The Plymouth weekly Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1860-1869, 1868-12-31
:farm aud Aouselsnld.
Corn Smut and Dead Cattle.

THE news comes to us from various
parts of the country, that cattle are dying
in large numbers since they have been
turned into the fields from which the corn
has been gathered, and it is generally be-
Geved that the cause of their death is to
be attributed to their eating smut AS
every farmer Is aware, this smut is liable
TO make its appearance on various parts
Of the stalk, leaves, and especially on the
ears of corn, in the form OF dark,
sDOngy growth, sometimes OF blush
black or purple color This substance in
sreases very rapidly in size, aud some
times forms masses five or six inches in di-
ameter. The growth of this variety of
fungus on the corn is usually attributed
To wounds and bruises on the corn plant,
inflicted during the process of cultivation.
The sweet nitrogenized sap OOzes out, and
receives OEe or more spores which are
floating in TIE air, or, in the opinion of
some, spontaneously DEVELOPS this para
site vegetation. This species Of ngus
growth seems to be more frequen' sea
sons when there are extremes Of / and
cold, and Of moisture and dryness nd in
the opinion of many intelligent rmers,
it is much more common than {, rmerly.
Il is affirmed BY some that the application
against the appearance of this species of
disease
Cattle will rarely, if ever, touch stalk
or leaf Of corn in which this substance
has appeared but when quantity of it
Is surrounded by husks and is mixed with
the prOngs Of ears partially covered with
corn, they viii eat it readily for the sake
of the nutritious matter that it encloses or
is mingled with It, As this smut is i'm
peryious to water, it will remain dry in
the stomach Of the animal, and in no con-
dition to be raised by rumination. Some
think that it simply causes an infamma-
ton of the mucous membrane of the first
stomach, as other indigestible substances
would while others believe that it engen-
ders the production of other fungi which
result in the decomposition of the blood
and of the animal tissue
Recently a disease has broken out in
Story county, Iowa, among the cattle that
have been turned among the corn-stalks
At least hundred have died. several
farmers having lost as many as ten, and
as smut was very abundant in the fields in
which the animals were feeding, it is gen.
orally thought that it was the occasion of
the malady. Professor Townshend. of the
Iowa Agricultural College, and Doctor
Sprague, of Ames, made post norton
examination OF four of these cattle, and
gave an opinion adverse to that which
was generally held in the community
Whether these gentlemen were right or
wrong ia their opinion, it is certain that
till the effect of smut on the animal sys-
tenn has been determined with degree { f
certainty, by experiment and scientific in
vestigatiOn, farmers cannot be too careful
about turning their stock into corn fields
where smut is known to exist. Pains
should be taken during the cultivation of
the crop to remove all these excresences
as soon as they appear, so that the spores
which they produce shall not be carried
about the field. At the husking season it
will be mparatively easy to cut of
every stalk, leaf or ear on which the smut
has made It's appearance, and either bury
them a considerable distance in the
ground, or what is better, apply the torch
70 them; for it would not be advisable to
carry them through the field in order TO
bury them - Prairie FdrI1er