The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1919-12-29

Prevalence in Many Countries May
Compel Exclusion Of Cereals.

One of the most important Of all the
governments varied activities is guard
ing against the introduction OF disease
from foreign countries Physical exam
nation and quarantine of humans and an
finals insure comparative safety and may
be applied with little inconvenience 10
any one but the individual subject. But
with plant disease the matter is not so
simple. Some of the most dangerous and
destructive ills have been brought to
America from abroad, and by such means
that their discovery beforehand was all
but impossible. So to guard against them
the government is compelled to maintain
plant disease and post, scouts in all the
agricultural countries of the world that
are at all likely to send seeds or nursery
trees or plants to this country either AN
commerce or through the channel of tour
list travel And there is only one means
for preventing the introduction of diseas
les and pests from countries that have
them, and that is to bar out all their
products that may carry infestation FIX
animation of shipments and quarantine
| are Of little value. for disease-bearing seed
| often show no symptoms. and many dis
eases and the eggs Of pests live for years
only awaiting to be planted i'll the sol
| to develop.
| just NOW two new diseases are threat
ening and it is proposed to place an alb
| solutc embargo upon all importations o
| wheat, rye, barley, oats and rice into tn,
United States from Australia, Japan In
| dia Italy. France, Germany, Belgium
| Great Britain, Ireland and Brazil, on ac
count of the prevalence in those countries
of the flag smut" and "take-all'' diseas
cs. The former affects wheat alone, ane
the latter wheat, rye, barley oats anc
rice
Both of the diseases are very destruc
| tive. Flag smut affects the leaf blades
| leaf sheaths, stems and sometimes tn
spikes of wheat Usually every shoot i
affected, the leaves wither and the spilx
is frequently replaced by a mass of twist
ed leaves. The spores are carried on TIL
seed and live over in the soil. In part
of Australia losses from this disease rul
from one-tenth to one-half of the crop
The take-al disease, known also a
whitehead and footrot. attacks the root
aud bases of plants, rotting the roots an
blackening the bases of the stems Youn
wheat plants speedily wither and die Ole
er ones may survive, but rarely produc
grain. Heavy losses have been sustaine
in all countries where this disease has az
peared
The danger 10 the United States lies i
the possibility of importation Of the cerea
grains for seed purposes Hitherto, Their
have been no considerable commercial in
portations and, therefore. these disease
have not been introduced The DANCE
from imported seed. and also the possibil
ty OF introducing the disease through con
mercial shipments from Australia. wher
there has been a large accumulation {
wheat, make it necessary to consider a.
ticn. 1t is not improbable, according {
the department of agriculture, that metl
DDS of treatment by exposing the graf
to steam or dry heat may be found pra
ticable. Such treatment would render ii
grain worthless for seed purposes. III
probably would not decrease its value e
iced or manufacturing purposes.-Ne
York Times.