tlona atthe of the country the soil boll of a field producing a crop of smutted wheat this year may harbor enough smut spores to cause the appearance pe arance of smut in next years crop it the field bo be re seeded dod to wheat this sometimes occurs where smut Is very bid bad in spite of the planting of treated seed and shows that in such lacall ties crop rotation should be practiced in addition to sea sw 1 treatment bunt or covered amut of wheat attacks no other cereal crop but other cereals havo have their own smut diseases loose looie smut the other wheat smut occurring in this country known commonly as aa loose smut Is not so serious no aa bunt although it probably produces an av loss of throe fourths ot of ono one per cent of 0 tho the total wheat crop of tile tho country loose luay may bo be prevented by treating the seed by tho the jonson jenson hot water it rd d or some modification of it tho the jensen mcleod in soaking ing the ane ed cd for ten to td fifteen minutes in hot 1 vater ater at a temperature of to degrees fahrenheit it Is highly important that tho water shall not rise over degrees or fall below degrees fahrenheit A temperature below this will not kill the smut while a temperature too high may affect the germination of tho the seed the grain after treatment should bo be immediately spread out to dry if it cannot bo be spread at once it should be dipped into cold water to coot cool at once and oprea spread inta as aa soon us as possible |