The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1922-03-24
LECTURE ON GRAIN
DISEASE IS HEARD
IT WAS FROM DR.. E. g. sTAK.
MAN, ST. PAUL
Instructive Address Delivered to
Wheat Raisers; How To Make
Successful War On Burberry
Pest; Prizes Offered For Pure
Variety Of Marquis; Hubbard
Company Interested.

Those who were at the Y. NJ. C. A.
building Saturday afternoon were
favored with fne lecture on wheat
growing and wheat diseases by DIR.
Z. &. Stakman, head OF cereal wheat
investigation at University Farm,
st. Paul. The lecture was illustrated
and made more interesting by the
use of slides showing the different
stages of rust and the part played
by the comon baTberry in propagat-
ing wheat rust Yields per acre or
wheat varies year BY year from Ave
to six bushels 10 thirty pusne:s per
acre. This variation is caused
largely by the prevalence OF wheat
diseases DIR. StaknlaE stated that
there are thirty five kinds Of rust.
Come varieties or wheat are resist
ant to one Kind and some 10 an
other. A variety which does not
rust at st. Paul may rust very bad
ly at Crookston The Experiment
Station is trying TO develop a strain
which will be resistant TO all kinds
of rust
The relation of barberry TO rust
was clearly explained. 1t was shown
by actual surveys that rust centers
start with barberry bushes. zone
barberry bush is capable OF infect
ing almost an entire county. This
bush was brought 10 the New Eng
land states by the first settlers IN
his country, and today the barberry
bush is growing wild in the New
England states so that it is i'm
possible to grow any amount OF
wheat When the first settlers came
west tney brought the barDerry with
them and planted il about their log
cabins. The berries were tart and
valued for sauce and wine. The
barberry was here then even before
the first wheat so when anyone tells
you that we had rust on wheat be
fore barberry was known he is mis-
taken. The barberry is found grow
ing wild in about thirty Minnesota
coutles and unless steps are taken
to eradicate ii completely it will
spread over the state and make 1t
impossible to grow wheat here Just
as 1t is impossible to grow it in the
New England states"
What French People Discovered
The French people, as early as
1850, discovered that wherever bar
berry was found rust was found and
where there was no barberry there
sNas no rust. A law was passed
GSost this time prohibiting the
growing OF barberry. Denmark late.
passed a law and prohibited the
growing of common bar5erry and
have practically eliminated wheat
rust. A recent outbreak OF rust IN
Wales has been traced to the bar
berry.
Experience with varieties Of
wheat resistant TO rust has shown
that the application of a phosphate
fertilizer has increased the yield. IN
some cases doubled the yield. This
may account for the larger wheat
yields on new land. DIR. Stakman
made il clear that not all soils
would respond to the phosphate
Treatment but many throughout the
sfESe did.
Other diseases affecting wheat.
such as bunt smut. and root rot may
be controlled by treatmtnt of seed
and tanning out the shrunken dis
eased kernels Experiments show
q big difference in yield betwe an
Hight and heavy seed this great diff
ference is due TO the elimination IF
disase Kernels which produce dis
edsed plants or else do not grow at
ali.
Several farmers are cooperating
with the Farm Bureau in trying out
the treble superphosphate on an
acre of wheat. This costs about
1875 for 125. pounds OF phosphate
which is enough for one acre.
The State Crop Improvement as
Bociation In order TO encourage the
use. OF a pure variety OF Marquis Is
Offering prizes as follows: first, $50:
second $50; third $40: fourth IS !;
fifth, IS: sixth, IS; seventh So;
eighth, So.
George M. Palmer OF the Hubba I'd
Milling company has offered to dup
licate the above prizes for Blue
Earth county and any point in lie
Sueur or Nicollet counties within
a radius of ten miles of Mankato.
This surely makes an attractive
list of prizes and no doubt many
wheat growers will compete.