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Show ! SMUT OF WHEAT IS PREVENTABLE DISEASE f ' , ' . .IP i p - ' '.V.:: . : :: v:y:V:;:':' ' : : : Y::.Y. r :x:::y y.vy-:. : - ; : : ' ' : :- :;.;::::v:;:;:Y;;x . Simple Apparatus for the Formalin Treatment Consisting of Trough, Tub and Sawhorse a, Trough; b, Tub; c. Pine Plug; d, Perforated Tin Plate. (Prepared by the United States Department Depart-ment 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 para-sitic fungi, three of which are classed as smuts. Two of these smuts are common pests in the wheatfields of North America, the other, commonly known as flag smut, is thus far unknown un-known to this continent, though it is fairly common in Australia and certain other parts of the world where wheat culture has been in progress for centuries, cen-turies, says the department of agriculture. agri-culture. Of 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 the United States of $20,000,000 or more annually. Not infrequently fields planted to untreated un-treated seed and giving promise of yielding 30 to 40 bushels per acre of good wheat, will produce a crop of covered smut amounting, in some cases, to as much as 40 to 60 per cent of the crop. This smut disease Is caused by a parasitic fungus which attacks the growing wheat plant before the first Mr' 'r- U & m a v A ' If Bunt or Stinking Smut of Wheat-Two Wheat-Two Smutted Heads. leaf appears above ground. Once inside in-side the attacked seedling it continue its growth and by the time the wheat begins to head the diseased plants pr. duce a crop of smut. If we examine the heads of such a plant we find instead in-stead of normal wheat grains only a lot of smut balls. In other words, the materials produced by the living plane for the purpose of building up sound wheat grains have been consumed by the parasite in forming Its masses of smut spores which finally occupy the exact position in the wheat heads that would have been filled by the kernels had they been allowed to develop. These smut balls consist of nothing but millions of spores inclosed in each case by a thin enveloping membrane. When the smut balls are crushed the spores give off an odor not unlike that of herring brine. The liberated spores become attached to the seed, which, if planted without previous treatment, may produce another crop of smutted wheat. Treat Seed With Formalin. Bunt or covered smut of wheat Is one of the most easily prevented of any of the cereal diseases. The following fol-lowing procedure is recommended: Run all seed wheat through a fanning mill in order to blow out the unbroken smut balls. This being done, the grain should be soaked ten minutes In a solution so-lution consisting of one pound of commercial com-mercial formalin (obtainable at nearly near-ly all drug stores) added to 40 gallons of water. The seed thus treated is next allowed to drain and is then piled on the floor and stirred frequently until sufficiently dry to sow. If, during this process, the kernels have swollen very much, the drill should be set to sow a little thicker, else the quantity sown per acre will be less than was intended. in-tended. Rotation in Severe Cases. Recent experiments have six n that in certain sections of the country the soil of a field producing a crop ol smutted wheat this year may harbor enough smut spores to cause the appearance ap-pearance of smut in next year's crop if the field be reseeded to wheat. This sometimes occurs, where smut is very bad, in spite of the planting of treated treat-ed seed, and shows that in such localities locali-ties crop rotation should be practiced in addition to seed treatment. Bunt or covered smut of wheat attacks no other cereal crop, but other cereals have their own smut diseases. The other wheat smut occurring In this country, known commonly as loose smut, is not so serious as bunt, although it probably produces an average av-erage loss of three-fourths of one per cent of the total wheat crop of the country. Loose smut may be prevented prevent-ed by treating the seed by the Jensen hot-water method or some modification of It. The Jensen method consists in soaking soak-ing the seed for ten to fifteen minutes in hot water at a temperature of 132-to 132-to 133 degrees, Fahrenheit. It Is highly high-ly important that the water shall not rise over 135 degrees or fall below 130 degrees, Fahrenheit. A temperature below this will not kill the smut, while a temperature too high may affect the germination of the seed. The grain after treatment should be immediately immediate-ly spread out to dry. If it cannot be spread at once it should be dipped into cold water to cool at once, and spread as soon as possible. |