The Delta independent., 1909-04-09
Professors of
Che State College
Impart Useful
II Information
Sterilizing the Seed Bed for
Tomatoes and Other PLANTS.

Last fall in the neighborhood of the
Colorado Agricultural College, Fort
Collins, there was considerable scar
city of tomatoes. Growers complained
that there was something the matter
with their seed, or with their plants
which failed to bear. Generally they
attributed it to the season. However.
while this complaint was being made,
one grower was picking from one to
two bushels daily from a small garden
patch. This man knew the secret.
This is the time of year to provide
for crop of tomatoes. Upon heavy
soils, and sometimes upon light ones,
the Fusarium blight prevents the
development of the fruit, or the fruit
is of small size, poor in quality, and
sometimes even shrivelled.
What is the Fusarium blight? 1t is
caused by fungus, mold something
like that which comes upon bread, old
cheese, etc. 1t is found in the soil and
apparently acts little like the smut
4 fungus of onions. 1t is known that If
/ onions Ut pidDtco III Soh hhO" ~ ~
free from this fungus, and are then
transplanted to a soil where the
disease has previously ravaged the
crop. the young plants do not take it;
whereas seed planted there results in
smutty onions. Investigation has
shown that the fungus enters the TIP
of the seeding, as it emerges from the
seed; so if the seed bed has no smut in
it, the onion escapes. How the
Fusarium blight enters the tomato
plant is not known. But it is known
that it enters it during its early stages.
Then the fungus lives on for a long
time, shaving no evidences of its ex-
istence in the tomato plant. However,
during this time it is sending a web of
threads through the tissues of the
plant, and by the time the fruit begins
to form, there is such mass of fungus
threads in the vessels that the fruit can
only form with difficulty, if at all.
No amount of treatment at that
time can do any good. The fungus is
established within the plant. However,
if the soil in which the seeds are
planted is sterilized. the disease does
not get footing, and the plants will
develop their fruit naturally and freely
The best method of sterilizing the soil
for the seed bed is to fill barrel with
the prepared soil and take it to the
exhaust pipe of some steam boiler.
the pipe, or an attachment from it,
should be passed to the very bottom of
the barrel, and the steam allowed to
penetrate for two or more hours,
gunny sacks being about the top to
hold in the steam.
While it is believed that the disease
is contracted at termination, it is
desirable to take certain other precau-
tions. No other soil should be allowed
to get into the sterilzed bed or boxes
II the seedlings are pricked off young.
they should be placed again in sterilized
soil Water that has been boiled and
cooled seould be used for watering dur
ing these early stages. No further
precautions are necessary when it
comes time to set these in the field.
For the home garden the soil may be
sterilized by being spread out in shallow
pans and baked in the oven. This is
not SO desirable as steam. since it does
not leave the soil in such good condi-
ton.
Egg plants are also subject to
Fusarium blight, and possibly also
peppers. Cabbage. cauliflower, broc-
coli, brussels sprouts; etc, which so
easily damp off" in the Seeding stage
succeed better by being planted in
sterile soil.
LESLIE +. PAUL.,
Colorado Agricultural College. Fort
Co1lipo