The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1905-07-13

People in general know very little
fungus diseases of plants; and as long
as l work at the study of plant diseases
I shall try to keep the farmers and
gardeners of the state informed upon
any subject of observation or investi-
cation which I think it of Importance
that they should know to aid them in
their work.
l do not care to enter into contro-
versies with various experts as to
who best knows wheat rust in its vari-
Gus life phases. At this time l shall
only call attention to some misstate-
ments or misimpressions going the
rounds Of the press % There seems
to be a general inference that l have
prophesied much destruction by rust
this year. This have not done. The
rust fungi are SO materially affected in
their growth by weather conditions
and by the conditions Of the growth Of
the wheat crop that any n who
knows of their nature can hardly dare
to assume to be a prophet. For exam
pie, there must yet be about a month
of the right kind of weather interven-
ing before it is possible for the regular
stem rust to appear upon the wheat.
1t is thus quite or nearly nonsense to
be talking of its presence or absence
on the wheat at the present time in
this region. (2) The Van Dusen-Har'
rington report quoted "a scientist" as
saying that "the agriculturists of the
Minnesota experiment station and also
Prof. Bo1ley of the North Dakota sta
ton believe that the cold, wet weather
which we have had recently in such
abundance Is the most favorable to the
growth of rust" Now I do not sub
scribe to such a foolish belief, and
hope that the people who really know
the nature of the rust parasite will not
hold it up against me. Heavy, drench
ing rains largely prevent rust infection
by beating the spores fro mthe plants
on which they are formed to the
ground, and by washing them off of the
plants to which some of them may
chance to have been carried by the
wind. Also, like other seedlike struc
L IulCo, lVoC opolSo w NV -
rapidly in cold weather. In the same
article, just referred to, it is said tina
the red spores of the'leaf rust o
wheat 'are now found upon the bar
berry and other bushes which usual!
harbor it through the winter, but their
is no stem rus to be found" This is
strange statement for a scientist AM
[ must be considered as a scientific bull
: or as a bad newspaper tumble. TIL
'leaf rust" of wheat is not associate
with the barberry bush, but the bal
t berry does at present bear the prelin
mary stages of the spores of the gent
8 inc stem rust of wheat. This intro
t duced shrub or bush has many time
been proved guilty of propagating an
introducing the spores Of this worE
e form of wheat rust and it SHOULD
d therefore, be done away with. 1t woul
be easy to say the words which woul
It ! please the admirers of this thorn
c little shrub, but M should not ofte
e tell untruths or by inference ha
# truths simply to please. Almost ever
e plant or shrub has it's species of ru:
e which is parasitic upon it. These al
. all very different in character and we
known to botanists but the only bus
If which is as yet known to propagat
S and disseminate the spores. of the stel
IL rust ('black rusty of wheat is tn
b. same little hedge plant called the ba
J berry.