The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-12-20
WATCH FOR RUST,
SAYS MACMILLAN
STATE BOTANIsT ISSUES WARN
ING FOR NEXT YEAR.
He Says There Is Every Indication of
Danger to Red River Valley Wheat
Next Standardization of Rust
: q Fungus from Straw and Wheat Stub
Z bic Likely to Spread. s& .~ rs

In Ine opinion OF PROFESSOR conway
Macmillan Of the university, there is
rust in 1905, which will materially af-
feet the wheat yield Of the Red River
valley. Professor Macmillan has, dur
ing the past years, made a careful
study. of wheat and it's ailments and
in an interview today he gives his rea
sons for a forecast of poor wheat in
1905 and discusses the difference be-
tween wheat smut and wheat rust,
terms often confused by the public..
Professor Macmillan said: u
Without desiring to say anything which
would influence the market one way Or
the other, it may be predicted with rea-
sonable confidence that the Red River; val
ley wheat crop of 1905 will show eonsid-
cradle rust. This is because a, strong in
lection of the straw and stubble has been
brought about, during the season of 1904
and the rust fungus has shown some par
ticularly Virulent qualities. A fortunate
climatic condition would tend. to reduce
the damage, but sufficient moisture for
the favorable development Of the wheat
plant is also favorable to rust. The prob
abilities for "a clean, unrusted crop do not
seem bright. An advantage to next year 5
crop will be gained by the careful selec-
ton of seed wheat if possible, from fl elds
where rust was prevalent, provided. tha t
the seed should be of full weight and high
grade. Seeds of low weight might indi-
cate weakening of the parent plant by the
disease.
Formaldehyde No Cure : !
I was called upon a few weeks ago by a
couple of gentlemen from the east who
| were In the business of manufacturing
chemicals They We're particularly anx-
| ious to know whether the fornialdehyde
method which has proved successful in
| the treatment Of wheat smut could be ap-
| piled also to rust. Their idea was that
what cured smut would also cure rust.
They said they had considerable encour-
agement from practical men interested, in
the growing, marketing and grinding Of
wheat, from which, suppose, they meant
that they had talked ut over with farm
ers brokers and millers. When marked
that formaldehyde could never be Of the
| slightest value in the treatment Of rust
they were much disguised. but T took the
trouble to show them the difference be-
tween smut and rust and then they, agreed
| there was nothing in the fOrmaldehEde
treatment Of rust.
The fact is that while rust and smut
are both communicated to the wheat by
minute microscopic dust Or spores, the in
lection takes place at very different
time in the life of the wheat plant. The
smut spores are communicated to the
wheat kernel as it is maturing and will
in the beard at the end of the kernel. By
various methods, such as immersion ir
hot water. Questioning. or subsection tt
formaldehyde vapor, such spores can be
killed without destroying the germ of the
wheat. Seed which Is smutty, when. j
begins to grow, permits infection of the
Seeding and the next crop will be s,nuttS
also. .,H 49,. ~, -
How Rust Is Caught. "gc.' IL
The rust spores are communicated tt
the growing plant by atmospheric eurrent
coming from straw or stubble of tprevi
GUS years, or in some cases from : tn
leaves of quite different plants. There i
no way OF disinfecting the atmosphere Q
a farm. Therefore the problem OF check
ling rust Infection is altogether differen
from that Of checking 1fSmut infection
While seed wheat from a smutty field i
almost sure to communicate smut to tn
next crop, seed wheat from a ruSted field
if 1t is of good weight and appearance
Is least likely to produce plants 'whc
, will be badly rusted For the plant whic
produced the good seed in the rusted fel
evidently survived the" rust attack, ma
turing strong seed when other plant
!, around it We're badly diseased. This,
many cases, might Be due to accident, blu
in others it would Indicate some immunit
, to rust which might be communicated
the next generation. - ~''--''
, E. ,'f...,. 1'"..-.--- -:
y How to Check Rust r =:
To check rust there is, only one, line c
hopeful experiment.: That is the de
velopment of rust-proof varieties. To de
Velop such varieties is not possible with
, out a very full knowledge Of both of tn
!: habits and the physiology of wheat and {
the rust fungus. ..-''
/ What the public does not general
know is that modern botanical work i
principally concerned with such impo1
tant, economic questions as these. Will
| 1nforma ton about plant diseases is diff
cult to obtain, 1t will, doubtless be poss
| BILE before many decades to limit Yer
/ much the loss to agriculture thru the va
| rious ills Of the plants. - +. :
/ Professor e. M. Freeman Of the botan
cal department is just about to publis
| an important book on Minnesota plar
diseases which, in my Judgment, will /
worth great many thousand dollars
the state. The main thing is to know thu
rust, smut, ETC., are not acts Of Prov
| dence or accidents, but plant plague
which can be checked by scientific metz