The Holly chieftain., 1919-03-06
SMUT DESTROYS MILLIONS
OF BUSHELS OF GRAIN
Colorado's Annual Loss Estimated
By 0ovsrnnsnt Experts At
Mere Than 81 ,O00yO 900.

Nero 1han $1,O0Oy000.
Do you know that "smuts" attack
ing the small grains are annually
exacting terrible toll in the form
of taxes paid out by the farmers Of
this county. state or our United
tates? Consider the following fig
ures q moment:
Oat smut destroyed 91.64S.OO
bushels of oats in the United States
in 1917. Bunt or sinking smut of
wheat destroyed 2l.96O.OOO bushels
of wheat in 1917. and the stem smut
of rye destroys over 10000 bushels
of rye annually. Colorado's annual
loss resulting from these smuts of
small grains amounts to consider
ably over 100000 Prowers coun-
TVS loss from these same enemy
smuts amounts to thousands Of dol
lars each year. Had you considered
that this mass of evidence. in fig
ures. represents a waste which can
be prevented at cost of about two
cents an acre plus little time? If
you are being docked when you
sell your grain, for the smut it con-
tains, let us appeal TO you to treat
every bit of seed you plant this
spring. You cannot follow any bet
ter business principle. Use 40 per
cent fOrmaldehyde solution, simple,
sure and inexpensive. This can be
purchased at any drug store.
Often times seed treatment is not
generally practiced because of a
more or less popular notion that
seed injury is apt to result after
treatment. This notion may be
having more influence in prevent
ing the general use of the recon-
mended seed disinfection methods
than the actual work of the treat
ment of the cost. The notion is not
right, as no injury will result if
the proper methods are carried out
When treating bear in mind the fol-
lowing points: Do not dry grain
too slowly after treating, as this
may cause injury to the seed germ
Poor stands often claimed to be
| due to treatment may be due to
the use of too little grain, or the
use of seed which originally had
poor termination. Practice testing
your seed before treating, and then
you will know that your efforts will
not be wasted on seed that may
have been no good in the first
place. Seed should be thoroughly
dried after treating If to be stored,
and it is best to dry If to be plant
ed right away. However, II to be
planted before drying set the plant
er to drop more, las the seed viii be
swelled somewhat
Smuts on the following grains
may be controlled by the seed treat
ment: Wheat, oats, barley, rye. mil
let, and sorghum. The loose
"smuts" of wheat and barley, and
also the smut of corn cannot
be controlled by seed Treatment
Soaking Method.
Clean the grain well with fan
mill. Dip loosely filled sacks for
10 to 20 minutes in solution of one
pint of formaldehyde in 40 gallons
of water. Drain. Pile grain, and
cover with sacks, soaked in the so
luton, for not less than and not
more than 12 hours Spread out
and dry. Until dry the seed is
somewhat swollen. If planted in
this condition, the drill must be set
to plant more. Do not let treated
seed freeze or sprout. Treated grain
may be kept indefinitely if thor
oughly dried. Storage sacks and
bins should be treated with the
fOrmaldehyde solution.
Sprinkling Method
Spread and clean grain on a.clean
floor, wagon bed or canvas and
sprinkle the formaldehyde solution
over the grain as another man
shovels it over Use a gallon of So
luton to one bushel of seed Pile
and let stand as in the soaking
method. Dry and store in clean
sacks, or plant.
If you do not have a fan mill or
if your grain is not absolutely free
from smut balls, it is almost a
waste of time to use the soaking or
sprinkling methods.
Open Tank Methods.
Pour grain loose into a tub con-
tanning the formaldehyde Stir
thoroughly and skim off the smut
balls and trash that will come to
the surface. Soak for 10 to 20 min
utes or 40 to GO for millet. Strain
off the solution into another tub
and cover grain for to II hours,
and dry throughly.
If you do not have fan mill use
the open tank method, The sue.