The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1908-01-24
Modern Farm Methods
AS Applied in the South.
Notes of Interest to Planter,
Fruit Grower and Stockrnan

uncertainty is due mainly to the sea-
son--not to cold or frost, but to the
great probability that when water
is most wanted for the developing
crop water will not be forthcoming.
But when the mountain wouldn't
come to Mahomet he saddled his
dromedary and went to the noun
tain. Just so must it be with the
trucker; he must arrange that when
the water will not come to him by
natural methods he can make it come
artificially.
For more and more each year we
have thrust upon us the wonderful
results to be obtained from irriga-
tion-not for the farm, for the area
which it is possible to irrigate in
this section successfully is greatly
limited but for the garden and the
truck plot. This can oe done and it
is done, and done proftably. South
ern Cuitivator.
Three Cents an Acre Will Kill Smut.
All country people are familiar
with peculiar blackened condition
Of oats, wheat, rye and barley at har-
vest time, commonly known as
BLACK heads" smut or "bunt."
This is a disease and it prevails wher-
ever oats and other grains are grown,
and often to very Gerious extent,
much more always tGan the farmer
is aware. It is frequent to observe
a loss of as much as forty per cent.
Of the value of the whole crop from
this disease al fields in North Caro-
lima. Throughout the State the aver
age loss is probably about fifteen per
cent. In one case which l visited
last summer the loss was more than
ten per cent. of the total taxes col
lected in that county.
This disease is caused by another
small plant known as fungus grow
ing within the oay plant, and the
black cloud Of dust shed by the plant
as the oats mature consists of the
spores or reproductive bodies of the
fungus. In function these spores cor
respond with the seed of the higher
plants. If these spores fall upon the
oat plant of susceptible age they
will germi1ate into the oat plant, and
as the Oat arrives at maturity cause
it to produce smut instead Of seed.
A very peculiar thing concerning this
disease is that the oat plant is sus-
ceptible to attack only when it is
very young, only prior to the attain
ment of the length of half inch
by its first leaf. L. thus happens
that if the farmer can protect the
cat plant in its infancy, he can save
it from disease. 1t is further true
that only those spores which are on
the seed and are consequently plant-
ed with it are able to infect the
young plants
The method of preventing oat
smut, based upon these facts, consists
in so treating the seed before plant
ing as to kill all of the adhering
spores. This treatment is an ex-
| ceedingly simple one and consists
in soaking the seeds in formalin, a
| chemical which may be had from any
druggist at small cost, diluted to the
strength of one ounce to three gall
Ions OF water. After so treating, the
oats are allowed to remain wet for
several hours, and are then dried
and planted. This treatment is alb
solutely perfect, preventing every
single grain of smut. 1t applies
equally we'll to wheat, oats, rye and
barley. 1t costs less than three cents
per- acre and in view of its great
efficiency can be applied to these
crops with equal proft.-F. L.
Stevens, Professor of Biology A. C
M. College, Raleigh, N. C.