The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1901-12-10

Among the higher groups of fungi
are the smuts and rusts. These are
OF Importance TO every farmer. No
fungus can manufacture starch out
of carbOnio acid gas and water, but
must live on the plant, or substances,
viii IN would develop the growth and
maturity of the plant upon which it
grows.
THE SHUTS.
Smuts are Wellknowu group of
fungi. Every one is familiar with
the smuts of corn, wheat and oats
Their appearance on corn are great
distorted kernels, many times as
large as the ordinary ones, co imposed
of smut threads and u blacks mass
of smut spores. Other kinds are
found upon wheat and oats.
Generally the smut spores develop
themselves in the seed areas of the
plants, and substitute for the seed
their own fruit bodies. Hence, the
smut fruit b dy of the corn takes
the enlarged corn kernel and the
sinking smuts of wheat and oats
fill the hull of the grain with a mass
of smut spores.
HOW WHEAT SMUT SPREADS
If the hull of the wheat grain is
broken while threshing or handling
in any way, the smut spores are
liberated and fall upon the ends of
other uninfected kernels. There
they are caught and held by the lit.
tie hairs on the germinal end and
when the wheat is sown and gerni
mated the smut spores germinate also
and their delicate threads grow in
the tissues of the wheat plant keep
ing pace with the host as it grows
higher and higher into the air.
When the wheat flowers and the
fruit begins TO appear the smut fila
ments begin TO divide themselves
into spore cells 80 that finally they
are filed with thousands of smut
spores. This process may then oon-
tinue from one year TO another.
HOW 1T Is PREVENTED.
On account of the habits of the
smut, it is disease of the grain
which may be eradicated by soaking
the wheat in bluestone water or by
soaking for five minutes in water
of 1872 degrees Fahrenheit. By suoh
means the spores of the smut are
killed, but on account of the thick
hull of the wheat kernel it ia not in
jured. Another fungus very injuri
Gus TO the wheat plant is
RUST
The wheat rust is a very remarkable
fungus from it's singular custom of
changing it's habitAtiOn from one
plant to another. Not only does it
change it's place If abode, but it
changes it's form and structure az
Ael, so that it is impossible TO tell
it after it has migrated TO one of the
other plants upon which it has ac
quired the habit of developing itself,
except by those who have given it
careful study. There are three kinds
of rust that grow on wheat The
spring rust, the red or "summer"
rust, and black or autumn" rust
The spores of the spring rust grow
IN harberry leaves, and here spores
are formed which are carried by the
winds TO the wheat fields
Rust ia, by far, the most destruc-
tive or all wheat diseases and it is
apparent that auoh disease offers
difficulties 80 the economic farmer
desirous of protecting his crop, far
more than those of the smut. There
fore the best plan to eradicate wheat
rust is by the development of 80
o4l ed trust proof" varieties While
smut j. the easiest of wheat diseases
to control, rust is the m st d fficult.
j G. BEAVERS.
A. & M. College, West Raleigh, N. G.
In the new apiculture, the length