Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1908-10-22

ing machines we're burned, the causes
of which were traceable In nearly ev-
cry instance TO the smutty condition
OF the grain. This gigantic loss from
smut is living universal treatment
for smut-the usual vitroil or blue
TEN treatments not always effec-
tive and can not be relied upon.
What Smut Is.
To successfully handle the smut
problem one should thoroughly un-
derstand the nature and development
OF the smut plant. In Bulletin No.
"a of the Washington state expert
ment station, Prof. r K. Beattle de-
scribes the smut plant as follows.
The disease we commonly call
smut is produced by a small plant
which lives upon the wheat plant and
steals its food from it The fine
black powder called smut Is mad lie
up of a multitude of small grains,
each of which may grow into smut
plant II placed under the proper
conditions. r.-
when a grain OF wheat Is planted
with a live smut grain on Il, both Of
them soon germinate. The grain of
wheat produces wheat plant; the
grain of smut produces a smut plant.
The smut plant produces small color
less grains which at once grow into
other emut plants. Thus from one
original black smut grain several
smut plants may soon come. One OF
these plants bores It's way through
the tissue of the stalk. Here Il lives
for the rest of It's life, growing up
with the stalk and stealing food from
u. But only when the wheat's skin
is soft and young can the smut pene-
trate. About the time that the first
green leaf uurolls. the skin gets harl
and from then one can not be pene-
trated by the smut. IL the wheat
has not been attacked by this time
u is safe. If, however, the smut has
succeeded in entertaing the wheat
stalk the injury is done and the
wheat will suffer. While growing
up with the stalk during the winter
and spring Il checks the growth OF
the wheat straw and makes the smut
ted plants noticeably shorter than
the Found ones. When the wheat
head forms, the smut plant sends w.
branches into Il and takes up the
plant food as fast as Il Is deposited
In the kernels. There Il places its
own grains and thus provides for its
next years growth"
From this descrIDtion Of the smut
plant II Is evident that the disease
may be attached In two ways: (1D
To treat the seed wheat with some.
thing that will retard the germlna.
ton OF the smut grains until the
wheat plants have develoned skin,
that are too tough for the smut
plants 10 enter: (2) 10 treat tho
seed with something that will KILL
the smut grains. thereby removinS
all possibility Of infection. The ma
ture OF the two treatments sugEestl
which OF the two Is the most effec
tive.
Vitriol pctard'ng Process.
The vit~ol treatment for smut =
verv fpmil'ar ~ oil concerned END
hence q is unnecessary 10 describ,
n ~ detail here. ono peculiar thlni
about MI process IL the lack OF uni
form'ty I'm the strength of the solu
ton used Some use n weak solutiol
while others nee one OF grea
strength. The vitroi solution ls rqu
ailv nlaced IN barrel or trough. Th'
wheat 10 be treated is then i'm
mansed IN the solution IN sack
pbout bushel TO the sack. Aftel
remaInlng In the solution for an IN
definite period Of tlme--from n
10 Minutes the sacks are set unor
q draining board. ~ after driving
the kernels are covered with n vl"ihl'
coating of vltriol the wheat Is usual
w considered well treated
Men who have thoroughly lnvesti
gated this subject toll ns that very
few NJ the smut grains are really kill
ed bythls treatment Tts chief value
seem7 10 he In retardine the develop
ment OF the smut plants. " the
wheat grairs are covered with coat,
'ng OF vitriol when sowu and GER.
~'anat'on takes place Immediately
f'his treatment probably has consld'
erahie vplue.
why the VitrloI Treatment Fails. .
The vital weakness OF this process
lies In the fact that hut few NJ 'he
smut grains are actually killed
Much OF the smut Is lodged In tho
groove on one side OF the wheat kerr
rel and when immersed IN the solu-
tion there is usually an air bubble
'Nat occupies this groove. and COM
Dletelv protects the smut grains from
the vitroil solution.
II the seed f. well coated with Wit
riol and termination takes place
soon after the seed Is sown. this
treatment probably has considerable
val,'e in retardine the DEVELOPMENT
~ the smut. But II the germination
OF the wheat Is slow. n the seed IL
sown In the dry coil or II the weP'her
hecomes cold and the soil damn inst
after the seed is sown. the vitrto'
NAV all disappear from the wheat he
fore the wheat is uD. The smut then
has an equal chance with the wheat
and when the seed Is sown under
these conditions we often have smut
Formsiine Treatment, or Killing
Process.
While the formaline treatment for