The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1898-11-15
MORE WHEAT EXPERIMENTS.

The Kentucky and Ohio stations
have also been ex 2erimenting to ascar-
tain the best varieties of wheat and
the best methods Of treating rust and
smuts.
At the Kentucky Station Early Ar
oardian gave the best yield of twenty
varieties tested, Jones' Winter Fife
and Early White leader standing Sec
ond. Bat the ArcadiRn was one Of the
poorest milling wheats in the lot, and
the other two heavy yielders also
ranked rather low in milling qualities.
The best milling wheat was Jersey
Fultz, which stood eleventh in yield.
Acid phosphate seemed to give bet
ter results than any other fertilizer
containing but one element, though a
complete fertilizer consisting OF one
fourth (by weight) of nitrate of soda,
one fourth muriate of potash, and one
half acid phosphate, gave much better
results than acid phosphate alone.
This was in western Kentucky. In
the limestone lands of the bluegrass
region, potash is more needed than
phosphate.
In regard to rust, this kentucky
bulletin (No ~ says:
"Th 8 rust grows on all the small
grains and many of the grasses. In
becomes common here in midsummer
and does it's greatest injury then.
From what has been said of it's develop
ment it will be apparent that direct
applications TO the attacked plants
cannot be made with any assurance Of
success. The parasite grows in the in
terror Of it's host plants, and only ap
pears at the surface to form it's spores,
and after it's growth is complete and
it's injury done. Applications of such
sub stances as bluestone at this time
would doubtless destroy many of these
spores, but we not consider the eppli
cation of any solution ct this kind
practicable after grain is pretty we'll
grown; and, as has been intim ated, the
spores do not become apparent early
in the spring.
"The fact that winter spores remain
in stubble and straw is the most i'm
portant one from the practical point of
view which my sketch of the develop,
ment of red rust disclosee. It is alway 8
this old straw and stubble which fur
nishes much of the rust which appears
on wheat, and where rust is trouble
some, injury can be reduced by care in
removing and burning straw refuse,
and in burning off the stubble after the
grain is harvested. Stable manure
containing straw from bedding is a
common source of injury from rust,
and is not to be recommended for use
until well rotted.
81 have no evidence on this head
myself, but it is believed by good au-
thorities that red rust is hereditary
that is, the small growing threads OF
which l have spoken penetrate the
kernels of grain while the latter are
still immature and remain there dor
mant until the kernels produce plants,
when they become active and produce
spores. 1t ia asserted that seed grain
saved from badly rusted wheat or
oats produces badly rusted plants, and
that by avoiding such plants in getting
seed, then using the precautions in the
matter of straw and stable manure
which I hava recommended, rust need
not be feared"
The Ohio Agricultural Experiment
Station has, for several years past
conducted experiments in the preven-
tion of the smuts in wheat. There are
found on wheat in OHIO, loose smut
and shrinking smut. The loose smut is
that noticeable at blossoming time,
which destroys, usually, the entire
head. It is, perhaps, more general,
though usually much less destructive
than the shrinking smut, which converts
the kernels of wheat into masses of
dark brown, i'll smelling fungus spores.
This station has been successful in pre-
venting both OF these emuts and recon-
mends the following methods:
In all the methods employed for
stinking smut it is probably advisable
to immerse the grain in cold water,
with stirring, and to skim eff the smut