The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1926-02-18
BLUE VALLEY FARM SERVICE
M. A. Nye
Alfalfa at Crokston

Alfalfa at Crokston
A great high alfalfa arch built by
stacking many bales of alfalfa hay
greeted farmers attending the re-
cent Red River Valley Farmers gath
ering at Crookston.
On the arch were figures showing
the strides Pennington county has
made in alfalfa acreage increase.
They do have a lot of alfalfa up in
the Red River Valley and are plan
ming on very much more. More al
falfa is needed just as badly and
will grow just as much hay on any
farm right here around Sank Centre.
Let's keep Sank Centre in the fore
ground as far as alfalfa is concerned.
We've got running start.
Grain Smut
February 21st to 9th has been
declared Grain Smut prevention week
for the Northwest.
Are you troubled with Grain
Smut?
The following are recommends
tions given out by the Northwest
Grain Smut Prevention Committee:
Over 8 Million Dollars Lost BY
. N. w. Farmers In 1870
Farmers in Minnesota, North and
South Dakota and Montana lost over
8 million dollars in 1926 by sowing
sinking Smut with seed wheat-5
million in reduced yield and mil
lion in an average Smut discount OF
Is cents per btshel at market.
You May Lose Is to so Per Cent OF
You 1926 Crop
Seed grain that looks perfect and
even smells perfect in cold weather,
is often Smutinfected-Smut spores
Cor seeds) are too small to be seen
without microscope.
Reports to the U. S. Dept. of Ag-
riculture show Smut infected grain
in practically every county in the
four states this season. In several
counties in North and South Dakota
over half of the spring wheat, in
Guiding durum, received at country
elevators was smutty
Treating Seed Grain for or 3
Cents Busl1el Will Save You
Sinking Smut-the common kind
in the Northwest-is positively killed
by properly disinfecting seed grain.
1t lives through Northwest winters
only in Smut BALLS or on grain ker-
nels-not in the soil.
Sinking Smut is everywhere in the
Northwest this season-there is but
one way to be sure, to insure your
crop. Better be safe than sorry
disinfect ALL seed grain this spring.
Home Made Buster for Copper
Carbonate
% h,rc
ell two ounces Of Copper Carbonate
dust that contains about 20 per cent
copper. If possible mix dust with
grain in a dust treating machine, a
barrel churn or homemade device.
When using Copper Carbonate,
follow manufacturers directions care
fully. Several makes of busting ma.
chimes for applying copper carbonate
are now on the market.
busting may be done anytime but
grain should be kept dry until plant
ed. DO 1T NOW.
Note-If you have no small scales,
spread one pound of dust out flat and
mark it in quarters. Then one-half
of each quarter will be about two
ounces.
Sprinkling Grain With Formaldehyde
For oats and barley, use Formalde-
hyde-Copper Carbonate does not pre-
vent Smut on these grains. For
about so bushelsof grain, mix one
pound Il pint) of Formaldehyde
with 40 gallons of water-dip or
sprinkle grain, wetting it thorough
ly.
If FormaIdehyde is used on wheat,
seed must be planted while still damp,
in moist soil-or seed injury may re-
suit. Do not allow wet grain to
heat or freeze.
"Dry" Formaldehyde Method
For oats-only- the "dry" For
maldehyde method may be used. For
treating SO bushels of oats mix one
pint of Formaldehyde with gallon of
Water. Spray oats with an air-spray
gun (not a sprinkler), Cover oats
with clean sacks or canvas for
five hours-then sow Immediately or
spread out to dry.
None of the above treatments pre-
vent loose SHUTS of wheat or barley.
How Sinking Smut Destroys Whea,
and Other Grain
Smut May be Invisible
Seed grain may look and even smell
perfect, yet may have Smut-Spores
or seeds clinging to it-spores sc
tiny that it takes 1900 in row to
make one inch.
Smut Sprouts With Wheat
Each sinking Smut-spore sprouts
into a number of threads. Each
thread may attach the young wheat
sprout and grow up inside the stem
of the wheat plant.
This Attack Results in Wheat Head
Full of Smut Instead of Grain
When grain heads out, these Smut.
threads grow into the wheat bios
som, injecting the developing wheat
kernels with Smut and often changing
the entire kernel into Smut ball.
Millions of Smut Spores Replace
1 Wheat Kernel
Under a microscope SmutJbal
(which replaces wheat kernel) il
found to hold several million spores
or seeds of sinking Smut. One Smut
ball easily broken when grain il