Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1905-02-23

IL one Oh inc DEOlesbOlb III LHS ihuol-
atorics OF the college OF agriculture OF
The University of Wisconsin had an.
nounced ten years ago that the simple
tests which he was making would, In
the next few years, result In the saw
ing OF over $d0,000,0O0 to the farmers
of Wisconsin, this prediction would
have been received with incredulity.
To increase the great crop of single
grain, such as oats, by nearly 20 per
cent seemed too good to be true. But
the seemingly impossible Is sometimes
brought to pass, and the experiments
In the prevention of oat smut which
have been carried on at the college OF
agriculture have produced these re-
mariable results, In saving to the
farmers OF the state over 100000 600.
When It Is remembered that Wiscon.
sin ranks among the greatest oat pro-
duclng states In the country and
each year over two and one half mil.
lion acres OF land are sown with oats
which produce a crop worth annually
from $25O00,000 to s30,000,000, the
true significance of these results Is
evident, for Investigation shows that
before the university method OF pre-
venting oat smut was generally adopt
ed, the loss TO the oat crop of Wiscon
sin generally equalled IS per cent
This wants of nearly one-tifth of the
crop meant to the farmers Of the state
an annual loss OF $4,000, 900 bushel OF
oats, or In round numbers nearly &c.,
600 900.
Barley Crops Also Affected.
These experiments affected not only
tho oat crop, but also barley raising.
Wisconsin produces 100000 bushels
OF barley annually, and is thus one OF
the great barley states OF tho union.
The university experiment station
found that the annual loss In the bar
10y crop due to smut amounts to over
GOO, 900 bushels. AS the Same proven
tive can be used for both the oat and
saving to the farmers annually In the
raising of barley as result OF these
experiments OF the college OF agricul.
turc.
Cause Of Dat Smut.
Anyone who has worked on Wis.
consin farm knows that at threshlng
time when the oat sheaves are being
fed into the cylinders, there usually
pours out at the rear OF the machine
cloud OF smokolike dust when
makes the work very dlsagreeable.
The average person unaoquainted with
the exact conditions Of the crop In
threshing, simply considers 1t so much
dust and pays little attention to II,
except as 1t produces dlsagreeable
choking effect characteristic of dust
In general Few realize that these
clouds of dust are made up In large
part of smut spores which are really
the seeds of fungus that grow and
rlpened on the oat plants These
spores or seeds Of the fungus, floating
about In the air, lodge In the oat
grains as they come from the spout of
the separator and remain there until
seeding time. when the farmer takes
his oat seed to tho field Tor sowing,
The fungus spores Ii they still adhere
TO the grains, as they usually do, go
into the ground with the seed, and
there the trouble begins. Once plant
ed with the seed, tho fungus spores
grow from day to day with the tiny oat
plant, Each spore sends out min
ute tube or projection which works its
way into the tissues of the young oat
plant and spreads all through II as It
grows. In this way the fungus live
only within the stem and leaves OF
the growing grain, and tho farmer
does not see IL as the crop advances
towards maturity. AS tho seed head
forms, however, the fungus growth In
side the plant pushes itself upward
and concentrates itself more or less In
the forming grains, Constantly suck.
Ing the substance from these grains
of oats, the fungus develops It's spores
of oats. the farmer has only head or
these spores of oat smut. Thus the
heads of the grain attacked by the
fungus are entirely wasted for no
seeds form, A single oat plant will
produce hundreds OF thousands and
even perhaps a million of these minute
spores, 1t is these hundreds OF mil
lions OF oat smut spores that, as they
pass through the separator at harvesr
time, give of the great clouds of dust,
and then as seeds of the fungus, so to
speak, settle In the good grain to be.
gin over again their life history of de-
struction.
How Prevention was Effected.
The history of the experiments
which led to the prevention Of this
costly blight upon the oat crop Is an
interesting one, as It illustrates how
the results of pure science may be ap.
piled to the practical problems. such
as those of agriculture. Many years
ago a number of scientists devoted
much time to the study OF many OF
the products found In common weed
smoke. In the course OF these studies