Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1884-06-27
Wheat MiIiev.

4 disease that in single year, and in
q single district comprising about co.,
600 acres. can SO quickly and heavily
reduce an English wheat crop that, in
July, 1881. promised to be one of the
best that had been seen for many years,
as to cause loss of $1,000, 900, is well
entitled to consideration in our own
wheat-growing country. The name
wheat mildew IS given to that stage of
the life of the parasitic Plant causing
the disease which follows the rust; it
takes the external form of red or black
patches, disposed in rather irregular
lines on the leaves, straw and chat.
A long series of questions in regard to
it was sent out by w. c. Little to En-
glish farmers, and the results appear in
valuable paper contributed TO the
journal of the Royal Agricultural
Society"
According to the answers received,
dow lands and very high exposed situa-
tons suffer most from the disease; that
crops which have been touched by
spring frosts are more liable to be at
tackled; that rain after hot weather
favors the attack, rather than merely
wet season in general. One case in il
lustration of the last point is taken from
the writer's own farm; the disease ap.
peared all over the estate in eleven
days after shower following two hot
days; and, as eleven days are required
for the disease to appear externally
after the fungus which causes it begins
its life in the plant, he has no doubt
that all the mischief was started during
the hot weather and the following rain;
the spores or germs of the fungus had
already been sown on that wheat in
some way, and as soon as the necessary
conditions of heat and moisture for
their termination were fulfilled, they
sprsng into life and took possession of
the crop.
As to soil, it appears that the disease
is more prevalent on mucky and clay
soil than on light soil. On no point
was there more marked agreement in
the answers than the bad effect of fol-
lowing wheat right after clover; twen-
ty-one correspondents specified this
crop as one which appears to favor the
disease or as having preceded particu-
lar wheat crop that was badly mil
dewed." As to the condition of the soil
and the manuring, while there was not
any striking uniformity of opinion, still
it appears that mildew is more apt to
make trouble in connection with high
farming, and that crop too much
| forced by nitrates or any other nitrogen
Gus manure is more susceptible to at
tack. Both DR.. Lawes and DIR. Voelcker
give support to this view; the former
because, in his own field experiments,
| ,,,onYral with alnna
were more commonly milGc than
those which were MANFRED with phos-
pilates and potash as well as ammonia
salts. Dr. Voelcker bases his opinion
on the result of an analysis of d soil
on which wheat had been for several
years badly blighted, and which, though
| rich enough in potash, was poor in
phosphates and in lime, and on his own
observ atoms in the country as to the
apparent condition of soil and manur-
| ing under which mildew prevails.
: Herein, too, lies the explanation of
the greater liability to mildew after
clover; for clover is regarded as ordi-
narily a good preparation for wheat,
Just because it leaves the upper layers
of soil richer in nitrogen than they
previously were. 1t is not that any de-
ficieucy or superabundance of any kind
of plant food can be the original cause
of mildew; but that the plant is thereby
weakened and become less able to resist
the attack of the disease when it does
come; just as man in sound health
may laugh at many diseases to which
his weaker neighbors fall victims. Much
evidence is offered that early maturity
of the crop, secured often by early seed
ing, has in many cases saved it; and as
phosphates seem to hasten maturity,
we NAV find herein a partial explana.
ton of the apparent greater prevalence
of the disease on soils deficient in phos-
phate. 1t also appears from the tenor
of these replies that red wheats are less
liable to mildew than arc white wheats.
! Ne1U YORK. Tribune.