The Grit-advocate., 1906-02-23
the FARM AND RANGE
, Formalin Treatment Of Seed Grain for
Smut.
By w. II. Olin and F. Knorr.

Smut.
By w. II. Olin and F. Knorr.
/ The prevalence OF smut in wheat
and oats In Colorado calls for earnest
work on the part of grain growers of
our state to check its ravages and
stamp out this most pernicious plant
disease.
1t Is q parasite fungus which feeds
upon another plant as its host. 1t
springs from spOre which CORE
spends to a seed in higher
plants. This germinates when the
grain Is seeded and. penetrating the lit
tie grain plant when but a few days
old, grows up within the grain stem.
After entering the stem there is no evil
dence of its presence until the grain
/ begins to head. At this time the smut
plant rObs the developing kernels Of
their nourishment and ripen a mass Of
smut pores.
These spores usually ripen before
the grain does and are blown about the
field, many spores becoming lodged on
the ripening grain kernels. The whole
sale agent of infection, however, is the
threshing machine; the crop from a
field practically free from smut is
therefore liable to infection by spores
carried by the thresher from some in
fected field. For this reason the safest
plan Is to treat all your seed wheat
and oats each year.
First. Secure from your druggist a
sufficient amount of formalin to treat
to te
the commercial name for formaldahyde
gas held in water solution. This gas
should be forty per cent. solution
since this strength Is necessary to kill
the smut spores. 1t requires just
about one ounce for every five bushels
Of grain to be treated.
| Second. Clean off space on the
barn floor or sweep clean space on
the hard level ground and lay a good
sized canvas down, on which to spread
out the wheat. See that the place
where the grain is to be treated is
swept clean and thoroughly sprinkled
with the formalin solution before plac-
ing the seed grain there.
| Third. Now spread out your seed
grain on the space prepared for treat
ing 1t and prepare the formalin solu-
tion. This formalin is quite volatile
SO the solution should not be made un-
til one is ready to us it.
Fourth.-Use one ounce of forma-
lin to every two and one-fourth to
two and one-half gallons, four ounces
for ten gallons. sixteen ounces tone
pound) for forty gallons of water. Put
the solution in barrel or tub, thor,
oughly mixing it so the formalin will
be we'll distributed. One pound of
formalin to forty gallons of water is
sufficient to treat $500 pounds OF
grain.
For smaller amounts, estimate six
to eight tone and threefourths to two
gallons) of the solution for every 10U
pounds of grain. This solution can be
applied with the garden sprinkler
Care must be taken to thoroughly
moisten the grain. Sprinkle, stir the
grain up thoroughly and sprinkle
again, until you feel certain every
kernel is wet with the solution.
When You have completed the
sprinkling process, place the grain ir
a conical pile and cover with horse
blankets, gunny sacks, etc. The smut
that does the damage lies just under
| tne glume OF the oats or on the DaSal
hairs of the wheat. Covering the
treated grain holds the gas from the
fromalin within the pile, where II
comes in contact with the kernels, kill
ing such smut pores as may have sur
vived the previous treatment After
the grain has remained in covered
pile two to four hours, spread it out
again where the wind can blow over it
and dry as rapidly as possible.
AS soon as one can take the grain in
the hand without the kernels sticking
together, it can be sown in the field
OF course. the grain is moist and
therefore the kernels are enlarged, SC
we will need to set the seeder accord
ingly. One can treat the grain in the
forenoon and seed it in the afternoon
Since this treatment swells the ker
nels 1t hastens termination and should
be done in the spring just before seed.
ing time. The treatment is practically
inexpensive, takes but few hours tc
treat considerable quantity of grain
and effectually kills smut when prop
I, erly and thoroughly done.