The Cordele dispatch. (Cordele, Ga.) 19??-1971, 1917-08-26
SEED TREATMENT WILL
SAVE MILLIONS OF BUSHELS
OF WHEAT AND RYE.
The Case for Seed Treatment.

The Case for Seed Treatment.
Over 81 per cent of the wheat crop
and per cent Of the rye drop is lost
through smut.
| Seed treatment with formaldehyde
solution is practically 100 per cent
efficient except in a few sections
where the soil is badly polluted with
smut spores.
The formaldehyde treatment costs
less than 5 cents ger acre for ma
terials and labor. To this must be
added in extreme cases the cost of 20
per cent Of the seed grain, the germ
mating power of which may be de-
stroyed because of seed injury.
In every case the entire cost of the
treatment together with possible seed
injury is much less than the value of
the increased yield which it assures.
Now that because of world short
age, every bushel of wheat and rye
counts for more than ever before, the
safeguarding of the next crops of
these grains against disease by the
treatment of seed before planting is of
greatest Importance, says the United
States Department of Agriculture.
Department specialists estimate that
the average annual loss due to the
smuts of wheat and rye amounts ap-
proximately to 27500,000 bushels.
This is equal to about 312 per cent
of the entire yearly wheat crop and
is regarded as a conservative esti-
mate, since only smutted heads ac-
tually lost are reconsidered The in
creased number Of heads which
healthy plants would have thrown out
were not taken into account. The
loss to the billion-busheI wheat crop
the Department hopes to see harvest
ed next year would, at 31s per cent.
amount to 35,00O,000 bushels. With
wheat selling at So a bushel this
would amount to an exceedingly high
tax on the farmers of the country
Treatment of Seed.
Treatment of wheat against stink
ing smut is fairly easy not expen-
sive, and fully 95 per cent effective.
The efficiency of the treatment is,
in fact, practically 100 per cent in
most of the wheat-growing regions.
of off aio
country as whole, however, is re-
duced by the fact that in large re-
gions in the Pacific Northwest the
soil is polluted with smut germs to
such an extent that the effects of
seed treatment are negatived. Seed
treatment costs not to exceed cents
an acre for materials and labor. To
this cost, however, must be added the
cost of grain, the terminating power
of which may be destroyed by the
treatment This amounts at the most
to 20 per cent In every case the
value of the wheat saved by treat
ment. would amount to several times
the cost of treatment.
Statistics show that the average
annual loss of rye from smut is about
/ per extraordinarily less than
the loss of wheat. II is we'll worth
while, however, to treat rye seed also.
Method of Treating Seed.
Several methods of treating seed
for the destruction of smut spores
are in use, but the best, it is believed
lis the formaldeyde treatment The
grain should first be cleaned thor
oughly with a tanning mill so that
smut balls, shriveled grain, chaff, ETC.,
will be removed After the grain is
clean it may be spread on floor or
tarpaulin in a layer of pile several
inches thick and sprinkled with So
luton of formaldehyde made by mix
ing l pound of commercial Tornado
hyde with As gallons of water. An
ordinary sprinkling can or spraying
machine is used anH the grain is