Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1914-09-08
ERG07 IN RYE;
HOW TO Treat
Professor Bolley Desires Farmers
to Send Samples Of Rye for
Analysis.

Agricultural College, Sept. AT
the present time when winter rye Is
about to be seeded and when the crop
is just being threshed, many have be.
come interested in the subject OF
ergot. A large NUMBER of samples
have been received by this depart
ment Of the experiment station, and
the letters accompanying the same
ask a number of questions regarding
how to escape the effects of the dis
ease.
The trouble is not at all a new
1t has been present in the Northwest
every yea for a number Of years,
probably since the inception of the
crop. hrgot attacks all sorts of
grasses, including other grains as
we'll as rye, but usually the horny,
black, ergotized bodies are more pro.
%nouncedly common in rye. Some have
asked what amount of the substance
can be present without being detri-
mental to the value of the grain as
food or as feed for cattle. This ques.
ton should be referred to the pure
food department, or other authority
on the effects of ergot. In the case OF
stock turned into u~nharvested rye
there is usually more danger Of the
stock eating too much rye at one
time than there is of poisoning from
ergot.
Would Investigate.
: Many people seem to think that the
disease is somewhat more common
this year than in the past. For this
ease 1t is important to understand
about how general the distribution Is
and whether it confines itself to any
particular districts or not. l would,
therefore, be pleased to receive
samples Of rye for study on this foa-
ture. Forward any ordinary mailing
package of the rye just as it has come
from the threshing machine. This
will give us an opportunity and fur
nish information as to the general
distribution of the disease.
In the future as the crop is planted
more widely the disease may become
more troublesome unless properly
..E
With regard to use of seed contain.
ing ergot there is probably a, small
amount of ergot in most samples Of
rye. Thorough grading and cleaning
of the grain before seeding is there
fore indicated. Ergot is one of those
kind of fungus diseases which
spreads by spore bodies which rest
over winter on the soil or in the
grain bin. If the ergotized grains
are seeded with the grain, growth
from the black, horn-like structures
and from this secondary
growths Of small light spores arise
which are blown about by the wind.
These fall into the flowers Of the
rye plant and certain of the grains
become infected, after which they
produce a large number of spores
which may be carried by. insects, par
ticularly flies and by wind to other
blossoms of the rye plant. The prop
er way to control and prevent the in
crease of this fungus is to thoroughly
grad, all seed grain so as to remove
the ergot bodies. This can sually be
done because, very often, they are
much bigger than normal rye grains
or are broken into small bis.
Treating Seed.
Proper formaldehyde treatment of
the seed before sowing is always
beneficial and may tend to- check any
possible growth from these broken,
ergotized grains. There should be
rotation. Rye should never
be sown on the same ground on which
rye had been cropped the previous
year. Cereals usually should not fol-
low each other. Care should be taken
in cleaning or grading the seed grain
to destroytall ergo1ized bodies graded
out. If theyr are scattered about on
the ground in the vicinity Of farm
buildings, not burned or otherwise de-
stroyed, they will next year send
spores by way of the wind and insects
to the crop wherever it may chance
to be in the immediate vicinity.
Direct the samples to H. l.. Bclley,
Botanist, Agricultural College, P. o.,
N. D.
o. .-L. .' |