The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1884-05-09
Planting Germ.

The corn crop has two destructive
enemies; one is the crow and the other
smut; but both OF them may be avoided
by good management. The crow is a
willy bird and very suspicious, but by
taking advantage of its weakness in this
respect we may be able to circumvent it.
1t has another weakness, common TO
another race Of bipeds, which is love
for whisky, and we may also take adj
vantage of this to save the corn from his
dangerously kind attentions. No doubt
the crow is to Il large extent useful SER
want, but unfortunately his services are
so clumsily performed that he does as
much damage as he does good, or per-
haps more; for in his search for and
capture of cut-worms he pulls up the
corn, and is thus worst pest than the
worm, which usually takes but one plant
out of the hill The crow hunts by
scent, and if we can disguise the scent he
is batlled or alarmed and his suspicious
are aroused. AT the same time the cut
worm finds its way to the corn by scent,
and when we battle the crow the worm
is also avoided. To do this it is only
necessary to cover the seed with film
of gas tar, which has a strong and Of
fensive odor. This is done by mixing
small quantity--a tablespoonful, for in
stance-in sufficient hot water to saturate
a peck of seed corn. The water and tar
are well mingled by stirring, and the com
is then put into the mixture, and the
whole is stirred together and left until
the corn has absorbed the water. A thin
film of the tar adheres to the corn, which
is sprinkled with dry plaster or wood
ashes OF artificial fertilizer, to overcome
the adhesivcncss of the tar The seed is
then planted.
Smut is perhaps worse pest than the
crow, or its smaller, but equally trouble
some cousin, the crow blackbird. This
is no doubt sown with the seed, as in the
case with oats or wheat, and to rid the
crop of it the same prccation should be
taken. This is to steep the seed in corr
rosive solution, which destroys the soft
and absorbent spores Of the smut. sui
phatc OF copper is the most effective
agent for this use. One ounce dissolved
in one quart of water i, sufficient to sat
urate four quarts of seed, and if the tar
is addLd 10 this solution, as above men
toned, the seed is disinfcctcd of the
smut and coated with the tar and two
DlrdS, so to speak, are killed by one
stone. The prevalence of smut in corn
amounts to Il disaster. No one knows,
and few try to realize, how much injury
is done to live stock by feeding smutty
corn and fodder. 1t is well known that
the smut of corn has the same contrac-
tive effect upon the uterus as ergot of
rye, and also affects the blood as poi
son in the same way, producing gan
creme OF the extremities-just such a dis
ease AS has been prevalent among the
cattle in Kansas, and which produced
the recent foolish scare of loot and mouth
disease there. How many cases of abor-
ton in diaries occur from this cause no
one can tell, but we may well suppose IL
large proportion; for scarcely field of
corn in the country is exempt from more
or less smut. So that precautions against
it are imperative, and when we Try to
avoid the crow we may as well destroy
the germs of the smut. A little corn
stepped in whisky and strewn in the field
will upset the gravity of the crow and
make it an easy prey to those who think
the only good crow is a dead one.-NetO
York Times.