The Mt. Sterling advocate. (Mt. Sterling, Ky.) 1890-current, 1922-03-16

anxiety have been occasioned in al
parts Of the country where corn is
an important crop by the recent APP
pearance of corn diseases which at
tack the roots, the stalk, the leaf
the ear, the husk and the tassel. The
most prominent of these diseases is
the corn root rot which, unless
checked, threatens to spread over
the entire corn belt and cause a ire
mendous loss.
While the spread of these diseases
is just cause for alarm, we fortu-
nately know enough about them to
be able to fight them successfully
and if every corn grower will take
the simple precautions necessary,
these diseases may be checked and,
in time, nearly, if not entirely, wiped
out.
Investigations seems to have es-
tablished the following two facts
regarding these diseases:
l. The diseases live in the soil.
+. 2. The diseases may be carried
over in the seed.
Knowing these facts the remedies
suggest themselves. They are as
follows:
l. Rotate crops. Do not plant
corn in the same field it was grown
the previous year.
2. Test every ear of seed corn
this spring. Every kernel that de-
velops mold and every sprout or root
that shows any diseoloration is a
warning. Do not plant those ears.
Soil that grows corn year after
year or every other year will accum-
ulate and carry corn diseases to a
greater ertent that will land that is
in corn only once in every three or
four years.
More rotation in which more
grasses and clovers' are used will
do much to reduce the danger from
corn diseases carried over in the
soil. If we continually grow the
same crop ON the same land year
after year we may expect to have
trouble.
Test your seed corn. Last year
was good corn year. In nearly all
parts of the corn belt the corn ma
tured thoroughly and as a result
many farmers are inclined to think
it will not be necessary to test their
seed corn this year. Failure to test
seed corn may be a fatal mistake.
Seed corn should always be tested,
particularly just now when we are
by these corn diseases.
Take great care in selecting ears
for testing. Discard every ear that
has brown or discolored shank.
Throw out every ear that broke off
in shreds. Discard every ear that
shows mold. Throw out every ear
that has a bleached tip or has rot
ten kernels on the tip. Select only
ears with kernels that are bright |
and oily.
Corn may be tested in either
rag doll or a termination box, but !
the best method is to use the combi-
nation improved rag doll and germi-
nation box tester recommended by |
The Indiana Experiment Station.
Bulletin No. 81 issued by
The Agricultural Extension Depart
nent of Purdue University, de-
scribes this method as follows:
"The improved rag doll gives an
test for termination and
also indicates in a large measure
hose ears which are infested with
nolds and those infected by the or
yanisms causing the root rots.
"The advantage Of this improved
method lies in the use Of sheet of
leavy glazed paper, which is wrap
Jed up with the cloth and which
lcts as insulator and prevents the
ipread of the molds through the
10th. This limits their growth to
he seedlings from the kernels which
ire infected, and diseased ears can
hereby be detected.
"The cloth which is used to pre-
are the dolls may be either bleach
d or unbleached heavy muslin. The
muslin should be purchased in 64-
nch widths and the width Of the
olt can be taken as the length Of
he doll. The muslin is shrunk and
hen torn into 12-inch strips. This
makes a doh approximately IL by "a
nches In sine.
1T viii require approximately ~
ards Of muslin to supply cloths TO
repare 80 dolls, the content Of one !
mall termination box. The muslin ,
: I