Rocky Mountain husbandman. [volume] (Diamond City, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1876-11-02
SMUT IN WHEAT.

WV i"iiS eiiice saw IN the Tribune two
mems views on smut in wheat. They differ
very widely, and think they are both mis-
taken One says it is contagious. the other
says It's not, and neither gives his reason
Tor his theory My opinion is based on act
ual observation and experience.
twenty-five years ago, when living in
Gallia county, Ohio, I sowed wheat entirely
free OF smut, on new land, which had never
been i'll wheat before, and at harvest it was
polluted with smut. 1t was wet season.
frequent showers with hot sunshine inter
Venlng found, by examining the smut
grains, that the rain had etthen until they
We're like soft paste, and that the heat of the
sun had Matched out a live worm about one
twentieth OF an inch in length. I continued
my discovery until was satisfied that smut
III Wheat was caused by an insect depositinp
its eggs in the grain at certain period.
which causes the grain to blast, turn black
and dry up. e.. ~.
Ny view of the case is, that the egg is in
the smut grain and matches out in the earth
and becomes flying insect which lights
upon heat Of Wheat and deposits its eggs
IN the young grain, causing it to blast. The
great secret Of bluestone, brine and other
washes recommended for wheat, is that they
destroy the egg, consequently they never
hatch out, and in this way stop is put for
at least one year to this contagion. Blue
stone is certain remedy against smut if
prOnartJ s.rr's'-'yfh fhl>-r lie.nih nanet a>a,an
trate the smut so as to destroy the life of the
egg.--.4. s., St. Johns, Mo.
| A recent correspondent tells us what smut
is. But | suspect he never examined his
field of grain when in bloom, or he would
! have come to different conclusion. II he
will examine he will find that head of
smut wheat blooms the same as head of
good wheat, and when the pollen from the
smut head falls upon and impregnates a
grain Oh good head, that grain, if sown,
will surely bring q head of smut wheat
l.. H., New London, Mo.
A great deal of nonsense is written in ref
erence to the cause OF smut in wheat; and it
is we'll to bear in mind that there is in real-
ty no question at all about it. The fact that
it is parasitic fungus (Ustilago segetNn) is
as we'll established in botany, as that mis-
tletoe is parasite On apple, oak, ETC., and
not an outgrowth of the trees. That it prop
agates by dust-ike spores, when the con-
ditions are favorable, is also well established.
Every particle of the brown-block dust is a
spore, or germ, each so minute that S,O0O,-
900 could be placed side by side OH square
inch of surface. These float though the air,
attach themselves to the ripening grain, and
are soW'n with the seed, when they germin-
ate; and after going through various stages
of development in the tissues of the growing
grain plants-imbuing them with its poison
Gus qualities-reproduce fungus like the
parent, !. e., cause the ear to "smut."
Hence. the philosophy of the various
washes with which the seed is treated to
prevent smut, the object being to destroy
the vitality of the spores.
The fact of finding insects in such smut is
no more evidence of its being caused by
them then the finding of them in black
knot is; or, to put it more strongly, than
the finding of mistletoe on tree is proof
that the tree was produced from mfstletoe.
A little light-brown beetle, not quite one
tenth fan inch long. with four quadrangle
larly arranged blackish spots on the back
(Brachytarsus variegatas) is found of breed
ing i'm different smuts, and can almost al |
ways be found in them, either in the larva
or beetle state. A. S. is, therefore off the |
track. and Mr.. Heskett on it.-C. Y Riley, in |
~ 2. 7tibt.ne.