The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1892-11-18
The Hot Water Treatment For Smut
Of Oats And Sinking Smut Of
Wheat.
At Very Low Estimate the Smut Crop
of Michigan Has Cost the Farmers
More than 81 900, 900 this Year.

Numerous letters have been received from
various parts of the State, calling attention
to the great damage done by the smut of
oats and wheat Especially the former) and
asking for remedies. The loss to Michigan
farmers in the oat crop last year, by smut,
was probably not less than $500, 900, and
this year it exceeds that amount by at least
5000, ZOO. In all the communications which
have received this year from different parts
of the state where actual counts have been
made the percentage of smut, in no case,
has been less than per cent, and in many
cases it reached as high as 20 per cent, aver
aging about Is per cent.
The extent of loss by smut is seldom ap-
preciated until an actual count is made.
The smutted stalks are shorter than the
others and before the oats are ripe the smut
is blown away, leaving the bare stalk, which
will not be readily noticed,
In every case where the farmer has esti-
mated from to per cent OF smut in his
OATS actual count has shown from 10 to Is
per cent
The hundreds of experiments conducted
at Kansas Indiana and other experiment
stations with treated and untreated seed
sown side by side have shown the practical
value of this method.
Prof. Swingle and Prof. Arthur tell me
that the farmers who have tried 1t In Kan
sas and Indiana are enthusiastic inits favor.
Had all the farmers of Michigan treated
their seeds last spring, there would have
been saved to the state more than million
of dollars. The farmers who raised 20
acres of oats with straw promising 80
bushels per acre, received but As. In other
words the farmer loses 100 bushels of oats.
This is a low estimate. for in no case where
farmers actually counted the smutted stalks
did the per cent fall below s, and in many
cases 1t reached 30.
Do not conclude that you have no smut
because you did not see it, In the case OF
oats the smut is mostly blown Off before
harvest and the smutted stalks being short
er than the healthy ones are not observed.
METHOD OF INFECTION OF WHEAT AND
OATS.
The spores (seed Of the smut attach them
selves TO the kernels of wheat or oats and
are sown with them. When the kernal of
| wheat or oats terminates the smut spores
also terminate and enter the young plant,
growing and subsisting on the inside of the
plant until finally, when the head appears,
| il is smut instead of wheat or oats. 1t has
cost nearly or quite as much to grow the al
| fected plant as healthy one. We ask for
| bread and receive smut. Certain conditions
| of soil or weather may be more favorable to
the growth of smut than others, but let it be
| distinctly understood that its presence is
not due to any condition of soil or weather.
| We sow smut and we reap smut In the
case of oats the wind may carry the loose,
pOwdery smut over the fields and the spores
become attached to the kernels of oats. These
spores are so small that they cannot be seen
with the naked eye unless there are many
together, but they are there ready to grow
when the oats are sown. But probably the
threshing machine is the most effective way
of bringing the spores of smut into contact
with the wheat and Oat seed. A single
kernel may have thousands of these spores
attached to it yet not be observed. The
threshing machine becomes ready means
of carrying the smut from one farm to an
other 1t has been found that these adher-
ing spores may be killed by dipping the
seed into hot water for few minutes, and
yet not injure the vitality of the seed
This method, known as the Jensen or hot
water method, was discovered by j. l..
Jensen, of Denmark, in 1887.
The farmer may use his ingenuity in re-
gard to the treating of his wheat and oats,
use whatever conveniences he has at hand
anyway, so that he accomplishes the de-
sired result.
One way we find convenient is TO nave
kettle i'm which to heat the water quite hot,
say 165 degrees.
Near this kettle place barrel in which
to treat the seed. Fill this barrel about
one half full of hot water from the kettle
and then by adding either hot or cold water,
the temperature of the water in the barrel
may be kept at the desired height
Into this barrel dip the seed.
The dipping is easily done by placing
about bushel of seed into coarse gunny
sack and fasten this sack to one end of
long pole hung across notched post.