The Farmington times., 1919-03-07
WEEKLY NEWS NOTES
(By Co. Agent, Glenn S. Hensley.,

/. F. Robinson to Treat Seed Oats for
Smut.
Two wears ago, Mr.. Robinson treat
err his seed oats for the black heads
of "smutty" heads as they are prop
erly known. A sample of these oats
are on display in the Farm Bureau
office. Mr.. Robinson says that he nev-
er grew any finer oats and that his
field is absolutely free from blasted
heads. He also says that he believes
that ihs yield of oats was increased
at least ten per cent. He is now a
firm believer in the treating of seed
oats before planting and' is planning
to make sort of demonstration of the
results this spring. He is going to
plant a part of his field with untreated
seed and the remainder with treated
seed. A meeting will be held in this
field before harvest and the exact re-
suits of treating noted.
Seed treatment prevents smut by
killing the spores by which the dis
ease is spread. These spores stick to
the kernels of grain and thus infect
the new plant at the time of germi-
nation.
Treatment: Formaldehyde, one ID.
(16 oz.) to 40 gallons of water. Wet
the grain in any manner which allows
all grains to become evenly wet over
the entire surface. Sprinkling the
grain with q common sprinkling can
and shoveling it over to insure thor
OUCH moistening with this to 40 So
luton is the simplest method and has
proven an effective as any. Leave the
grain thus treated in pile from .
to 10 hours so the surface becomes
dry enough to drill. This gives the
formaldehyde ample time to work ana ne
leaves the seeds in good shape to drlll.
To allow for slight swelling Oh the
seed and toughness due to being Wet'
set the drill to sow from one-thlrd TO
one-half bu, more per acre. Stop this
leak and increase your yields.
This nation is launching a great
drive to eliminate grain smut from
our fields. Many bushels of grain are
lost every year due to smut. Many
of us fail to realize how serious this
loss is and therefore fail to take prop
o., measures to eradicate it. l2O,00O,-
600 bushels of oats were lost due to
smut. This loss could have been cas-
ily and effectively prevented by treat
ing the seed before planting. Hherc
ir still another loss. Many bushels
record of which we cannot obtain
were lost due to stunted plants that
never headed out and to light weight
kernels that failed to develop proper
ly because the smut fungus had sap
ned the life of the plant thus prevent
ing the grain from filling out. Ihis
second loss is usually overlooked be.
cause it does not show up in the ileit
so noticeable as the black smuttec
heads we know so well. Below arr
some facts we know to be true of thf
smut: -,
/. The small particles of dust lik'
powder from the smutted or, as oitei
callen, blasted heads, when dusteo up
on the grains by wind or by contact O
heads, produce smut the next year.
Q. The young plant is attacked jus
as it comes thru the ground.
3. Smut does not live in the soil o
Missouri enough to do any materla
damage. therefore it's eradication l
entirely matter of seed treatment.
d. Formaldehyde treatment ha
nroyen success, Millions of bushel
of seed are annually treated through
out the great graln-groWlng scctlon
OF our country. This is done pecaus
they know it is sure method Oh eraa
ication of the fungus. The hatlo
of which we are part urges US 7
treat our seed. 1t is our part as farm
crs to follow this lead which mean
higher Yields and better grades. Dur
inc the summer of 1918, 494, Mlssoul
farms containing 8345 acres OF oat
were inspected with view OF detei y,
. mining the true prevelance OF TN
-, fungus. An average for all the S34
e. acres inspected show a losssof D pc
-. cent of from / bushel to bushels Q
of oats were lost on every acre oecaus
" the seed had not been treated. AT tn
re- low average of / bushel per acie TIL
ei loss would equal 8345 bushels or Q
ioS 10 cents per bu. loss of S600l.0,
> Expressed somewhat differently thl
.is - means that every farmer growing oat
iie last wear lost from 60 cents to $l.2
o. ner acre by not treating his seed oat
!, 10 The cost of seed treatment amounts
ne about 9 cents per bushel including IL
'he bor. At 21a bushels seed oats pc
.he acre the total cost of treatment woul
Ise rs eounl but five or six cents. Can "
III afford loss of 60 cents of more pC
acre when an expenditure Of SIX cen'
,K will save it? u,
Nh The treatment of seed rain is 1
simplest and cheapest insurance
farmer can carry. One pound
aay' farmcldehyde will treat 35 to 40 Nousl
I Irs' els of oats or wheat by any metho
Ia. Prs. The sprinkling method is the mo
leI common treatment of oats. For tn
ert e method VIC must have the necessai
40 amount of formaldchyde, q tub
-. barrel in which t. mix the solution,
sis sprirkling can, and one or two sho
io' els. The time to treat is very impo
. tant. Many farmers would like.
ol treat all their seed oats before seedir
! sne time is at hand. This practice Is n
~ AZ. available unless very carefully obse
my we'd as it so often results in failure
.se MANY bushels Of seed grains have PEI
ns killed, not by treating, but by failir
nat to properly dry the seed after trea