OCR Text |
Show Wheat Smut Losses Show Big Increase Grovvers Are Urged to Treat Seed Before Planting. As stinking smut of wheat has In creased rapidly In the United St u ten since the war, causing greater losses than any other plant disease, wheat growers are being urged to treat their seed with copper-carbonate dust before be-fore planting us a preventive measure. meas-ure. An investigation of conditions In ejsiern Colorado showed seven to ten per cent of the wheat crop ruined by smut the past vear, according to Ij. A. Lcngrcu of the Colorado Agricultural Agri-cultural college. In some cases fields have shown ns high as :)u to f.O per cent smut with consequent losses of ten to twelve dollars an acre. Smut losses can be prevented by treating the seed wheut before planting plant-ing with copper-carbonate dust, plied to the grain In an air tight mlK-er, mlK-er, the college says. This treatment gives practically perfect results not only killing the smut spores on the kernels before planting but protecting protect-ing them from smut Infection thai may be In the sucks or drill. Tlu commercially pure copper dust or powder can be mixed with the seed wheat at the rate of two to thre ounces, or two to three heaping tu blospoonfuls of powder to the bush el. The best method of applying dust Is to use a barrel mixer or box fixed In the manner of a cement mixer. Since the copper carbonate Is n dry treatment, the seed can be planted plant-ed Immediately after dusting, or held a long time. The effect of the treatment treat-ment Is permanent. Moreover seed germination Is not Injured by the cop per-cu rbona t e d nst t rea t incut. |