The Weekly Kansas chief. [volume] (Troy, Kan.) 1872-1918, 1882-11-30
for the farmer.
CORN SMUT FUNGI,

At the close of every season the farmer finds
more OF less smutty corn in his field. In gener-
al appearance this pest Is so familiar to all
growers of the leading American field grain crop,
that bat few words are needed TO describe il. As
to its real nature and microscopic structure, not
SO mnch is known, and upon this part of the sub
ject the following mostly pertains:
The smut in Indian corn is not only a fungus
but is a fungus in itself. The trouble is caused
by fungus; the smut is the fungus in the last
stage of growth as found upon the corn plant.
But some reader may ask: What is a fnngusi
This is not an altogether easy question to ask.
II is plant. fungus is a member of low or
der of howerless plants. and has no leaves or
tree roots. A most familiar example of fungus
| is seen in a common mushroom and the various
| sorts of toadstools. These are among the larger
forms of these low and comparatively simple
plants. The various kinds of mould that grow
| upon the breads, cakes, preserves, etc, are all
fungi, aud are nearer the corn plant in structure
than the mushroom and tosdstool
'Fungi propagate by means of spores. These
are small bodies usually spherical in shape and
microscopic in size. They are produced in great
| abundance and are so light that they are carried
| here and there by every passing breeze SceD-
tifc men who have examined the subject most
carefully tell us that the ordinary air contains
many of these spores TO every square foot, and
they are ready TO terminate and grow 50 soon as
favorable positions are produced As they need
moisture and good degree of heat land of course
some substance upon which to grow), il is easy
during damp weather in summer. IL is at such
times that the housewife has the greatest trouble
in keeping her bread and other articles Of food
from being spoiled by a rapid development of
moulds upon them.
But this will be sufficient for a brief deserip-
ton of fungi, and we will now look into the ma
ture of the smut that grows upon the corn.
There are two general classes of fungi. those
that grow upon the dead and decaying organic
| substances, and those known as parasites that
,ls.ra
strneton. Among the latter class such pests
TO the farmer as the potato rot, wheat rust, oat
and barley smut, etc. The gardener has his
raspberry rust, onion smnt, peach curl, and
grape mildew. The list of parasitic fungi is
long one, and the smut is only one of a lar
ger number of these peculiar pests to farm and
garden crops.
The case of the corn smut is one where one
plant-a small one-grOws upon and derives its
nourshment from the elaborated juices of an
| other
IL Is not known inst how the corn smut first
starts its destructive growth, but as the spores
are so small and light, it Is probable that they
reach the corn plant from the air, and, falling
upon the surface of leaf OF stem, germi-
nate and send their threads or flaments into the
| tissue of the stem or leaf After entrance has
| been effected, the threads increase in number
and length, running in all directions on the sub
stance of the corn plant, robbing it of nourish-
ment as it goes. After growing for tune the
| crop of spores, by means of which the pest is
carried through the winter, and this species Of
smut perpetuated. This formation of spores
ualy takes place in the tissues of grains of corn.
At first the infested graias noticed to be of
unusual size, followed in n short time by dark
color within, until the grains have reached large
dimensOns-many times their normal size, and
are soft and spongy throughout In a short time
the interior OF the grain, in fact nearly all with
in the hull, is composed of dark, sticky mass
of purplish spores. The early stages of corn
smut not easily noticed, because the ears are
covered closely with the husks, and the first
signs of the pest the black and unsShtly
masses very appropriately known as smut.
The production of the spores is not entirely
confined to the ears, but make their appearance
| in the tassel or male flowers at the top of the
| stalk, and in bad eases the joints of the stems
and the ribs in the leaves are likewise affected.
The number of spores that a single smutted
corn plant will produce is almost beyond COM
puIatioa. As the spores the means of propa-
CATION of the pest, and the smut is composed of
these spores, it is clear that. in order to check
the increase of this pest, the spores should be de-
strOyed. THIS can he done by burning all smut
TED ears. Smut is injurious TO live stock that
eat it in their fodder; it acts both poison
and mechanical irritant.
1t is Thought by some growers that the
smut is planted with the corn adhering to the
grains. Ii is recommended to wash the grain
and dust il with lime or ashes before painting.
Cor. Farmers Rerier.