River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1902-03-13
Dat Smut.

great damage to the oat crop IN
this state. It is a disease that is
rapidly growing and spreading, and
yet is readily and cheaply prevent
able. The majority of farmers are
not aware of the loss they annually
sustain by sowing smutty seed. At
threshing time they have an intima-
ton that something is wrong by
the fumes arising from the separa-
tor and the 1ightness of the sacks of
threshed grain.
Senator O. W. Mosher of New
Richmond, a dealer in grain and
consequently interested in the quail
ity of the product, supervised tests
made in oat fields in ST. Croix coun-
ty last season to determine the con-
dition of the crop as in regard to
smut. Ten farms were under this
test with the result aScertained that
the same were affected to the extent
of 26 per cent. of the grain in these
fields, a damage which indicated
loss of more than one-fourth of the
entire crop.
The managers of the state Exper-
iment Station say the damage occa-
stoned by smut in the oat crop in
this state last year amounted to the
value of $6,000,0OO. Bulletin No.
81, sent out by the Station, and
printed below, shows how seed oats
may be treated at a cost of one cent
a bushe1 and with little trouble 20
prevent smut in the matured crop.
No farmer should SOW oats without
treating the seed with the formalde-
hyde gas as directed below.
TREATMENT.
IF so bushels of oats are to be
treated, secure at the drug store
one pound or a pint of formalde-
hyde sometimes called formalin).
Speak to your druggist in advance
so that he may secure the formalde-
hyde in time, if he does not have it
on hand. Put into a barrel or cask
SO gallons of water and pour in the
one pound of the formaldehyde liq-
uid to make the proper solution.
Dip out about one-half the solution
into another cask in order to treat
two sacks of oats at the same time,
thus facilitating the work. Place
about two bushels of oats in each of
two gunny sacks or large bags and
submerge the oats in the solution
for twenty minutes; then lift the
sacks from the casks and let drain
for a few minutes SO as to save the
solution. Empty the oats on the
granary floor or on canvas to dry
and proceed as before, using the
same sacks for the remainder of the
oats.
The solution as used is not pois
onous and will not injure the sacks
or clothing coming in contact with
it. Formaldehyde is a gas general
ed by wood alcohol. 1t is readily
soluble in water, which will hold 40
per cent of it in solution. This So
luton is sold by most drug stores
under the name of formaldehyde or
forma1in at about so cents a pound.
1t is we'll to treat the seed oats
two or three days before sowing to
give ample time to dry. If the oats
are shove1ed over a few times it will
facilitate the drying very much and
no difficulty will be found sowing
with seeder or drill. The treated
oats can be sown with a force-feed
seeder when quite damp, but the
machine should be set SO as to indi-
cate the sowing of about peck per
acre more than it is intended to sow,
as the oats are swollen and will not
run quite as freely as dry oats.
The treatment facilitates sprout-
ing; a difference of from two to four
days in favor of the oats treated
will be noticeable. From the field
tests made at the University farm
no detrimental effects on the gerni-
nation of seed were detected