The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1886-04-09
blue-stone is dead shot for smut in
California. BY blue-stone / mean sui
phate of copper or blue vitriol."

blue-stone is dead shot for smut in
California. BY blue-stone / mean sui
plate Of copper or blue vitriol."
II wheat is sown in old stubble where
there was smut the previous year it will
make its appearance to some extent, but
the second year there will be no sign of
it. In new ground, or in fields where
wheat has not been raised for two sea-
sons yr more there will be no smut IL
the seed is prepared as above, unless it
may be communicated from neighbor.
ing fields where the seed has not been
treated for the purpose of killing smut
germs. The cost of preparing the seed
for one acre of ground will not exceed
the loss of one bushel of smutty wheat
Below is an extract from letter ON
the subject received from Prof. E. w.
Hilgard, University of California, col
lege of agriculture, Berkely, Cal:
"As regards the Questioning Of seed
wheat, the solution is as strong as 1t can
be made at the ordinary temperature.
Such solution contains about three
pounds of blue-stone to five quarts OF
water. The time of immersion varies
somewhat. The most definite prescrip-
ton given is that half sack should re-
main in the saturated solution at least
three minutes, and be turned about
several times in the interval to make
sure OF wetting thoroughly. When
weaker solution is used the grain may
be left in it until it begins to sprout
The sacks are usually left unopened un-
til used for sowing. There is no drying
60na n N 10 70 hn
in the seed drill. It will work perfectly
with the centrifugal sower without dry
ing. In general would be in favor Of
the strong solution and short INNER
sion. The work is then done quicker,
and if the grain is afterward left in the
sack for some hours the application il
sure to be effectual. Again, the strong
solution is more certain to render the
grain distasteful to birds and insect
enemies, and gives margin for killing
fungoid germs round about the young
Seeding. There seems to be little dan
ger to the vitality of the seed from the
blue-stone OF course, the blue-stone
will not prevent the smut germs left
over in the fields from previous seasons
from attacking the developed plant 1t
simply kills the germ in the seed that
would otherwise develop along with the
latter and take the plant in its early
stages. A field that has been very
smutty during the previous season will
be apt to show some on the grain Of the
next one despite Questioning, but per-
sistence in the practice will be sure to
put an end to the fungus germs, save SO
far as they may be furnished by kind
neighbors above the wind.
In preparing wheat for seed it has
been the practice of farmers in Europe
to separate carefully the small and i'm
perfect grains and sow the largest and
most perfect berries. This insures q
larger yield and better quality. Tests
have been made in England where
fields side by side were planted three
years in succession, and one gave three
bushels the first year, five the second,
and eight the third year more than the
other, both fields being treated precisely
the same except in seed. This has been
tried by farmers of Illinois and Iowa,
and has resulted in their adopting this
practice, getting larger yield and
much better quality. These are all facts
obtained by actual experience and tests
made by practical farmers and scien-
tific agriculturists.