The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1914-01-22
CEREAL SMUT INJURY
Cause Large Amount Of Shrivel.
ing of Grains.
Presence Of Disease, Especially In
Wheat, Causes Buyer to Knock
OF One or More Grades-Dam.
age by Contamination.

(By H. L. BoLI.EY, North Dakota Agri-
cultural College)
The SHUTS which attack cereal
grains and many Of the grasses are
very destructive. They not only de-
stroy the kernels or seed on the par
ticular heads which are attacked, but,
in many cases. cause large amount
Of shrivelling of the grain because a
very large proportion of the plants
which are actually attacked at the
root and lower stem do not sufficient
ly develop the smut to have it show
In the head. Such plants, whether Of
wheat, oats, or other cereals, tend
to produce shrivelled seed. When smut
is present. especially in wheat, the
grade of the grain is very materially
injured. It causes the first buyer to
knock of one or more grades, sim.
ply because he knows that this par
ticular lot of wheat will not only be
of low grade, but will tend to in
jure other grain with which it comes
in contact.
Cereal smuts do much more dam
age than that indicated because few
crops of smutty wheat which reach
the terminal market are sufficient to
contaminate very much larger
amount Of seed there in the general
elevators-at least they do bring
about large amount of contamina-
ton because of being shipped in the
same cars and handled in the same
elevator spouts, etc. This tends to
cut down the market value of all the
grades from an entire region, and
compels the millers to Introduce a
considerable amount of complicated
machinery for scrubbing, cleaning,
washing and purifying the seed.
There are none Of the SHUTS which
attack cereal grains which cannot be
very largely prevented. Most of them
can be entirely prevented. There is
literally no excuse for sinking smut
Of wheat, loose smut of oats, millet
SHUTS, etc. 1t is quite difficult. to
prevent the occurrence of corn smut
and loose smut of wheat and one Of
the SHUTS of barley, for the reason
that these types of smut are wind
blown and the terminating spores
may attack the plant at any time
when there Is sufficient moisture in
the air, and the joints or other of the
growing parts are sufficiently succu-
lent.
In case Of loose smut of wheat, the
grain is often attacked in the bios
som in such manner that the seed for
the coming year is infected internally.
Thus the ordinary treatment, such as
formaldehyde, does not reach the in
terror sufficiently strong to destroy
the smut infection. The best way to
escape the action of loose smut of
wheat is therefore to prepare a seed
plot, and to pull all smutty heads as
soon as they appear before the spores
begin to blow about. It Is well to
have this seed plot surrounded by
wind breaks or as well protected
from the general fields Of grain as
possible so as to prevent the blowing
of spores and dirt from other fields
to the seed plot. 1t may be truthfully
said, however, that very little damage
from any kind Of smut will occur if
the following directions are followed:
The Seed PIot.-Esta blish a seed
plot on which to grow the seed for the
rest of the farm. Practice a good,
careful rotation on this seed plot. The
seed plot should be big enough to
produce the different kinds of seed to
be used on the farm, as, for example:
corn, wheat, barley, flax, timothy or
clover. A large seed plot could be
cut up into number Of fields CORE
spending to the number of seeds
necessary to grow. For the ar
rangement of the seed plots in rotar
ton, recommend about as follows::
First year, corn, potatoes, summer
fallow, or other hoed crops to purify
and clean the land of weed seeds and
diseases.
Second year, fax.
Third year, wheat or other cereal.
Fourth year, timothy and clover, or
either one of them pure
Fifth year, pasture for pigs, sheep,
or other animals movable fence).
The next year the series can start
over again. The original, or large
seed plot area should be broken into
as many areas as to furnish one, two
or three Of these areas as needed
The object of the crop rotation Is to
arrange the crops in such relation to
each other that no one Of the crops
carry til esame diseases that are char
acteristic of the one which precede it.
If any farm manures are applied,
they should be we'll rotted before ap-
plying, and then applied to the grass
lands or preferably to the wheat or
cereal stubble and plowed in.
Seed Treatment, Wheat.-Select the
best most matured. Do not let 1t get
wet during the harvest period If it can
be possibly helped. Grade it to the
highest, plumpest, most proper color
ed one-third. Use this for seed. Be
fore sowing immense the seed in a
formaldehyde solution made at the
strength Of one pound of formalde-
| hyde to 40 gallons of water. The OBJ.
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