The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1914-03-20


diseases in the United States IS esti-
mated 10 be $40 100000. Moreover, over
one-half or nearly 100000 OF this
loss Is caused by preyentable diseases,
remedies for which have been devei-
oped and placed in disable form TOT
the farmers by state and federal au-
.thorities.
The department OF agriculture.
through the office OF cereal inVesu-
cations OF the bureau OF plant INDUS
try. has specialists in grain diseases
working In laboratory. field and green
house in an effort TO solve many sci
entihc and practical problems OF dis
ease control which confront the
grover OF cereals The state expert
ment stations of Minnesota, Kansas
and Washington are cooperating with
the department with view OF con
trolling and eliminating plant us
eases that are causing such an enor-
NOUS loss In the grain fields. In adj
.dition. well-equipped laboratory IL
maintained at Washington. where MI
croscopic. cultural and other studies
of the disease causing organisms are
carried on during the greater part OF
the year.
While rusts md smuts OF cereals
are perhaps the most widely distrib'
utcd and most harmful Diseases which
have been studied. there Is another
class OF "cases'' which our plant doc
tors must now consider These dis
eases are commonly called scabS,
Wits. blights. and number OF other
popular names. They are nearly all
OF them properly called soil diseases.
because their spores have the power
OF living in the soil. AZ we'll as on the
straw, leaf or seed OF their host plant.
They are caused, az Ia the case with
trusts and smuts, by parasitic fungous
plants which get their nourishment
from our cultivated green plants.
Among the preyentable cereal dis
eases is the sinking smut, or bunt
In wheat, common In all grain-growing
sections and especially troublesome in
the Palouse country of the northwest.
where IL Is harder TO control, owing
to the fact that Ii lives over winter In
the soil The estimated average an
Aual loss liz two per cent. of the crop.
This smut is easily distinguished In
the field when the grain is almo ripe.
The smutted plants are usually slight
ly stunted and the heads stand more
erect than the heavy. sound heads.
The chaff Is spread apart more or less
by the dark. swollen kernels. giving
the head an open appearance. When
the tough membrane. or skin, OF such
a kernel is broken. dark. smeary,
dust.like mass is disclosed which has
n peculiar fetid odor like that OF de-
-cayed fish
The smut can be controlled and
practically gotten rid OF by any one OF
the seed treatments which have been
worked out and recommended for a
number OF years by the state expert
ment stations. OF these the forma-
lin treatment Is probably the best.
There are several ways OF applying
this treatment IL may be either
sprayed on the grain or the grain may
be soaked in the solution. The fol
lowing method OF treatment is recon-
mended by the Washington expert
ment station:
Construct a water-tlght trough s
feet long, II inches deep and "a inches
wide Fill this two-thirds full OF The
formalin solution. which has been
made up by dissolving one pint Ga
pound) OF 40 per cent. formaldehyde
In 40 gallons OF water. Into this pour
slowly the seed wheat until the trough
is nearly half full of grain Then stir
thoroughly with long-handle shovel
In order TO float TO the surface any
smut balls that may have been car
ried in by the grain These should
be skinned of and destroyed. Leave
the grain i'm the solution about one
half hour. IL may then be lifted out
and piled up on a granary floor or on
the bottom of wagon box and Gov
cred with moist sacks. where it is left
over night. On the following morning
Il will be ready to SOW If IL is de
sired 20 SOW the grain in dry condi-
ton il will be necessary to spread the
treated seed out on the floor to a
depth OF two or three inches, stirring
frequently in order to hasten the dry
ing process II the seed is sown wet.
allowance should be made for its
swollen condition by setting the drill
10 SOW larger quantity per acre
The oat smut. another destructive
disease. is widely distributed. some
fields having shown as high as 50
per cent OF smutted heads. Estimated
average annual loss is about two per
cent. of the crop This smut is most
easily noticed little before the grain
is ripe when smutted plants are found
10 be shorter and TO stand more erect
than sound ones In place OF the
kernels there are dark masses of smut
dust which. sometimes. are covered by
the chan or glumes and sometimes are
left fully exposed and are then soon
~~--~-~-~-~-~-~O-o-
Fox a Gcd in Japan.
Hiet Takahashi, the quaint son of
Nippon. who attends William Jewell