The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-03-06
THURSDAY EVENING, MARCH 6, 1902.
IT'S DEATH TO SMUT
Treatment Used blythe Wisconsin
Experiment Station.
MEANS MILLIONS FOR FARMERS
How a Loss OF over se,ooo,OOo ON
Oats Alone Might Have
Been Saved.

The loss from smut in grains in the
cereal regions OF the west during the
past twenty-five years, has been far up
| among the millions. In the state Of Wis
consin during the past season the loss
from smut in cats alone was over six
millions of dollars. 1t is said by those
In charge OF the experiment in destroying
this disease at the state experiment sta
ton Of Wisconsin that every dollar of
this vast sum could have been saved If
the farmers had followed the method of
treatment discovered at this station and
now given to the public without cost.
All growers Of oats. all growers, indeed,
| OF all cereals subject to smuts, within
hearing distance" Of II Q j our n a l
will be interested in the work which this
station has ACCOMPLISHED. 1t is of large
significance to the grain interests of the
northwest
Smut, to put it unscientifcally, is
caused by parasite which grows within
the grain plant. The prime object of this
parasite is first to destroy the seed OF the
| plant and then to scatter its contamina-
! ton among healthy plants. The spores,
or PARTICLES Of smut, are fine like dust and
are easily blown from plant to plant by
| the wind. One spore will infect healthy
grain and the spores developed in this
healthy body will then go on injecting
other heads, the spread thus being very
rapid. The smut spores do mot live over
winter in the ground but are killed
, through frost or Indictment weather. The
only way the spores have of living aud
carrying on their deadly work from sea-
son to season is in the seed grain. From
the infected seed grains in the spring
comes the damage.
Smut in oats. as in other crops, is an
| insidious foe and gets it's foothold before
1.-The farmer is aware of It's presence. The
authorities at the Wisconsin station, in
order to find out last summer just how
badly the crop was being affected, adopt
| ed a novel plan A large number Of oat
farmers were asked by circular letter to
1 go OUT to their oat Nelds on q given date,
and, taking barrel hoop in hand, throw
1t, out into the standing oats. IEe stalks
inside the hoop were then counted and
the number Of heads infected was careful
ly noted to show the relation OF good to
bad. This plan was repeated in various
I.parts of the field and the average OF all
the percents figured out giving an approx
innate average for the entire field.
/ 1t was found by a careful analysis OF
the reports Of all the counties that the
average infection of the entire oat region
stances the Infection was as low as or
per cent, while in others It rose to 81
per cent. In ST., CroiX county, hard Dy
Minnesota, the average was 26 per cent.
| The crop of the state FOR the summer
was 13OOO,000 bushels. Had the treat:
ment suggested by the station been usec
this Yield would have risen to 91,25O,O O(
bushels, as the loss was Is, 900 bushels
worth allowing an average OF but 81
| cents Der buShel, Sc, SS1 $40.
~ The Treatment Proposed.
The treatment proposed is inexpensive
; and, on the authority of the Wisconsin
station, certain. 1t consists in treating
the seed oats with formaldehyd solutions
Experiments were made in previous years
; in order to enable the authorities to go te
. the farmer with relief already tested
Oats taken from infected plots treat &c
: with solution of one pound of Tornado
> hyd to fifty gallons Of water raised a croI
. without single smut spore. The oats
having a solution OF one pound to 200 gal
Ions of water were not specially helped
t their record being 20 per cent Infection
The oats which were taken from the same
lot and not treated, yielded 81 per cent o.
! infected plants.
It was found that the seed oats needed
to be submerged in the solution twenty
minutes, and when this was done in So
: luton of one pound Of formaldehyd tt
: fifty gallons of water the results were alb
I sClute-there was no smut in the products
, of such seeds. Thirty tests were made or
> this basis, in all cases yielding the same
: results. ~.
t. . -. Explicit Directions.
The directions given by the Wisconsin
: staff ion are so explicit and so valuable fol-
the farmer. that they are given herewith
. If fifty bushels Of seed cats are to b
/ treated, secure from drug store one poun
or pint of formaldehyd sometimes Gale
5 formalin). Speak to your druggist in ad
9 vance SO that he may secure the formaldehy
I in time if he does not have it on HAND
= Put into a barrel or cask fifty gallons Q
: water and pour in the one pound of forma lde
hyd liquid to make the proper solution. Di
out about one-half of the solution into an
other, cask in order to treat two sacks of oat
at the same time, thus facilitating the work
Place about two bushels Of oats in each {
two gunny sacks or large bags and sub
merge the cats in the solution for tWent
. | minutes; then lift the sacks from the casls
: and let drain for a minute or two as t
!. save solution. Empty the oats a thresh
$ ing floor a. canvas to dry and DrOcee
: as before, using the same sacks for the re
$ Emainder of the oats. s'--t.- --
| The solution used is not poisonous an
:, will not ,injure the sacks or clothing comm
2 in contact with it. Formaldehyd is a gas ger
+ Grated by burning wood alcohol. 1t is readil
soluble in water, which, will hold 40 per Ger
4 | of it in solution. This solution is sold b
: fmost drug stores under the name of Tornado
. hyd or formain at about so cents per pount
g 1t is we'll to treat the seed oats two or tire
9 days before sowing to give ample time to dr..
I If the oats are shoVeled over a few time
. it will facilitate the drying very much and 4
h difficulty will be experienced sowing wit
: seeder or drill. The treated oats can be SOW
: with a force-feed drill or seeder when quit
h damp, but the machinesshculd be set so thu
h it will indicate sowing about peck mol
:. than the quantity desired per acre, as tt
oats are swollen and will not run quite
freely as dry oats.
The treatment Of seed oats seems to facil
- tate the sprouting; difference Of from two
. four days in favor of the oats treated wi
: be noticeable From the field tests made
- | the university farm by the writer no detr
l. mental effects on the termination of see
were detected.
= Following these clear and helpful direc
tions which are printed in a bulletin JUS
\ issued by the Wisconsin station, are
4 number Of let tiers received from farmer
l who tried the treatment on part {
4 their crop during last summer. In ever
i instance the grain which was treated &C
cording to the direct ions of the static
N was free from smut while the grain frol
\ seed not treated was Overrun with i
b and large quantities were destroyed Pre-
I fessor R. A. Moore Of the Wisconsin sta
ton staff, who has written the bulletin
4 says that the formaldehyd treatment wi
j eradicate barley smut and loose smut
n wheat precisely as in oats
IL - z~H1