The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1918-03-19
SMUT AND GRAIN
DISEASES To Be
FOUGHT BY j. s.
Government Plans National
Campaign OF Education
And Eradication.
WOULD INCREASE YIELDS

IBy Associated Press to Tho Bannerl
STATE COLLEGE. Pa, March 1G
To prevent an annual loss estimated
at 134,556,000 bushels of wheat, oats,
barley and rye. and tremendous los-
ses" in other staple crops, specialists
on agriculture have organized War
Emergency Board of American Plant
Psychologists. This board has inaug.
urated n nation wide campaign to in.
crease food production through con
troll of Obstructive plant diseases dur
ing the coming growing season.
Because the consumer pays for ev
cry rotted and scabby potato and ev-
cry smutted grain of wheat or oats
the farmer grows, without having
them as food, hundreds of trained
workers intend to carry the campaign
into all the states. Teachers, research
workers and students are being enlist
ed in the service which will show the
farmers how to increase their yields
of disease-free crops.
These preventable diseases Will be
attacked vigorously as the first step
of Il comprehensive program to pre-
vent food waste. Further efforts to
save food are to be made by teaching
methods of eliminating losses in trans
portation, storage and in households.
The War Emergency Board, of
which DR.. +. ID. Kern, plant patholo,
gist at PENNSYLVANIA State Col
lege, is n member, expects to give di-
rect aid to growers as to the availa-
bility and prices OF spray materials.
Assistance will be given to the plant
disease survey undertaken by the
federal Department of agriculture, in
cooperation with the state colleges of
agriculture and other agencies.
Plans and projects for the campaign
were considered at a special meeting
of the Board in Washington this
month. The country was districted
into six sections, each in charge OF
commissioner selected by the board.
A concrete example of how the sci.
entists will attempt to increase Tn.
Gle Sans food output is given in the
statement that there is an annual loss
of from four to five bushels of wheat
and grain every year from every acre
growing those crops. This loss is at
tributed TO grain smut, a disease which
the board says is entirely preventable
by an application of common disin.
fectant, costing only few cents. to
the seed before it is planted. Spread
ing information OF this nature and of
similar character for other crops on
other preventable diseases is to be one
of the chief activities OF the board.
The board is making a complete sur
vey of the workers who are qualified
and willing to assist in the battle
against plant diseases. TO this end
the board is taking nation wide cen
sus of plant disease specialists who
will be enlisted.
Work has been started on the gath.
ering of accurate information on. los
ses in staple crops due to diseases.
Teachers of botany and plant path
ology are being urged to give special
attention to the training of students
along the line of fighting plant dis
eases. Many workers are needed to
take up work already planned by State
and Federal agencies.
Seven men, all patholOgists at agri-
cultural colleges, constitute the War
Emergency Board They are
Fl. Fl. Whetzel. chairman, New York
State College of Agriculture; II. p.
Barss, Agricultural College, Cornwall,
lis, Oregon; e. C. Stakman, Agricul-
tural College. st. Paul, Mimi; G. H..
Coons, Agricultural College, East
Lansing, Mich; +. d. Kern, State Col.
lege, Pa; II. w. Barre, Clemson Col.
lege, s. c.; and G. r. Lyman, Depart.
ment of Agriculture, Washington. D..
C.