The Wahpeton times. [volume] (Wahpeton, Richland County, Dakota [N.D.]) 1879-1919, 1914-09-10
ERoor IN RYE

ER0OT IN RYE
At the present time when WIN
ter rye is about to be seeded and
when the crop is just being
threshed. many have become in
terested in the subject of ergot.
A large number of samples have
been received bv this Department
of the Experiment Station, and
the letters accompanying the same
ask a number of questions re-
garding how to escape the effects
of the disease.
The trouble is not all a new
one. 1t has been present in the
Northwest every year for num-
Der of years, probably since the
inception of the crop. Ergot at
tacks all sots of grasses, includ-
ing other grains as we'll as rye,
but usually the horny, black, er-
gotized bodies are more pro-
nouncedly common in rye. Some
have asked what amount of the
substance can be present without
being detrimental to the value OF
the grain as food or as, feed for
cattle. This question should be
referred to the pure food depart
ment. or other authority on the
effects of ergot. In the case of
stock turned into unharvested
rye there is usually more danger
of the stock eating too much rye
at one time than there is of pOis-
oning from ergot.
Many people seem to think that
the disease is somewhat more
common this year than in the
past. For this reason it is import
ant to understand about how gen.
eral the distribution is and wheth-
er it confines itself to any partic-
u'-lar district or notIwould there
fore be pleased to receive sam
piles of rye for study on this fea-
ture. Forward an ordinary mail
ing package of the We Just as it
has come from the threshing ma
chine. This will give us an op-
portunity at the seed laboratory
to examine large number of
samples and furnish 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 harvested.
With regard to use of seed con-
tanning ergot there is probably a
small amount of ergot in most
samples of rye. Thorough grad
ing and cleaning of the grain be-
fore seeding is therefore indicat-
ed. Ergot is one of those kind OF
fungus diseases which spreads by
spore bodies which rest over win
ter on the soil or in the grain bin.
If the ergotized grains are seeded
with the grain. growth from the
black. horn-like structures .oc-
ours and from this secondary
growths of small light spores
arise which are blown about by
the wind. These fall into the flow
ers of the rye plant and certain OF
the grains become infected. after
which they produce large num-
Der of spores which may be car
ried by insects. particularly flies
and by wind to other blossoms OF
the rye plant. The proper way to
control and prevent the increase
of this fungus is to thoroughly
grade all seed grain so as to re-
move the ergot bodies. This can
usually be done because. very Of
ten, they are much bigger than
normal rye grains or are broken
into small bits.
Proper formaldehyde treatment
of the seed before sowing is al
ways beneficial and may tend to
check any possible growth from
these broken. ergotized grains.
There should be regular rotation.
Rye should never be sown on the
same ground on which rye had
been cropped the previous year.
Cereals usually should not follow
each other. Care should be taken
in cleaning or grading the seed
grain to DESTROY all ergotized boz
dies graded out. If they are scat
tered about on the ground in the
vicinity of the farm buildings. not
burned or otherwise destroyed.
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. Boil
ley. Botanist, Agricultural College
p. o., N. D.
/ 49, -