East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1908-11-11
WASHINGTON WHEAT KING TELLS
HOW To KILL SMUT IN WHEAT

When President Roosevelt's COM
mission for the amelioration of the
condition of the farmer comes to
Washington to study the problem of
the wheatgrower-shOu it ever come
it will be told that one of the most
vexatious problems is how TO prevent
the injury of the wheat crop by smut.
For smutty wheat is annually causing
to the wheatgrowers of the inland en-
pire a loss running into millions and
an inconvenience, irritation and dan
ger which is not to be estimated in
money damages, says the Spokesman
Review.
Wheat buyers estimate that from
10 TO 20 per cent of all the wheat
grown in the inland empire is injured
by smut to the extent OF depreciating
its market value and in the case Of
much OF It the injury amounts to from
five to 25 cents a bushel. Where a
field is seriously affected there is a
loss Of from One-third to one-half Of
the yield and every season there are
reports of from half dozen to a
score of threshing machines blown
up while harvesting smutty wheat,
these accidents being not infrequent-
ly accompanied by loss of life or
limb.
Farmers institutes and congresses
have wrestled with the problem and
the experts Of the state agricultural
colleges have been experimenting with
IT,. but they are not agreed upon a
remedy and meanwhile hundreds,
even thousands of farmers are each
year seeing the profits of their work
reduced to nothing by their smutty
fields.
Not An Unpreventable Evil.
And yet smutty wheat is not an un-
preventable evil. Lillis F. Smith of
Endicott, known throughout eastern
Washington as the "Wheat King Of
Whitman county" discovered a pre-
ventive for the evil as long ago as
1893, since which time he has raised
upwards Of 100000 bushels of wheat
without any appreciable loss by smut.
His remedy is not a complicated one,
neither is it a difficult nor expensive
one, and in his own experience at
least it has proven thoroughly effec-
tive, and for the past 10 years Mr.,
Smith has devoted much Of his time
and attention TO a campaign of edu-
cation among his fellow farmers.
Doubtless there are other methods
by which smut may be eradicated orr
prevented" said Mr.. Smith a few days
ago in discussing the merits of his
own system, "and 1 do not place my
self in the attitude Of opposing their
adoption. Neither do l discourage
any person who is interested in the !
subject from conducting scientific ex-
periments on his own behalf, but I
do urge every man with whom 1 have /
an opportunity to discuss the subject |
to stop raising smutty wheat, whether
he goes on with his experiments or
not"
Mr. Smith insists, also, that the
elimination Of the smut evil is one Of
the most momentous and immediate
problems confronting the wheat far
mer.
"Some Of the farmers official and
unofficial friends are devoting much
study 10 the study Of improved vdrie-
ties Of wheat" said he in this con-
nectiOn. land that work is excellent
IN its way. But even improved yarie-
ties viii prove a serious disappoint-
ment II the farmers who raise them
permit their fields to grow up TO smut
instead. More than this the produc-
tion Of variety Of wheat superior to
all Of those now raised is a matter
which may require years Of effort
and many discouragements while
the prevention Of smut is posi-
bility which is already established.
and its commercial value is appre-
ciated by every man connected in any
capacity with the business Of wheat
growing or wheat handling.
A Pioneer Wheat Raiser.
Mr.. Smith was one Of the pioneer
wheat raisers Of western Whitman I
county He came TO the county IN }
1883 and began raising wheat in 1885. \
In common with most Of the other I