The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1923-10-06
WHEAT TREATMENT
RESULTS REPORTED
FURTHER EXPERIMENTS NECES-
SARY BEFORE UNRESERVED
RECOMMENDATIONS BE MADE

Further experiments with the cop
per carbonate dust treatment for smut
control will be necessary before it can
be recommended unreservedly as
substitute for the bluestone treatment
according to a statement issued by
Prof. C. w. Hungerford of the Idaho
experiment station, reporting results
of experiments conducted thus far.
Copper carbonate dust applied at
the rate of two ounces to the bushel,'
says Professor Hungerford's state
ment, "has not given as good control
of smut in winter wheat as the blue
stone treatment, in tests carried on by
county agents of northern Idaho and
by the Idaho agricultural experiment
station.
BIuestone Control
"In an average of all tests made
the dust treatment has not given as
good control as the bluestone treat
ment. This has held true for the past
three years when the dust method
of treatment has been tested.
Experiments carried on this year
indicate that a good grade of copper
carbonate dust applied at the rate OF
two ounces to the bushel and thor
oughly mixed with the wheat will
control smut in the spring wheat
nearly as we'll as the bluestone treat
ment. This is doubtless due to the
fact that the smut in the soil, which
causes such heavy losses in winter
wheat, does not live over winter In
treating wheat for spring planting it
is only necessary to kill the smut
which adheres to the seed.
Fifty-One Demonstrations
Demonstrations were conducted by
o. S.. Fletcher, county agricultural
agent, on 81 farms of Latah county. In
all of these tests the dry treatment
was compared with the wet treatment
which the farmer ordinarily used. The
plots were treated with some grade OF
copper carbonate and compared with
the treatment commonly used on the
farm of the cooperator. The aver
age percentage of smut for all of the
dry treatment was 13 per cent. The
average percentage of smut for all or
the wet treatment was 1913 per cent.
The stand of wheat was better in ev-
cry case where the dry treatment was
used.
"On the farm of Frank Gustafson,
near Moscow, five different brands of
copper carbonate were compared with
bluestone and salt and with bluestone
and salt followed by the lime bath.
Ninety pounds of Jenkins club wheat
were used for each treatment. The
smut in the copper carbonate plots
varied from SO percent to AZ percent.
The plot treated with bluestone and
salt followed by a lime bath gave 50
percent smut These percentages
are very high due to the fact that the
seeding was done at time when
maximum amount of infection from
the soil resulted. In this connection
it was noted that in very early and in
very late seeding there was less diff
ference between the smut found in
the plots treated with the wet and the
dry treatments.
Favorable Results Obtained
"More favorable results have been
secured at the Washington expert
ment station with copper carbonate
applied at the rate of three ounces to
the bushel. A large number of dem
onstrations similar to those referred
to above will be conducted next year,
using three ounces of copper carbon
ate to the bushel.
"In view of the results secured in
these experiments, the dry treatment
is not recommended unreservedly but
rather recommended for further COM
parison with the wet methods. In
this way it can be proved effective
and become standardized. Because
of the many distinct advantages OF
the dry treatment if it proves effect
i've it will undoubtedly replace the wet
treatment method now used"