The Osceola times., 1888-06-23
SMUT IN WHEAT.
Remedies Recommended by Professor
Fletcher as Thoroughly Reliable.

Remedies Recommended by Professor
Fletcher as Thoroughly Reliable.
All farmers know the los 5 that is oc-
casionally caused by the prevalence of
smut in wheat fields. Various RENE
lies are in use with more or less sue
,css TO prevent or remove this disease.
The same trouble is met with TO n
greater or less extent all over the
country. In Canada n series of ex-
periments have been made at the ex-
perimental farm under the direction of
Prof. James Fletcher. with the result
that some authoritative statements,
based upon careful tests, are now given
to the public. The condition in which
the smut passes the winter is in the
shape of the minute black spores pro-
duced in the ears of the wheat. These
spores either adhere to the ripe grain
of adjacent wheat plants or, falling to
the ground, remain there, in an unde-
ve,oped condition. until the young
wheat plant has attained the proper
growth for them to begin their attack.
BY proper system Of rotation of crops,
wheat would not be grown again on
the same land for about four or five
years, or more, and by this time it is
probable that most of the spores from
the smut upon the previous wheat CROP
would have perishcd.
To successfully prevent smut appear
ing in the field. the spores of the dis
ease must be removed before the seed
is planted, and this can only be done
by washing or sleeping the seed wheat
in somc solution which is fatal to the
disease. A number of remedies are
given, but Prof Fletcher recommends
three, after thorough trial, as being re-
liable. First comes sulphate of copper.
which is easily obtainable and chear.
A pound of blue stone dissolved in five
quarts Of boiling water is sufficient to
treat four bushels of wheat, the grain
being allowed to soak for ten minutes
or thereabouts Another method
claimed to have been successfully prac-
ticed is to dissolve a pound of the ma
terial IN pailful Of hot water. which is
then sprinkled over ten bushels of
wheat in a wagon box, another person
vigorously stirring up the grain mean
while.
This, however. is in direct contradic-
ton to the experience of the New York
Experimental Station. where it was
proved that oats soaked nearly eigh::
teen hours in solution of blue-stone
still preserved a small amount of smut
1t required forty hours of soaking to
kill all the germs of the fungus.
Another remedy used frequently is
to soak the grain for ten or fifteen min
utes in brine of the strength generally
used in picking pork. After the brine
is drained off, lime should be sprinkled
over the wheat before it is sowed
Yet another method is to work the
wheat water with a mixture of aka
line lyc. A lye suitable for this pur-
pose may be made by adding TO three
or four gallons of boiling water. in any
suitable vessel, one gallon Of hard.
wood ashes. and stirring frequently un.
til the alkaline properties of the
ashes are extracted; or an aka.
line solution OF sufficient strength may
be made by dissolvirig two pounds Of
ordinary washing soda in pailful Of
water.
The most common practice in Cal.
ifornia is to make a moderately strong
solution Of blue-sione and then soak
the grain in this over night 1t may
be that less time would be perfectly
satisfactory. but this has been found
most convenient here and is generally
followed San Francisco chronic,c.