Sharp County record., 1918-08-23
INCREASED ACREAGE
Of OATS AND WHEAT
Necessary To Treat Oats and Wheat
For Smut Before Planting.
BY John A. Elliott, Plant Pathologist,
Arkansas Experiment Station.

Arkansas Experiment Station.
Arkansas INCREASED her oat yield
from 21 bushels per acre in 1916 to
Is bushels In 1917 and her total pro
duction was $4,000 bushels on 3i0,.
900 acres. This increase in yield was
undoubtedly due not only to the sea-
son, but to better cultural methods,
and especially to the interest and
care in the treatment for smut before
planting.
We must have a great increase in
the acreage of both oats and wheat,
and consequently the importance Of
seed treatment for smut cannot be
over estimated at this time, slice this
is at least one of the great factors
which farmers can help control in the
production Of these grains.
Oat smuts and the stinking smut
of wheat can be controlled by treat.
ing with solution Of formalin which
has been found to be most suitable
The wet and dry methods have been
satisfactory. The dry method has
proven to be the more simple, and
just as effective as the wet method.
Wet Method.
For the wet method use diluted
solution of formalin, pint Of 40 per
cent commercial solution in 40 gal.
Ions of water This is sprayed over
the grain at about the rate of 1 gal
Ion to the bushel. and the grain
stirred until it is all thoroughly wet,
1t is then covered with heavy blank
cts or canvas for s or II hours, after
which it is spread out thinly and
dried AS soon as it will run through
the drills 1t may be planted.
Dry Method.
Use 1 pint Of 40 per cent formalin
solution in ! pint Of water to treat
so bushels Of grain. This makes one
quart of solution for so bushels. The
grain should be shoveled from one
pile to another, and the formalin
sprinkled through 1t as evenly ss
possible. The grain should then be
closely covered with blankets or
canvas for or hours, never longer.
The grain is then ready to plant at
once as 1t is dry.
A great many varieties Of spring
and winter oats were grown on the
Arkansas Experiment Station farm
this year. All OF the seed was treat
ed with formalin except for a few
plots left as checks. A roadway was
left between each two acre plot and
this also sown with untreatod seed,
Not q trace Of smut could be found
on the treated plats; the untreated
oats in the roadway had 15 to 20 per
cent OF smutted heads, while some OF
the untreated plots had over 30 per
cent Of smut, A better demonstra-
tlon OF the value Of seed treatment
could not have been found Many
farmers treated their oats last fall
or spring with equally good results.
As before mentioned, this treatment
Ia equally effective for the sinking
smut Of wheat
Loose Smut Of Wheat Not Controlled
by FormalIn.
Many farmers have been discour.
aged this year by their losses due to
Loose smut Of wheat and the failure
OF formalin or bluc-stone to control
II. Loose.smut OF wheat can not b.
controlled by the formalin or blue
stone treatment for the following
reasons. Wheat loose.smut infocts
the wheat only at blooming time, II
gets inside Of the new grain, where
1t remains without being observed
until the heads Of the plant, grown
from the infected seed, appear in The
following season. then instead OF q
head Of grain, head of smut appears,
The smut heads mature q few days
before the healthy plants bloom, 30
that when the healthy plants are In
full bloom the smut spores are be.
Ing scattered by the wind and infect
the blossoms OF the new year, so tha.
sced.wheat should never be saved
from q badly infected field. II
would be great economy to pur'
chase seedwheat which Is known TO
be free from this smut Threshers
do not spread this smut, although
they do spread oat smuts and stink
ing smut Of wheat,
There Ia every reason that q good
trade In seed wheat could be soeul cd
by any farmer who would raise dis
o0so.free wheat
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