Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1881-10-07
smut IN Corn.


Every year smut In corn Is increasing
so that it Is rare now to find field free
from IL, while some farms are infected
with IL to an alarming extent. say
alarming, advisedly, because farmers or
stock men realize the mischief this par
asite may do, and actually does produce.
The nature ofsmut Is somewhat akin to
that other fungus. ergot, in its effect
upon the urinary and uterine organs.
IL cannot be doubted that the so-called
murrain, OF which tho chief symptoms
are impaction of the rumen, indigestion
and blood-posoning braxy or enteric
fever in sheep are caused by this fun
gus. There may be and are other
causes, but this poisonous vegetable
parasite Is the most frequent agent in
producing these diseases.
Its specific character and manner Of
growth, too, are by no means generally
known, and this is unCortunate; because
II we are to find any remedy 1t must first
be through knowledge of the habits Of
this plant.
After several years investigation OF
corn smut. have come to the conclu.
sion that it is n true parasitic disease of
taken from the soil; that the continued
growth of corn upon the same soil fa-
vors its spread, and that corn grown
upon smutty soil, or soil upon which
previous crops of smutty corn have been
grown, will surely be infested, and that
very extensively. The smut certainly
comes from the root, and affects the
whole plant. have this year grown
tfu IN, ,,ta of Ground
which was sown with smut last year
from previous crop of corn, in which
the main root, the aerial roots, the stem
abortive ones as well, and the tassel, are
each and all badly affected. The corn is
totally unit for use, and has been cut
down and destroyed before the spores
were mature enough to be spread. The
smut first appears as white granular
substance, very much like that of an
unripe puff ball, but soon develops the
peculiar well-known black, powdery
spores, which are the fruit of the
mature plant. Upon examining the
parts of the affected plants where the
smut first appears, the substance of the
stem and leaf is seen under the micro
scope to be filled with threads of myce-
lium and small patches of the granular
substance, which consists of cells filled
with spores in process of development,
in ovoid vesicles very much like the
ovoid grains of the wheat and other
rusts, except in wanting color. When
the spores are ripe, these vesicles or
egg shaped spore cases burst, and the
smut appears like brown dust collected
in masses. Separately the particles of
smut are too small to be seen, except
under high power. The whole plant,
when badly Affected, seems to be filled
with the mycelium or white threads of
the fungus upon which in places appear
clusters of these colorless spore vesi-
cles.
1t is undoubtedly q parasitic disease
OF the sap, communicated by infection
from the soil, and oilers striking
similarity in character to those para
site diseases of animals which are pro-
duced from infection by certain organ
isms (cells or spores), which are taken
into the blood through the stomach or
lungs. To my mind, it appears that
corn smut should be classed with pear
blight, peach -yelows, the potato-rot,
the rust of Strawberries, beets, etc.,
and the rust and smut of wheat and
oats. ALI along we have been consider
ing these to have been accidentally
communicated by spores falling upon
The leaves or bark from the air; but
am sure, from investigation during the
past five years, that the disease springs
| from the soil and enters by the roots,
and that we may sow the disease, even
with the seed.
| Ir,s hn,.a ~ ,,,irrI,t ln ,,arf;nant IN
suggest to your readers to consider this
matter as they are preparing to sow
wheat. 1t is o frequent practice with
careful farmers to prepare their seed
by sleeping it in corrosive liquid. such
as q solution of sulphate of copper,
strong brine or lime water, or by dress
ing the moist wheat with caustic dry
lime just previously air-slaked. The
reason for this practice may not be
clear. If few grains of wheat or oats
are examined under good microscope,
the rough skin will nearly always be
found to have more or less of grains ol
smut upon them, and if the seed is thu:
sown, we SOW the disease as effectively
as if we feed to hen some food fouled
with the droppings of another fowl tha
has the chicken cholera, or as if we our
selves take into our StomachS Somt
water fouled with cesspool matter which
produces typhoid fever with the great
est certainty. So that, SO far as tn,
seed-wheat is concerned, we may, b,
this precaution, prevent smut in the fu
ture crop, and the same will undoubt
edly be true as regards seed-corn.
But precautions are also due in re
gard to feeding smutGy corn or fodde
to stock, and these should not be neg
lected. Perhaps the best thing to d.
is, when the corn is cut, to keep all tn
smutty corn by Itself and burn it. TIL
spores are practically imperishable, a
are the germs of the animal parasite
referred to, and fire is the only SAT
method of dealing with them. If W
would be rid OF these diseases we mus
"stamp them out."-H Stewart, i
Country Gentleman.