The Tucumcari news and Tucumcari times. [volume] (Tucumcari, N.M.) 1907-1921, 1915-10-07
WHEAT SMUT CONTROL

" 49, hNtN 80 NhAA1 RNNA INV
infrequently experience serious losses
causes by preventable diseases. Wheat
Is preyed upon 10y a number Of para
site fungi, three of which are classed
as smuts. Two of these smuts are a
common pest in the wheat fields of
North America, the other, commonly
known as flag smut. is thus far un-
known TO this continent. though ii is
fairly common in Australia and Ger.
tain other parts Of the world where
wheat culture has been in progress.
for centuries.
OF the two smuts. hunt or covered
smut of wheat. sometimes referred to |
as sinking smut. is found wherever
wheat Is grown. sometimes resulting
in losses to the farmers of the United
States Of $50. 0O0,O 900 or more annual
ly. Not ~infrequently fields planted TO
untreated seed and giving promise of
yielding 80 to 80 bushels per acre OF
good wheat will produce "A crop of COW |
cred smut amounting in some cases.
to as much as 80 TO so per cent of the
crop.
This smut disease is caused 10y n
Idi N"lANN AAAAkhe NAAANh dAAhNhN NV
growing wheat plant before the first
leaf appears above ground. Once in
side the attacked seeding il continues
its growth, and by the time the wheat
begins to head the diseased plants
produce "a crop of smut. II we exam
inc the headh Of such "a plant we find,
instead Of normal wheat grains, only
n lot of smut balls. In other words,
the materials produced by the living
plant for the purpose of building up
sound wheat grains have been con-
sumed by the parasite in forming It's
masses Of smut spores which finally
occupy the exact position in the wheat
heads that would have been filed 10y
the kernels had they been allowed to
develop. These smut balls consist of
nothing but millions of spores inclosed
in each case by a thin enyeloping mem
brane. When the smut balls are crush
ed the spores give off an odor not un-
like hat Of herring brine. The lib
Grated spores become attached To the
seed. which, II planted without pre-
vious treatment. may produce another
crop OF smutted wheat.
treat Oetu WIN u OTWalln
Blunt or covered smut Of wheat is
one Of the most easily prevented of
any Of the cereal diseases. The fol-
lowing procedure is recommended.
Run all seed wheat through a tanning
mill in order 20 blow out the unbroken
smut balls. This being done. the grain
should be soaked 10 minutes in n sol
ution consisting Of one pound of com
rnercial formalin (obtainable at near.
~ all drug stores) added to 80 gallons
of water. The seed thus treated j.
next allowed to drain and is then piled
on the floor and stirred frequently un-
Ill sufficiently dry to SOW. If during
this process the kernels have swollen
very much. the drill should be SCI TO
SOW a little thicker, else the quantity
sown per acre will be less than was
intended.
Recent experiments have shown tue
fact that in certain sections Of the
country the soil of a field producing a
crop of smutJcd wheat tins year may
LIrbor enol ph smut spores to cause
the appearance of smut spores in neXt
years crop Il the field be raseeded to
wheat. This sometimes occurs where
smut is very bad, in spite Of the llant
ing of treated seed, ara shows that in
such localities crop rotation should he
practiced in addition to seed treatment
Blunt or "over,d smut of wheat at.
tacks no other G rell crop. but other
ceraels have their W smut diseases.
The other wheat smut occurring in
this country, known commonly as loose
smut, is not so serious as hunt, al
though il probably produces an aver
age loss OF three-fourths of one per
cent Of the total wheat crop Of the
country. Loose smut nay be pre-
vented by treating the seed by the
Jensen hot-wator method or some mod
iication OF H..
The Jensen method consists in soak
ing the seed for 10 10 10 minutes in
hot water no "a temperature Of 1922
70 1882 +. IL is highly important that
the water shall not rise over 1867 or
fall below 1909 +. A temperature be-
low this win not kill the smut, while
n temperature too high may affect the
g~ermination OF the seed. The grain.
ter treatment, should be immediate
ly spread out 20 dry. If it can not
be spread az once il should be dipped
into cold water to cool and spread
as soon as possible.
III -E - "a