The Medina sentinel. [volume] (Medina, Ohio) 1888-1961, 1919-10-17
or INTEREST TO FARMERS
NO SATISFACTORY METHOD
OF COMBATING SCAB

NO SATISFACTORY METHOD
OF COMBATING SCAB
Investigations by the United States
Department of Agriculture, in co-ope-
ration with a number of state ex-
pertinent stations and individual far
mers, aim to learn more about wheat
scab and methods of controlling it.
No entirely satisfactory control of
this disease has been developed, be-
cause the scab fungi develop on so
many different kinds of grains and
grasses and on cornstalks, stubble,
straw, and other trash. Two things,
however, are regarded as important.
First, the best wheat obtainable
should be used for seed. This should
be thoroughly cleaned and treated by
the formaldehyde method recommend
ed for the prevention of smut. Sec
ond, this wheat should be sown on
thoroughly plowed land-land where
the old cornstalks, wheat stubble, and
grass straw have been entirely plowed
under. This can be accomplished by
use of drag chain. All grass and
straw should be burned or otherwise
removed from hedges, fence rows,
fence corners, and nearby waste
places. These waste places should be
either plowed or burned off.
Winter wheat everywhere east Of
the Great Plains was heavily in
fected with scab this year. Spring
wheat also suffered greatly, and many
spring wheat fields were left uncut,
due chiefly to the ravages Of scab.
The States suffering the greatest
losses of both sprnig and winter
wheat include Missouri, Iowa, South
Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Mich
igan, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsyl-
vania, Maryland, Virginia, West Vir-
ginia, North Carolina, Kentucky, and
Tennessee,
This disease of wheatiis caused by
several different fungi, which attack
the crop at various stages of devel-
opment. The Seeding are blighted,
the roots rotted, and the plants weak
ened to such an extent that they are
winter killed. The heads are blighted,
the diseased parts die and prevent
the formation of well-flled kernels,
The head blight is the most evident,
and in most cases causes the most
damage. Wheat from fields with
only a moderate scab infection is
light in weight, and therefore, grades
as No. 3 or lower. The farmer, then
not only loses from a reduction in
yield, but from a lowering Of the
grade as well.
On July the estimated total wheat
production was 1,160,678,OO bushels
The corresponding estimate on Aug
was 94O,381 900 bushels, a shrink.
age of 220,297,0O0 bushels. While
much of this reduction is due tc
weather conditions and to black stem
rust, leaf rust, and other diseases, by
by far the heaviest toll was taken by
the so-called blight or scab.
Of those fungi known to cause scat
in wheat, the most important one al
so attacks corn. One of the ways il
lives over winter is on the decayine
cornstalks left on the ground IN the
fields. Wheat is often sown on the
corn land with these cornstalks left
on the surface. The following season
the fungus spreads from the infected
cornstalks to the wheat heads, and
causes blighting.
In addition to wheat and corn, the
disease attacks rye, oats, barley, and
many grasses. The scab fungi also
live over winter on the infected stub
BILE and decaying straw left on top of
the ground, and on infected grass
stems left around the edges of the
field. These fungi spread from this
material to the next seasons crop.
1t is common practice in some
sections of the winter wheat belt to
spread straw on the winter wheat
after the ground is frozen, in order to
hold the snow. Clean straw from
winter wheat, spread on the fields
late in the winter. after the ground
is frozen lis not dangerous in spread
ing scab to the next years crop. This
straw holds the snow and moisture
and prevents the plants from being
broken by the wind. When plowed
under the next summer, it adds humus
to the soil. Turn the stock into the
straw piles from the badly diseased
wheat, and spread the manure on the
ground the following year. Such
straw should never be spread on the
fields, for it is sure to carry scab
into next years crop.