The Ronan pioneer. [volume] (Ronan, Mont.) 1910-1970, 1917-09-28
TREAT GRAIN SEED
KILL SMUT GERMS
FARMERS PAY HIGH TAX EOp
FAILING TO DESTROY
DISEASE,
Toss in Billion Dollar Crop Due to
Smut Estimated at $4,000, 900
Bushels of Grain; Method for
Treating Grain Easy and Quite In
Expensive.

Officials of the department of agri-
culture estimate that the average an
nual loss in the country, due to smuts
Of wheat and rye, amounts to approx
imately 27,50O,0O0 bushels, This is
equal to about 81 per cent of the
total annual crop and is loss that
could be greatly reduced by proper
treatment Of seed grain. The i'm
portance, therefore, of treating the
seed to kill germs of such diseases is
apparent.
The loss to the billion bushel
wheat crop the department hopes to
see harvested next year would at 3 10
per cent, amount to $4,000, 900
bushels. With wheat selling at So a
bushel this would amount to an ex-
ceedingly high tax on the farmers of
the country.
Treatment of wheat against stink
ing smut is fairly easy. not expen-
slve and fully IS 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 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.
Cost Small for Results.
Seed treatment costs not to exceed
five cents an acre for materials and
labor. To this cost, however, must be
added the cost of grain, the germin-
ating power of which may be Destroy
ed by the treatment. This amounts
at the most to 20 per cent. In every
case the value of the wheat saved by
treatment would amount to several
times the cost of treatment.
Statistics show that the average
annual loss of rye from smut is about
per cent-considerably less than
the loss Of wheat. 1t is we'll worth
while, however, to treat rye seed
also
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
floor Or tarpaulin in a layer or pile
several inches thick and sprinkled
with solution of formaldehyde
made by mixing one pound of COM
formaldehyde with IS gal
Ions Of water.
Dry Grain Well.
An ordinary sprinkling can or
spraying machine is used and the
grain is shoveled over and over until
every kernel is wet. The grain is
then placed in pile and covered
with sacks, blankets or a tarpaulin
for two hours or over night. 1t is
then dried sufficiently to be run
through the drill, after which it may
be sown. If the grain is not passed
through a tanning mill it should be
placed in vat or tank of the formal
1ehyde solution instead of being
'prinkled. The smut balls will rise
20 the surface and may be SKINNED
If the grain is not to be planted i'm
it must be dried suffi-
GENTLY to prevent spelling when
placed in bins. If planted while damp
md swollen, more grain by measure
must be used to allow for the expan-
ion.