The Ordway new era., 1914-03-20
UNCLE SAN, NJ. D.
Specialist in Cereal Diseases

blown about by the wind. leaving the
stalk of the head bare.
Oat smut may be prevented by u
similar seed treatment to the one
given for the stinking smut Of wheat.
There is not as much danger from
smut balls remaining in the treated
seed, but II any smut masses are seen
they. of course. should be skinned
on and destroyed Just as in the case
of wheat smut.
The covered smut of barley is an
other cereal disease with an estimated
average annual loss OF two per cent.
Of the crop. This smut Ia most no.
ticeable several days after the barley
has fully headed out. The smutted
heads are darker in color than sound
heads and the kernels are composed
OF greenish-black masses OF smut.
These are not blown away by the
wind but remain until the grain is
harvested and threshed, when the
smutted heads are broken up. Many
OF the smut masses are not blown out
by the threshing machine but remain
with the grain, smearing it with smut
ho bPoIcb u lut kSI Ou u
sound seeds and are lodged In cracks
and crevices OF the seed coat until the
seed terminates in the spring, when
the young smut plant also begins to
grow inside of the barley plant. This
smut also can be prevented by treat
ing the seed with formalin in the same
manner as for the stinking smut of
wheat and oat smut
The kernel smut OF sorghum is seri.
Gus in crops of kafir, broomcorn and
the sweet sorghums (cane), particu.
larly in the arid regions of the West
and Southwest. 1t Is not SO easily OBJ
| served by the farmer as are most OF
the. other grain smuts. The young
smut head takes on a gray or whitish
| appearance, and as 1t develops the
smut masses In the kernels become
dark brown or black. Usually smut
masses are not broken and blown
about to any extent In the field but
remain as they are formed until har-
vest and threshing time. They are
then broken up and the smut spores
get on to clean seeds, where they stay.
Just as in the case OF sinking smut
OF wheat. until the seed is planted and
the spores grow and infect the young
seedlings. AS In the sinking smut Of
| wheat. careful seed treatment will kill
the smut spores on the outside Of the
| seeds. The treatment recommended
is as follows: ~
Mix one pint Zone pound) Of full.
| strength 40 per cent. formaldehyde
with 30 gallons of water and use this
solution In the same manner as d.
rected for stinking smut Of wheat.
I tThe- loose smut of wheat is widely
distributed wherever wheat is grown.
The estimated average annual loss
is one per cent. OF the crop. This
smut is most noticeable at the head
ing time of the grain. In smutted
heads the kernels and chaff are re-
placed by dark sooty masses. which
are soon blown away by the wind.
leaving bare stems that are usually
not noticed at harvest time.
The smut natures and ripens Its
spores when the wheat is In bloom
that is, soon after heading time. The
spores do not remain inclosed by the
chaff, but are loose and are immedi-
ately blown about by the wind. fall
on healthy wheat heads and some of
them get on to the young ovary or
seed of the wheat flower. Here they
terminate and send little filaments or
germ tubes into the young forming
kernels. AS the kernels grow and en-