The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1866-10-26
rhe Disease OF the Wheat PIant.

The parasitic fungi which are inju,
rions 10 wheat, arc smut, rust, aud
mildew There are tso kinds Of smut,
the nred0fefidds, so called from its !
sinking smell, and il 10 well known
TO need a minute description. 1t
takes the place Of the kernel Of wheat,
and Is composed Of an immense mum
Der Of spores, every grain or ball con.
tanning millions Of them, so minute
that they are absorbed by the roots Of
wheat and carried upwards by the
sap. BY the aid Of the microscope
the progress Of these spores may be
traced through the stem Of tho wheat
10 the head. Ia making experiments
with t1is kind Of smut, Professor
Johnston found the tubes Of the stalk
filled with the black spornles which
had come from the roots. Thousanda
Of the sporules may be attached 20 a
single grain OF wheat and not be yisi-
Bile to the mixed eye They adhere
to the grain by an oily substance
which picking and washing dissolves
and cleans away. This disease Is
most common on damp and undrained
soils and impervious subeoilsi and
may be eradicated by thoroughly
draining the soil, procuring seed per-
fectly free from smut, sleeping it in n
strong brine and drying with Stacked
lime previous to sowing. Poisonous
sleeps for wheat are unnecessary and
should never be used. They have
often proved fatal TO domestic ami
mails Of various kinds. .f''
The second kind Of smut Ia ursclo
se0efuBl, and is found in the shape aof
black ears ID does not copfne itself
to wheat but attacks almost every
| kind OF grain crop, and may be OBJ
| served immediately after the ears have
shot out. This destToye the entire.
head, which crumbles away and dis
appears it is communicated by spores
which remain in the soil and are la
ken up by the roots Ii is said that
the spores Of this smut are 30 small
a square inch will contain 100000 Of
them, In places where IL abounds,
the surest way Of banishing il is by
laying. down the land 10 grass. ah
OF rust there is also two species;
Weio rubiGo, attacks the interior Of
the chat, appearing in the shape Of
1 blisters. 1t IL organe colored, and
causes the grain TO become shrupk and
worthless. a.sp ~,
The second kind, wedo hneagis,. is
confined TO the straw leaf, upon which
it appears in spots like iron-mould.
II causes the epidermis or exterior
skin to split, and in this manner in
jures the grain by causing the juices
Of the stems aud leaves to be lost.
Mildew, or mel.dew. so named from
an old notion that il was produced by
the honey-dew falling from the atmos-
phere, IL scientifically called p1ccinid
grarlinis. This forms blackish par.
allel lines, lives upon the straw, and
seems TO effect the whole plant so that
the grain Is very much shriveled, or
no grain at all Is formed The spores
/ Of this fungus enter the straw by its
breathing pores, which are closed IN
dry weather but open in u damp at
mospbere, This diseasc sometimes
appears quite suddenly in warm, moist
4 weather. Wet soils and over munured
land are chiefly subject TO mildew, IL
is said that soils containing a large
i proportion of the salts Of iron pro-
j duee crops which are generally more
or less damaged by this disease Late
crops are more effected by il than
early ones The best remedies APP
pear to be thorough drainage Of the
soil and early maturing of the crops.
Rural World.
/ -.