The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1911-11-11
THE PREVENTInVES
N RUST DISCUSSED
BY b0LLETY
Points Out Methods Which
Can Be Adopted to Elirni-
nate Danger

"Rusting of cereal grains is one Of
the most difficult problems the farme,
has to deal WITH" says Prof. H. l.
Bolley Of the North Dakota agricul.
tural college. From time to time
as each rust epidemic m on we
get nan letters asking what a be
done. 1t is easy for anyone to sec
that it is a difficult proposition to ar.
do away with wheat rust. for the
reason that it is an infectious dis.
ease distributed from plant to plant
as the crop grows in the field: wind
blown from field to field. Thu red
OF orange colored spores which cause
the red color on the. young growing
grain are cut of in countless mum
hers from parasitic, mould : like fila.
and run between the cellular parts OF
the plant, breaking out in certain
points to forra large masses Of. spores
"a rust sick: .plant: Is sick inside;
that is to- SAY II Iarasitizea. Every
time a viable rust sspore falls on. d
young wheat pla11t:;and there is, suf-
ficient moisture stbf terminate tthe
spore a new INFECTION spot. Is made
from which the'dtsease spreads in.
number Of uAid.gAatses SO that there
is always "a supply. of the spores to
be blown about. bys the wind and the
crop attack is. light: or heavy largely
because of the moisture conditions OF
the atmosphere. =" Jf there is not suf-
ficient moisture tor germinate the
spores then there will be no large at.
tack of rust, but if::there. is plenty OF
dew and damp weather at the right
season then the crop is apt to be
largely infected.
Spraying is Difficult.
1T is possible that If fields were
properly sprayed at the proper time
some advantage would come from the
spraying work, but the fact remains
that nobody knows just when to spray
and also there is great difficulty in
getting a solution to moisten the
leaves Of tho wheat without destroy.
ing it,. The fact. also remains that
carefully conducted spraying expert
ments have failed to stop. the devel-
opment of wheat rust.
During a number of years, how
ever, We have been working upon the
mode. of attack by rust and have
which is that wheat rust very often
attacks the wheat grains. internally,
causing the grains not only to shrlvel
hut sometimes masses of spores are
found imbedded inside the bran layers.
We have mot been able to prove that
these internally rusted seeds actually
produce rust in the field sbut We have
collected a lot Of data which would
seem to be very good evidence that
In some manner the disease does come
more or less from the seed. One thing
lis certain: that plump. bright colored
seed wheat, under the same condition,
gives q much better Yield of wheat
than the s%hrivelled grains, and. rust
does not seem to be able to cause
much damage in the following crop
upon the straw which comes from
Other Causes Responsible.
Late experiments in this depart
ment show that s%hrtveIled wheat may
he due not only to rust but to mum
erous other fungt"sorae of which live
internally in the straw. and. some of
which persist in the, soil and the old
stubble. When rust Is present and
these diseases are also, present there
is apt to be very little. IL any. plump
grain produced. To make the story
short, farmers must quit raising wheat
after wheat on THE same ground, in
order to escape the root diseases.
Next, they must raise their " seed.
Our experiments seem to prove con-
clusive1y that a more resistant type of
wheat. an be procured ny using the
same method that VIC have previously
used In producing resistant fax. At
least. we can produce a better yield
ing type of wheat by saving always
the plump seed from off the old
ground than by getting equally plump
seed from some other source.
Farmers must cease using for SOW
ing purposes s%hrivelled. light weight
grain which has been subject to mois-
ture-moulding conditions. Only plump.
bright colored No. hard wheat
should be used for the farmers arc to
hope to increase the present yield Of
grain In the state.
This seed should be thoroughly
disinfected tH the use of formaldehyde
to destroy any root blight and other
spores that may be busted upon the
Grow Wheat seldom.
The field should be broken M into
small enough areas so that h wheat
should not on on the same land
more often than C In four or five
years. Between wheat crops there
should bs, lat. least one,.o two cultiAaar
ted crops or thoroughly bare summe