The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1917-08-30
m an unequal operation III the NV
the district boards should reverse Oil
modify the decision OF the local
board" is.s 1s I. f s
Seed Treatment Win Save Millions
Z of Bushels of Wheat and Rye.

sE@s .f 9a.3 w, =
hi Now that, because Of world short
3age, every beshel Of wheat and srye
icounts for more than ever before, the
fsafe- guarding 81 the next crops 81
Ithese grains against disease ty the
Treatment Of seed before planting is
iof greatest importance, says the
United States Department Of. Agri-
lculture. Department specialists e5ti-
innate that the average annual loss due
| 10 smuts of wheat and rye amounts
approximately to a7,5ooooo bushels.
This is equal to about 5 ia per cent
Of the entire yearly wheat crop and
lis regarded as conservative esti-
mate, since only smuttcd heads act-
ually lost are considered. The in
creased number OF heads which
healthy plants would have thrown
out were not taken into account.
The loss to the billion-bushel wheat
crop the Department hopes to see
harvested next year would, at 3 La
per cent, amount to $1,000, 900 BUSH
els With wheat selling at s. a BUSH
Ell this would amount to an exceed
ingly high tax on the farmers Of the
country.
Treatment Of wheat against stink
ing smut is fairly easy, not expen-
sive and fully os per cent effective.
The efficiency Of the treatment is, in
fact. practically 100 per cent in most
of the wheat-growing regions. The
percentage of efficiency for the coun-
try as a whole, however, is reduced
by the fact that in large regions in
the Pacific Northwest the soil is pol
luted with smut germs to such an ex-
tent that the effects of seed treatment
are negatived. Seed treatment costs |
not to exceed S cents an acre for ma.
terials and labor. To this cost, how
ever, 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 the treatment would amount
to several times the cost of treat
ment.
Several methods of treating seed
for the destruction of smut spores
are in use, but the best, it is believed,
is the formaldehyde 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 a floor or
a tarpaulin in layer or pile several
inches thick and sprinkled with So
luton of formaldehyde made by mix
ing pound of commercial Tornado
hyde with IS gallons of water An
ordinary sprinkling can or a spray
ng machine is used and the grain is
;hoveled over and over until every
kernel is wet. The grain is then
placed in pile and covered with
sacks, blankets, or a tarpaulin for
tours or over night. 1t is then dried
to be run through the
lrill, after which it may be sown. If
he grain is not passed through fan
ling mill it should be placed in a
at or tank of the formaldehyde solu-
ion instead of being sprinkled. The
nut balls will rise to the surface
nd may be skinned off.
If the grain is not to be planted
it must be dried suffi-
iestly to prevent spelling when
laced in bins. If planted while
amp and swollen, more grain by
leasure must be used to allow for
he expansion.