Sharp County record., 1917-03-09
MILLION BUSHELS
OATS LOST IN 1916
Twelve Per Cent Of Crop ls Destroyed
BY Smut-The Best Remedy
Is Formalin.

The plant disease survey maze aur'
ing the last year and covering more
than one-half the counties in the state
shows that smut caused the loss OF
70 per cent of the oat crop accorolns
to the report Of ]. Lee Hewitt, Plan'
Pathoiogist with the University OF Ar
kansas. who says that there was little
disease and loss where the SEED nau
been treated with formalin pe1ore
planting.
Ten million bushes Of oats were
produced in Arkansas in 1916. TwelVe
per cent of this crop, or l,2Oo,Voo
bushels were lost because OF smut
The average yield for the state was
27 bushels per acre; consequently
three and one-fourth bushels per acre
was the average loss. With oats at
40 cents a bushel, tn average rarm
price, $1.56 was the average money
loss per acre. By treating seed With
! formalin before planting with COST
Of about two cents per acre and the
work, this enormous loss to the rarln-
ers of the state could have been avert
ed. Every farmer in Arkansas shouiu
see the value of the fomalin treatment
and use it before planting the 1sl'
crop.
Two Causes Of Loose Smut.
Ioose smut NAV be caused by either
Of two fungi which are 80 similar tha'
they may be considered as one in the
treatment for smut. The loss from
smut is greater than Is commonly sup
posed for: /. Smutty stalks are usual
" shorter than healthy ones and not
easily observed, Q. The boot some
times hides the smutty heads when
then appear only as immature or bar
rem plants. 8. Smut ripens several
days before cutting, and may blow
away, leaving the smutty stalks nakeo
and not noticeable.
Smut is a parasite plant that grows
inside of and feeds upon the oat plant
Smut robs growing oat plants OF nour'
ishment and weakens them, some
times SO much that they cannot push
their panicles or heads out OF the
sheath of the upper leaf.
Threshina Machine Agent Of Infection
The black masses Of smut, seen
when the grain is ripening, consist OF
countless numbers Of spores. When
the oats germinate and grow the smut
spores germinate also The tiny
smut plants penetrate and enter the
oat plants, growing up within There
Is nothing to indicate their presence
until the heads form. At this time
the oat kernels are filed with the
smut. Sometimes only part or the
head Is affected. A part Of all OF the
stalks from each stool may be attack
ed. The threshlng machine Is the
wholesale agent OF infection as crops
practically free from smut may be-
come infected by spores carried in
the machine from an infected neigh.
boring field
To Prevent Smut.
I. Use seed oats free from smut
2. Dlsinfect all sacks, bins etc, with
formalin. 3. Treat seed oats with for
malin when there Is any doubt Of their
being free from smut One pound to
forty gallons OF water Is the same as
one ounce to two and one.half gallons
Use this strength with the sprinkling
method
Formaln Treatment Of Grain.
Spread the grain in layer three 10
four inches thick on clean floor or
canvas. With watering pot, sprinkle
the grain thoroughly with the mixture
OF formalin and water When the grain
Is pretty wet all over, shovel II back
and forth two or three times to get
some OF the mixture on every grain
Add more Of the mixture and shower
over until the grain 10 quite wet but
not wet enough to pack In the hand.
Then shovel into pile and cover with
empty sacks. Let stand for six TO 12
hours, Spread out the grain and dry
quickly and thoroughly, otherwise the
grain may germinate which will IN.
jure t. Drying may be hastened by
adding air Stacked lime. II will take
about one gallon Of mixture for each
bushel Of grain. II the grain ia sowed
before thoroughly dried, allow about
one peck to the bushel extra for the
swelled condition Of the grain. DO not
use more or less formalin than is rec.
commended DO not put treated grain
inso old, smutty sacks, bins or any
place or receptacle not having been
treated with formaIn.
A, Formaln treatment Ia for: (1)
Bunt or sinking smut OF wheat, (2l
All oak smuts, (3) Kernel smut OF
sorghum az Covered smut OF bar.
ley (b) Smute Of millct,
d, Hot water treatment Ia for, (D
Loose smut OF wheat (9) Head
smut Of barley
c. Seed treatment ID useless for
| W Corn smut t2) Head hmut Of
Borghum.