The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1895-11-07


forth net work of root like tissue called
Mycelum. Through this. it sucks up the
sap that should 90 to nourish the seeds
of the plant and these latter shrivel
I'D. Very soon the fungus bursts
through the epidermis Of the leaf and
appears upon the outside as the we'll
known, elongated, narrow red spots,
popularity called "Red rust" These
are the uredo spores Of the fungus and
are able to reproduce themselves upon
the same OF other grass like plants
and subsequently they produce the
last form in the life cycle, the black.
teleuto spores which form the narrow
black lines seen on the leaves and
stems of cereals and grasses in late
summer and fall These black spores
are the winter or resting spores and
will under favorable circumstances re-
tain their vitality in the straw or even
on the ground for a year or more.
Eventually some Of them alight upon
the leaves Of their alternate host and
there produce again the cluster cups
and Aecidio spores and these the uredo
and teleuto spores.
The three fungi which attack grasses
and cereals do not all have the same
alternate host. Pucinn{a graminis
has for alternate hosts, the barberry.
mahonia and probably other shrubs.
Pucinaia eorondta, has for its alternate
hosts the buck thorps, Rhamus lqnceo-
lotn, franGula and other species. Pucin-
MIA Rubiqo-rera has for its alternate
hosts the common and disagreeable
weeds Viper's buglass. Echium rulgare,
and Cromwell, Lithospermum aruense.
Knowing that to complete their cycle
of growth these fungi require host
widely different from grasses and
grains if we could extirpate all such
host plants within half mile or so OF a
stop their further Development Yet
pests in one or two seasons even by
completely destroying their alternate
host-plant. Once the Red rust or
uredo spores of the Coronota and Rub
:go-rera species are produced on grains
or cereals, these in our warm climate
where growing glumaceous plants are
found in a green condition all the year
| round may 90 on reproducing
| themselves Indefinitely as we'll as pro-.
| ducing at the same time the succeeding
| black form, the teleuto spores, which
are then able to stock the ground or in
feet any chance alternate host plant
| which negligence or accident may al.
| low to remain.
| AS these spores are extremely small
and light and are produced in almost
incredible numbers the few alternate
| host plants which may survive even
the most watchful care may supply
2cidio spores enough to infect hundreds
of acres of grass or grain.
Common and destructive as the rust
fungi are in the United States, in Aus
tralia they are still more SO and several
conventions Of scientific men and prac-
teal farmers have been held there to
devise methods for REFRESHING the pests
but SO far without much success.
| Practical experience recommends the
following measures:
l. Use dry or we'll drained land TO,
small grains.
2. Plant only hard stemmed, hairy.
early maturing varieties of wheat.
3. Plant those varieties which in
your locality resist rust best-the
socalled "Rust proof" wheat and oats.
a. Sow thinly to give plenty Of sun.
light and air to the plants.
8. Plow the land deeply as soon as
the crop is harvested to destroy volun-
teer growth or burn the stubble and
straw on the field. The latter plan is
best where grain is grown on large
scale.
n. Carefully search out and destroy
all alternate host plants found within
one half mile of wheat or oat field.
!. Rotate crops so that some crop
other than grasses or cereals will come
on the land each two years out of three
s. The use Of fungicidal sprays or
growing grain has not so far given sat
isfactory results. The best fungicides
for this class of plants are: 1. Simple
solution of Iron Sulphate. g. Copper
sucrate. Directions:-Apply in thu
finest possible spray as soon as the
grain begins to flower-repeat every
ten days until grain is in the dough.
Then harvest it. For formulas for pre-
pairing these fungicldes see bulletin No
81 of this Station-Formulas 1 and
page 7.-Gerald Mccarthy, N. @. Elk
pertinent Station.