The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1919-10-26
Hot Baths for Seed Wheat

"a firebrand applied to inflammabl
finder is no more destructive than are
tie smuts which annually ravage and
shiage the grain crops of the United
States. Last year 25, 100000 bushels of
wheat 110,000,000 bushels of oats and
ds830e09 bushels of barley were the tribute
paid to smut
There are two SHUTS which attack
Wheat, the loose and covered smut. Loose
Smut is most serious in the southern
Winter wheat section, which includes
southern Illinois, southern Indiana, south
tsr4l Ohio, southern Pennsylvania, south
ef4 Missouri Maryland, Virginia, Ken
eacky and Tennessee, where it causes
yearly losses ranging from to 20 per
cent of the entire crop. Loose smut
shows conspicuously when the wheat
comes into head. AT this time it reduces
the grain to dusty, black refuse consist
ing largely of spores of the fungus which
IRE spread broadcast by the wind and
rain. The dissemination of the disease
is furthered by the fact that the bloom
ing period of the healthy plants and the
Shedding of the spores in the diseased
plants are simultaneous. Some of these
sFores reach the flowers and infect the
developing seed. The seed shows no ex-
turnal evidence of the presence of tho
smut fungus, but when planted gives rise
to the black heads in the next crop.
loose smut is hard to control because
the fungus exists inside the seed, and
hence can not be reached by ordinary
chemicals without killing the wheat eni-
sryo. Fortunately, the disease can be
controlled by the hot water treatment
which consists of soaking the seed III
cold water from four to six hours and
rien dipping it in hot water at a tenn
rerature of 1872 degrees f., for 10 MINUTES
Subsequently the seed should be spread
out to dry. Great care must be exercised
not to have the water too hot nor TO
allow the seed to remain in the water too
hong. An advisable system is to treat
four or five bushels CT seed and to SOW
Il in a special plot, isolated from the
wheat fields proper, in order that the,
seed from the plot may be used Tor
seeding operations the following year.
Farmers who treat their seed in this
manner fortify their fields against in
yasion by loose smut
Burnt or sinking smut ranges at large
oyer the entire wheat growing section and
generally causes a crop damage of from
r. to 5 per cent, although frequently in
dividual fields show losses which range
from 20 to 40 and even as high as 80 ana
q per cent. Blunt is sporadic IN dlstrlpu-
ton, occurring here andsthere and every
Where in irregular sequence. one Heid
nay be seriously infected while the neigh
boring field on the right may be free from
the disease The disease shows up rev
days before the wheat is ripe. II ono
carefully examines the diseased head az
this time he will note that the glumes
are pushed slightly apart, while the de-
veloping kernel is of dark color. II ne
brushes the kernel, really smut pail, a
mass of ill-smelling, brownish piach
spores is released. In thrashing, these
smut balls are knocked out and more or
Nss broken apart so that the spores are
scattered over the sound seed. On account
Of its bad smell, millers discount ana
penalze wheat covered with bunt dust.
Shrinking smut or bunt is easily con-
trolled by use of formaldehyde, / pint TO
t-pound Of commercial formalin being dis
solved in 40 gallons of water. The SEED
to be treated should be freed as much as
possible from smut balls and other tor
eign matter and then should be placed In
i loose gunny sack, filing the Sack
about two-thirds full, and then the sack
should be dipped in the formalin solution
and kept there about 10 minues. BY rails
ing and lowering the sack the grain Will
Sc mixed thoroughly and brought into
contact 10th the solution. After treat
rnent the grain must be dried and care
fully protected from further contamina-
ton either in the sacks or in the plant
ing machinery. One pint of commercial
fprmaldehyde solution dissolved in 40
gallons of water is usually sufficient for
the treatment of 40 bushels Of seed grain