The Newark journal., 1917-08-02
MILLION BUSHELS
OATS LOST IN 1916
Twelve Per Cent Of Crop Is Destroyed
BY Smut-The Best Remedy
Is Formalin.

The plant disease survey made dur
/ ing the last year and covering more
/ than one-half the counties in the state
/ shows that smut caused the loss of
/ 10 per cent Of the oat crop according
TO the report of ]. Lee Hewitt, Plant
Pathologist with the University Of Ar
kansas, who says that there was little
| disease and loss where the seed had
been treated with formalin before
planting.
Ten million bushes OF oats were
produced in Arkansas In 1916. Twelve
per cent OF this crop, or 100000
bushels were lost because OF smut.
The average yield for the state was
81 bushels per acre; consequently,
three and one-fourth bushels per acre
was the average loss. With oats at
| 40 cents bushel, tn average farm
price. s1.56 was the average money
loss per acre. By treating seed with
/ formaln before planting with a cost
OF about two cents per acre and the
work. this enormous loss to the farm
ers of the state could have been avert
ed. Every farmer in Arkansas should
see the value of the fomalin treatment
and use it before planting the 1917
crop.
Two Causes of Loose Smut
Loose smut may be caused by either
+ of Two fungi which are SO similar that
/ they may be considered as one In the
i 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 @ The boot some
times hides the smutty heads which
then appear only as immature or bar.
rem plants. 3. Smut ripens several
days before cutting, and may blow
away, leaving the smutty stalks naked
and not noticeable.
Smut is 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
Threshng Machine Agent Of Infection.
The black masses of smut, seen
when the grain is ripening consist OF
countless numbers of spores. When
the oats terminate and grow the smut
spores terminate 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 filled with the
smut Sometimes only part Of the
head is affected part Of all of the
stalks from each stool may be attack
ed. The threshing 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.
l. Use seed oats free from smut.
2, Disinfect 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.
Formalin Treatment of Grain.
Spread the grain in layer three to
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 1t 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 Is 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 IL
hours. Spread out the grain and dry
quickly and thoroughly. otherwise the
grain may terminate which will IN
jure It. Drying may be fastened by
adding air Stacked lime 1t will take
about one gallon Of mixture for each
bushel of grain. If the grain is 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
into old, smutty sacks. bins or any
place or receptacle not having been
treated with formalin.
A Formalin treatment Is for: d)
Blunt or sinking smut OF wheat (2)
All oak smuts. t3) Kernel smut OF
sorghum. (D Covered smut of bar
| lev f5l Smuts of nni1Iet
B. Hot water treatment is for: OD
Loose smut OF wheat (2) Head
smut of barley.
G. Seed treatment is useless for:
ID Corn smut. (2) Head hmut of
sorghum.