The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1927-09-23
WHEAT SMUT
Nearly Fifty Per Cent OF Wheat is
Graded Smuty

Graded Smuty
Thousands of dollars in losses
have been suffered by wheat farm
ers in the States of Pennsylvania,
Delaware and Maryland due to stink
ing smut or bunt according to me
Commercial Exchange of Phlladei-
phia through which organization
millions OF bushels of grain are
marketed annually. The increase in
smut infection in the wheat farming
area that is tributary to the Philadel-
phia market has reached an alarm
ing state and experts familiar with
the spread of the disease say that it
is likely further devastation is prob
able unless widespread preventive
measures are taken at the time OF
sowing wheat this fall. The most
effective remedy against smut is by
treating the seed wheat with chem
ical known as Copper Carbonate.
Sinking smut received it's name
from the black, sooty appearance OF
the spores and the unpleasant odor
which emanates from them. Plant
pathologists declare that smut Is
parasitic plant which lives within
the grain plant itself. Ii seed grain
is planted which has attached to 1t
these almost invisible smut spores,
the spores will terminate about the
same time as the seeds, sending out
minute threads which pepetrate up
through the stem of the plant itself
into the head and kernais as the
grain ripens.
When this smut plant reaches the
kernal of grain, it displaces the in
gradients which ordinarily form in
the kernal with millions OF tiny
spores leaving what is commonly
called a smut ball in place OF
sound kernal of wheat. These So
called smut balls break up and scat
ter and the minute spores attach
themselves to the outside OF sound
kernals of wheat as the grain is
handled. One smut spore is capable
of developing into a plant that pro-
duces a number of smut balls by the
time the grain natures. Thus, as
the smut spores multiply, the disease
becomes an increasing menace.
Smut takes it's toll in a two-fold
manner, first, by the decrease in the
yield per acre and secondly as a re-
suit of the discount at which the
wheat must sell when it reaches the
market, as smutty wheat requires
special machinery to treat it by
washing, securing and cleaning be-
| fore it is fit to be milled into flour.
Discounts on smutty wheat range
from to Csc per bushel depending
upon the degree of smut present,
with the average discount about &c
| per bushel The records OF the
grain inspection department OF The
Commercial Exchange of Ph1ladel-
phia, show that over 20 per cent OF
the 1927 crop of Pennsylvania wheat
arriving in Philadelphia has been
designated smutty. The United Sta
ties Department of Agriculture esti-
mates the 1927 wheat crop of Penn
sylvania to be about 20,00O,O0O blu.
If the same proportion of Smutty
wheat applies to the entire State as
was found in the carloads received
in Philadelphia, approximately $780,
900, was lost in the market value OF
Pennsylvania wheat, not to mention
the fewer bushels that were harvest
ed from each field infected with smut
disease.
Arrivals of wheat in Philadelphia
from Delaware and Maryland indi-
cate that smut was even more preva-
lent in those States than in Pennsyl
vania. Nearly SO per cent OF the
wheat from Delaware and Maryland
was graded smutty. Delaware's es
timated yield of wheat for the 1927
crop is 1,677,000 bushels and Mary
lands yield was placed at 1O.5S7,OOO
bushels. According to these figures
nearly 100000 bushels of smutty
wheat was raised in those States with
a loss in market value of about
$4,000. A conservative estimate
of the loss from the smut disease in
the three States mentioned would be
over 100000.
Copper carbonate is the best all
Iaround fungicide preventing stink
ing smut of wheat. There are two
essentials for good treatment; good
grade of copper carbonate and a
Thorough mixing of the seed. Cop
per carbonate containing 20 per cent
of copper can be bought for about
zoe a pound and since it requires
only to 8 ounces to treat each blu.
of seed wheat, enough wheat can be
treated with which. to sow 40 acres
for about $500 to cover the price OF
material. Special machines are on
the market to be used for busting
seed wheat with copper carbonate
but a homemade barrel churn may
lalso be used for this purpose. Dust