Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1918-10-22

cent for oats. and about 25 per cent for
wheat. II anything, the losses this sea
son were more marked than usual. NOT
more than % per cent of the farmers OF
the state treated seed grain last ran.
Where seed grain was treated. no smut
appeared in the field: where untreated,
frequently the yield was reduced TO 5V
20 IS per cent Seed treatment is no
untried experiment, IL is the most I'M
portant factor in crop production.
Blunt, or sinking smut, of wheat Is
controlled by either the formalcehyde or
bluestone method; loose smut, by the
are controlled by the formaldehyde
method.
The dry" formaldehyde method of
treating grain for smut gives better
control than the sprinkling, or wet
formaldehyde method, and is much less
expensive in application than the blue
stone method. The following equipment
Is necessary:
A tight. clean floor or wagon box,
or a piece of canvas about ten feet
square, upon which the grain is piled.
large blanket or canvas with which
TO cover the grain.
one or two shovels with which to stir
the grain.
A quart hand sprayer. costing so to 20
cents at the hardware store.
Sufficient 40 per cent formaldehyde to
treat the required grain, costing from
30 TO 75 cents a pint bottle.
The following amounts of formalde-
ryde should be used: 10 ounces Il pint
sufficient for so TO 90 bushels; ounces
t1-2 pint sufficient for 20 to 80 bush
els; ounces IA pint) sufficient Tor ~
TO Is bushels.
The seed grain should be thoroughly
cleaned from all foreign material (chaft,
stems. smut balls, weed seed, etc. in
the tanning mill and then piled on the
canvas (clean floor or wagon box). The
fOrmaldehyde solution is poured from
the bottle into the hand sprayer The
rrsRTm &c fnz a KayhH "A nn-
crates the sprayer. holding il close to
the moving grain lthus avoiding the dis
agreeable fumes of the formaldehydeD
Spray the grain as IL is shoVeled over
hyde has been applied. Then pile the
grain and cover completely with a can
vas or large blanket for five hours (four
hours for wheat), thus permitting the
formaldehyde fumes to act on the smut
pores attached TO the grain. The grain
Is then ready for the seeder or may be
sacked and stored until seeding time.
Old sacks should be thoroughly disin-
fected. The seeder should also be dis
infected. Use 20 per cent additional
seed to offset loss due TO weak seed
germs.
Smut balls must be removed before
treatment. They may. be fioated out in
case the tanning mill does not do good
work
Keep the grain moving while the
formaldehyde is being applied, thus in
surfing an even application.
After spraying, cover the pile with a
tight canvas or blanket; the fumes must
be kept in the pile of grain for the
required time.
ForfnaIdehy6c is poisonous; do nor
get it on the hands. Treated grain by
this method is not poisonous. 1t should.
however. be thoroughly aired before
being fed.
The bIuestone method in use by. many
farmers gives good results. but costs
from six to eight times as much per
bushel as does the formaldehyde method.
Formaydehyde is often diluted lone
pint to forty gallons of water and
spread on a clean floor The dry" for
maldehpde method gives equally good
results. however, and in addition has
the following advantages:
The treated grain is dry ana may be
seeded at once; there is no danger of
sprouting. or OF the gram swelling and
freezing.
applied in the grain bin or the seed
room.
The grain is freed from weevils. 1t
may be treated early in the winter and
stored in clean sacks until used.
Seed wheat infected with loose smut
appears normal; nor is there any indi-
cation of disease when the seed is broken
yet the disease organism may be with
in the seed. Infected seed ge' inmate and
grow as do healthy seed; but at ma
turity there is developed mass of smut
instead OF healthy seed. For this rea-
son seed treatement. as for the other
smuts, is worthless. IL has been discov-
cred, however, that the organism within
the seed cannot Withstand as high a
temperature as can the seed germ The
hot water" method, when properly APP
Piled, gives complete control, but the
directions must be carefully followed
to avoid destroying the seed germs. At
least so per cent additional seed grain
should be used to offset weak germs
which may have been killed. The fol-
lowing equipment is necessary:
A large iron kettle (suitable for
scalding hogs) or a metal gasoline