The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1901-04-20
Smut In Oat Fields.

= Is
*sl Smut In Oat Fields.
Wherever smut exists in oats the
financial loss to the farmers is very
great, though this fact is not usually
appreciated. The Department Of
Agronomy Of the Illinois College of
Agriculture is making a special effort
this year to ascertain the losses in
Illinois oat fields due to smut. The
loss last year was estimated at $780,
900. Those of our readers who will
help in this work should send to the
University at Urbana for a circular
giving instructions how to make the
estimates. Among other things the
instructions contain the following,
which will be of interest to all our
readers: In order to determine the
per cent Of smutted heads take an
ordinary barrel hoop or light frame of
any kind of convenient size and throw
over a spot in the field, selected at
random. Count all of the stalks in
side the hoop and note the number On
the blank given on last page of this
paper. Now count the stalks affected
by smut and set down in the proper
column Of the same blank. Repeat this
operation in three or more places in
every field in order to get an average
Of smutted stalks for the field.
Caution.-Care should be taken that
none Of the smutted stalks are passed
by unnoticed.
1. The smutted stalks are usually
shorter than the healthy ones. and
consequently are overlooked in count
ing.
2. The smutted heads do not always
push out of the sheath and these
stalks are counted as merely dwarfed
plants, when if the sheath is unrolled
the head will be found to be smutted.
3. The smut appears early, and by
the time the oats are ripe has been
mostly whipped off by the wind, in
many instances leaving only a bare
stalk or stub.
The so-called blighting of oats is
generally caused by smut, although
the smut may have disappeared en-
tirely..
Position OF Wool in Sheep Husbandry.
A Michigan Experiment Station
Bulletin says: Can sheep husbandry
be made profitable by disregarding en-
tire1y the wool product? In some few
favored localities such course of
sheep husbandry may be made profit
able, but under ordinary conditions
the wool product contributes material
ly to the net income from the flock.
In some instances breeders of NUT
ton sheep have realized as much for.
their wool as the men who have been
keeping sheep primarily for the wool
which they produce. In making such
claim it should not be forgotten that
the American markets in the past have
not been glutted with a large supply
of the medium and coarse grades OF
wool, while the scarcity of fine woods,
owing to the common stock of the
country being largely Merino grades,
has not been apparent until within
the past few months, although few
of the breeders Of Merino sheep have
| persistently prophesied that former
conditions would return, and that the
grading up of 1ocks for the produc-
tlon of the finer grades Of wool would
again profltably engage the s@tention
Of American sheep men. Fashion in
the manufacture Of wooden fabrics,
which has always been a potent fac
tor in the price of different grades Of
| wool, has seemed to encourage the
growth Of medium and coarse woods.
While the future of the wool industry
will be settled by conditions almost
entirely beyond the control of the
growers of this country, still every
thing points to a brighter prospect
for the wool grower than for several
years past and especially for the pro-
ducer Of fine Delaine woods.
Missouri Cattle quarantine.
A report from Jefferson City, Mo-,
under date Of June 20, says: Cover
| nor Stephens has extended the cattle
quarantine of the state to include
Canada cattle, and from this date un-
til the quarantine is lifted no Cana
dian cattle can be shipped into Mis-
souri, until they have been examined
by either the state veterinary or vet
Urinary surgeon appointed for that
purpose. The examination shall be to
ascertain if the cattle are infected with
tI1herc111oSiS This ic tho opJv obopoo