The Red Cloud chief., 1880-12-30

SrooLs attacked with buns are not
easily distinguished from healthy
plants prior "a the appearance of the
ear from the sheath. although. on q
examination. the stalks and leaves OF
the diseased parts are found 10 be nor
slender and 10 have \ deeper green
color. but the ear. even when quite
Young. betrays the disease by the .
oior when crushed between The M
gers; rs Dol rs the ear energies from
the sheath. the presence of b disease
i plainly manifested by it, blush green
color and thinner and more elongated
shape; the gsumes are more closely
compressed together, h gram -
larger aud more ovoid than the healthy
grain. and highly fntid within; isnrr IN
the season. the diseased ear being
lighter than the souni ear. IL does no.
lean over with its weight. but remains
erect. Usually all the heads from
root are diseased. but sometimes both
sound and diseased ears are bore from
one seed, and even sound and Il seased
grain on one ear. Bunt in the wheat
held causes not only = diminished bar
vest. but in the threshing the spores
are scattered about in the air and cause
irritation of the eyes and breathing
passages Of the workmen. and a feeling
Of oppression; adhering - the sound
grain. they give a dull appearance a
the -four. and n violet color and dIsa-
greeable taste and odor 10 the bread:
some use. may. however. be made OF
badly-infect-d grain. as fowls are said
O.. food trn.f, ~ ~tfhnus fngsfTr
IL has been clearly proved. says Dr.
Henslow in one of the iirst volumes Of
the journal Of the Royal Agricultural
Society that wheat plants infested
with hunt may be- obtained NJ VIII BY
simply rubbing the seed before sowing
il with the black powder or spores OF
the fungus, and il has also been a.
clearly ascertained that If seeds thus
tainted be thoroughly clcansed, the
plants raised from them will be- sound
and healthy; hence the various methods
of treating the suspected seed. such AS
picking in a solution Of blue vitriol. or
in some caustic liquid. II infected
grain is put in water. the unsound seeds
being lighter Loaf on the surface, and
may be removed; but spores may still
remain ob%stinately adhering Ia the good
seed, coming from hunted gram crushed
in the threshing. that scattered their
contents over the whole. 1illct, after
whom the fungus was named in honor
Of his work on the diseases OF grain,
appears to have been the first who adj
vised treatment with milk of lime or a
mixture Of lime and potash lye; the
use of blue vitriol was afterward found
to be more successful, but different
authorities give widely different direc-
tons for making the application. All
agree pretty well as To the quantity To be
used. one to one and 4 half pounds.
dissolved in n sufficient quantity of
water. for eight bushels Of grain; but
while some merely sprinkle the solution
over the grain in such a way that II
shall be completely dampened through
out, others soak the grain in the soiu-
ton for half al hour. twelve to fourteen
hours. or even twenty-four hours; it il
affirmed To have been conclusivcly
proved by experiment that il
the immersion is continued only
six or seven hours many spores
still capable of termination will
be left attached to the grain. Our
correspondent has this year not beer so
successful as usual with this method Of
treatment. and attributes his failure TO
the poor quality of the chemical; blue
vitriOl is sometimes contaminated with
green vitriOl;this impurity NAV be detect
ed by pouring into the solution of the
blue vitriol in a small wine glass some
ammonia water. to be had Of any drug
gist. in small quantities at a time. till
the thick greenish mass produced at
first is all dissolved to n deep blue
liquid; if much cOpperas was present in
the sample small flakes may be observed
floating about in the blue liquid. on
holding it up to a strong light. which
are seer to be of a reddish color when
separated out from the liquid.
Blue vitriOl is a violent poison, and
its use is not always successful; per-
haps our friend may like the following
method of treatment better; it is con-
sidered in France to be most cfiicacious,
and at the same time all the materials
employed in it are quite cheap and in
nOcuous: Dissolve ten pounds of Glau-
bers salts in about twelve gallons of
water, making sure by frequent stir
ring at intervals for some hours that
the solution is complete; prepare n
quantity of fresh. dry-slaked lime; pour
about three bushels of wheat on the
floor, and while two men shovel it
over. sprinkle it with as much Of the
solution Of the salt as is required To
dampen it thoroughly; then immedi-
ately scatter over it about four pounds
of the fine powder of the lime. while
the workmen continue to turn it rapid
" over and over; when the work is
well done every kernel should be conf
pletely covered with a thin coating of
the lime. A second quantity of the
grain may be treated in the same man.
ner, and so on as long as the materials
last; the manipulation of each portion
requires but a few minutes.-Prof. q. C.
CdidUeH, in n. y. Tribune.