Connecticut western news., 1920-03-11

From. Treated and Untreated Seed. wheat is docked more or less by the miller
 When smutty seed Is sown in the soil the stinking smut spores germi- nate simultaneously with the wheat kernels, and the smut fungus pene- trates the young wheat plant. It con- tinues to grow within the tissues of the wheat plant and forms its spores in the place where the healthy kernels should be developed.
 Control of Loose Smut. Loose smut is very difficult to con- trol because the fungus is inside of the seed which is sown and hence can not be reached by ordinary chemicals with out killing the wheat embryo. The disease, however, can be controlled by the so-called hot-water treatment. The method involves soaking the seed grain in cold water for 4 to 6 hours. It is then dipped in hot water at tempera- ture of 129 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes; the seed should then be spread out to dry.
 It is very important that the water be kept at the exact temperature and the seed immersed for just the cor rect period of time. If the water Is allowed to get one or two degrees above the temperature indicated, or the time prolonged beyond the 10 min- utes, considerable injury to the grain will result.
 The hot-water treatment, on account of its difficulties, is not practicable on the average farm. One must have an accurate thermometer and facilities for keeping the temperature of the wa ter constant. This can be done quite easily where steam is available.
 The Control of Blunt. !, Blunt, or stinking smut, is readily controlled by the use of formaldehyde. A simple procedure is to place l pint or 1 pound of commercial formalde- hyde in 40 gallons of water. The seed to be treated should be freed as much as possible from smut balls and other foreign matter, and should then be dip- ped in the folmaldehyde solution and kept there about 10 minutes. During . this period the sack should be raised and lowered so as to stir up the grain and get it thoroughly in contact with the solution. After treatment the grain should be spread out to dry and then sown as soon as possible. One pint of formaldehyde solution, dis solved in 40 gallons of water, is suffi- cient to treat about 40 bushels of seed grain.
 Another method of applying the solution Is to spread the grain to be treated on a clean floor, and by means of a sprinkling can sprinkle the solu- ton over the grain. The grain should be shoveled over in order to get the solution we'll in contact with the grain. The solution should be applied at the rate of about one gallon to one bush el of seed grain. The grain should be piled up and covered with sacks or canvas and left for two or three hours. It should then be spread out to dry and sown as soon as possible.
 After treating the grain, great care must be taken not to place it on a
  mated with the bunt spores, or to SOW 1t in a drill which is contaminated. Blunt Problem of the Pacific Northwest.
 In the Pacific Northwest, bunt, or stinking smut, presents a very serious problem because of soil infestation in that region. During the thrashing of a smutted crop the smut spores are blown long distances over the fallowed land. as summer following for wheat Is common practice. When the fail rains occur, along about seeding time, these spores in the soil germinate and infect the young wheat plants as they develop. On this account, seed treat ment is not entirely effective; but, as general rule, the copper sulphate treatment gives much better results than the formaldehydP.
 The copper sulphate or bluestone treatment consists in dipping the seed in a solution of copper sulphate, pound of copper sulphate being dis solved in 5 gallons of water. After immersion the seed is dried or sown immediately. This solution may cause considerable injury to the grain. This damage can be lessened greatly by dipping the seed, after removal from the copper sulphate solution, in a solu- tion of 1 pound of quicklime to 10 gallons of water. The lime prevents the continued injurious action of the copper sulphate.