The Yale expositor., 1917-11-29
MICHIGAN WHEAT SMuTTY
Grain Arriving In Detroit Market 10
Heavily Infected, Inspections
Show.
BY DR.. G. n. cOONS,
Specialist in Plant Diseases, Michigan
Agricultural College.

Specialist in Plant Diseases, Michigan
Agricultural College.
East Lansing, Mich.--A few weeks
ago one of the greatest of the nations
grain buyers branded Michigan wheat
as about the smuttiest appearing on
the market. WhereupOn there were
many staunch defenders of Michigan's
fair name who rufIled up in high
dudgeon at what they deemed slur
upon Michigan agriculture. Neverthe-
less the fact remains that Michigan
wheat Is not merely smutty-it is very
smutty. Confirmation of this has re-
Gently come from Detroit.
DIR. n. Kopeloff, who has been as
sisting in the smut eradication work
in Michlgan-detailed TO this state by
the United States department of agri-
culture-reports that during Septem'
Der 1872 per cent of the Al cars of
wheat received at the Detroit market
were infected with sinking smut,
while out of ten cars received in the
first days in October, four had stink
ing smut.
George Miller, who has been doing
similar work. quotes Mr.. Rucker, chief
inspector for the Detroit Board of
Trade, as stating also that 50 per cent
of Michigan rye carried ergot this
year. The ruling of the board is to
reduce the grade of rye one point If 1t
is found To contain more than l per
cent of ergOt. This means II reduc-
ton in price of ~ to . cents.
There might perhaps be little room
for criticism If sinking smut was like
the weather-something that cannot
be controlled. But ii can be gotten
rid of. The new treatment of wheat
for this disease has been tried every
where in the state and where direc-
tons have been followed, excellent
results have come.
County Agent Smith Of Kent tells
of case of where the grain was bad
ly injured by doubling the time it was
method being used. The man upon be-
ing shown the new method treated
the rest of his grain successfully, and
as the advertisements say, He will
now use no other"
Certain county men have found that
the directions carry. the idea that 5U
bushels are to he treated and give no
| specific pointers for handling two. five
or ten bushels. The department AZ
knOwledges the validity of this criti'
| cism and is now working to standard
lie the method. Reports of poor re-
suits from the method in Allegan coun-
| ty have also been investigated. A
| farmer there stated that his grain had
terminated. grew few inches. and
remained yellow. Examination showed
that the trouble present was due to
deep planting in rather poor seed
| bed. Wherever the drill had planted
at the proper depth, as in the harder
better packed portions of the field, the
stand was perfect and the color and
growth normal
Plan Many Schools.
More than 100 of the two-lay
schools which in many sections of the
| state will replace the old farmers In
stitutes have been arranged for by the
Michigan Agricultural college. Some
of these, in a few of the northern
counties such as Cheboygan, will be
conducted I'm December, but most OF
them will not be put on before Janu-
airy !. A few Of the towns which will
have these schools follow: New Rich
mond, Gauges, Gilead. Quincy. Cali.
fornia, MunrOe, Riggsville, Wolverine
Sparta, Cadmus, Arcadia, Onekama
Manistee, Chief, Dublin, Ludington
Victory township. Morey, Pioneer, Lu-
Gus, Moddersville. Fremont. Garfield
Grand Haven, Coopersville, Berlin
| jamestown, Iceland, Holland, Fair
Haven. China, Burchville, Colon, Law
ton, Decatur, Hartford GObbleville,
Lacota, South Haven, Covert Reese
Cars, Petoskey, East Jorden, Bing-
ham, West Branch, Sandusky, Mar
lette, Arcadia, Birmingham. Cedar
Springs, Dryden, Grant, Irontcn. Law
renee. st. Johns, Schoolcraft. Sturgis
Ludington. Athens, China, Fair Haven
Lowell, Attention, Three Rivers, Green.
vile, Ithaca, Wolverine, Freesoil Mt
Tabor, Eau Claire. Buchanan, Mill.
burg, Union City, Spring Port, Ona.
way and Millurburg.