Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1919-08-26
SOME WHEAT DISEASE IN JET
FERsoN COUNTY, 1919.

| (From The Jefferson Cooperator.)
This season has been very favor
able to develop wheat troubles as wei
as other diseases, as alfalfa leaf spot
apple scab, etc. Below are listet
some common wheat troubles an,
control methods.
Loose Smut or "Black Heads" il
a fungus that destroy the wheathead
turning black, and blows or washes
away about the time the kernels be
gin to form. Any speck of dus'
this black head is spore or seed
and lodging in healthy kernel Of
wheat causes the infection to grow
and under favorable conditions ane
this year it will destroy one or more
heads of wheat from that seed.
Since the infection is in the heac
the seed cannot be disinfected, but
must be treated by using hot water
1892 degrees F. for ten minutes
after soaking a few hours. This
treatment is rather impractical for a
farmer, so it is best to secure seed
free of loose smut, or treat seed fol
a small plat, isolated from the rest
of the field to avoid contamination.
Sinking Smut or Blunt" causes
i'll shaped greenish black berries with
a characteristic odor. A black mass
of spores or "seed" are in the berry
each of which may lodge on the out
side of a wheat kernal and cause a
head or so of sinking smut.
Since the infection is on the out
side of the berry the seed may be
disinfected with formaldehyde. This
costs about so cents for a pint of 40
per cent formaldehyde. The only
precaution is to keep the hands away
from the eyes when damp with the
formaldehyde solution as it produces
irritation. Put one pint Tornado
hyde in about 40 gallons of water
Sprinkle this on wheat seed until
thoroughly wet, shoveling pile con-
tinually. Put in bags or in a pile
where any excess water will drain off.
Leave covered z to hours, as gas
formation is given off and kills any
smut spores. The wheat should be
put on about half bushel heavier.
The seed is not hurt for milling or
feed.
Scab is fungus disease rather
prevalent this year in jefferson, tho
not SO common of late years. 1t has
done considerable damage in Hardy
county last year. The heads show a
plnkish color around the husk. The
berry is light, seems widowed, and
blows out in the tailings. 1t may
show tinge of pink. The infection
lives on seed as well as in the soil.
First thoroughly clean the seed by
a fan, dinisfect with formaldehyde as
for shrinking smut. Rotate-do not
have wheat after wheat if possible,
when one crop shows bad infection
Best to get clean seed.
Black Stem Rust is fungus show
ing as black masses of spores or
seed" as the grain comes to maturi-
~, producing weak shriveled kernals.
Some favorable years the Black
Stem Rust will clean field out. 1t
probably did $4,000 damage in JEFF
ferson County this year as the low
est estimate made by practical far
mers.
Black rust has been proven by the
Department of Agriculture to have
distinct relationship to the common
Burberry Bush. Eradication of this
bush is the only remedy as explained
in another article in the Cooperator.
Dig the whole bush up and watch for
barberries that may come from the
remaining roots.
Orange Leaf Rust is not so damaging
as black stem rust. Early maturing
wheats are the only remedies sug
gested so far.
Eel Worm is found near Jefferson
County but does not seem to have
been found here as yet. Clean seed
and leaving wheat off the land for
2 or years seems best.
Take All is serious bacterial in
infection just appearing in Indiana
and Illinois, coming from Australia.
The Department of Agriculture has
taken prompt steps to stamp it out
before coming prevalent.
Wheat Joint Worm-A rather COM
mon pest in the south east part of
the county. A fly with body like
an ant, lays eggs in the stem, which
hatch out in to small maggots, that
eat the stem out, cause the straw to
fall and kernels to shrivel. 1t is con-
trolled by cutting high and blowing
the stubble in deep early or burning
it off early. The worm passes the
winter in the stubble and gnaws a
hole and comes out in May flying
adult. Flowing stubble interferes
with growing clover. Rye or other
grain can be substituted as the joint
worm does not attack rye, neither
does the fly seriously.
Hessian Fly-There is spring and
a fall brood. In case field becomes
infected with the fall brood by COM
ing up before a severe frost, then
that field will produce spring brood
of adult flies which may infest many
other wise fly free fields with spring
brood. This is largely community
proposition.
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