The Democratic advocate., 1883-09-08
Ghe 9armer.
Rust and Smut in Grain.

The prevalence of smut in both spring and
fall grain is becoming a serious nuisance and
damage 1t is not only the loss of the grain,
but the baneful effects of the poisonous fun
gus upon animals who may consume the tod
der or the grain, which are to be deplored.
No doubt, many cases of serious disorder are
due to this cause Smut is fungus of much
the same character in this respect as rye er-
got, and the virulent effect of this poisonous
substance is too well known to be further
mentioned. Smut produces precisely the
same effects when given in small doses as er-
got of rye, and in large quantities is equally
poisonous, and the parasite is spreading with
great rapidity. The present season some oats
have been almost completely ruined by smut,
some kinds having been so much affected as
to be not worth harvesting. The same result
seems to affect in the same way all the new
varieties of oats of European origin which have
been introduced.
The growth and transformations of fungi
are neglected study; perhaps because this
study requires the closest and most devoted
attention, and the practice of microscopy.
Besides some considerable previous knowl-
edge is needed. For instance, two years ago
a small worm, invisible to the naked eye, was
found among the red spores of rust upon
wheat. Just at the same time a scientific
man stated that he had seen the same kinds
of worms (larvR of a minute fy) upon wheat
surrounded by multitude of the orange red
eggs of the insect. These eggs, however,
were not eggs, but the spores OF the rust, and
the worms were devouring them. This was
abundantly evident after several days close
examination of them. 1t is supposed that the
rust is an intermediate stage Of the same fun
gus which produces the smut as its seed. SO
that when we have rust we have smut, but
perhaps not until the next year. Last year
some fine wheat of a new and valuable varie-
ty was grown upon the ground where smutty
oats were grown this year. Previously part
of the ground had been plantation OF Kit
tatiny blackberries, which were so affected
with the rust that they were plowed out and
burned, root and branch. Some few sprouts,
however, came up among the wheat, covered
with rust, and from these the rust spread to
the wheat as from many centres, until the
whole of the latter was covered, too. This
year the crop is smitten with smut. Is there
any connection between the rust of last year
and the smut of this? Undoubtedly there is.
The moral of it is this Rust and smut
should be fought and destroyed as a pernic
ious enemy; virulent disease in vegetables,
akin to those parasitic diseases which affect
our live stock so seriously. And there is a
remedy, and a very simple one. Steep the
seed in any corrosive liquid which will not IN
jure 1t. Strong brine, causuc lime water,
potash lye, solution of sulphate of iron, or,
best of all, solution of sulphate of copper.
The latter is made of four ounces of the sui
phate (blue vitrioD to a gallon of water, and
this is enough for four bushels, which will alb
sorb the whole oft, and yet be dry enough to
drill the next day. If this were done both
with fall and spring grain, not excepting corn
among which smut is rapidly increasing
we might soon free ourselves of it. The rea-
son why this process is effective is that the
seeds of grain are downy or hairy, and the
very minute spores of smut are caught and
held in these hairs and are sown with the
seed; besides this the seed itself may be in
fected internally. When the seeds germinate
the fungus enters the plant, or grows within
it, and very soon spreads through the whole
of the cellular tissue, just as parasitic germs
infect the blood of an animal, and in time
produce black carbuncular eruptions, as in
case of the too well known black-leg or char
bon of cattle, or hog cholera, or chicken
cholera. Indeed it is well known that to feed
smutty fodder to cattle will produce carbun-
cular eruptions and other disorders induced
by blood poisoning. So that for the sake of
our live stock, as well as our crops, we should
get rid of rust or smut.