The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1928-04-27
Treat Seed to
Increase Yield
Gain of / to IL Bushels. of
Corn Per Acre Reported
in Corn Belt.

prepared by the United States Department
of Agriculturel
For five cents an acre, farmers In
the central portion of the corn belt
Gun treat their seed corn with
chemical dust that will largely pre-
vent losses caused by seed.borne
seeding blight organisms, according
TO A. G. johnson, cereal path0logist
Of the United States DEPARTMENT of
Agriculture. In tests conducted by.
]. r. Holbert Of the department IN
cooperation with Doctor Koehler OF
the Illinois Agricultural Experiment
station and Doctor Reddy Of the Iowa
Agricultural Experiment station seed
corn treatment has resulted in In
creased yields Of from to u bushels
an acre.
Treatment Explained.
The treatment consists in mixing
the dust disinfectant with the dry.
shelled seed at the rate of two ounces
to the bushel. Doctor johnson esti-
mates the total cost OF treating
bushel of seed, or enough for eight
acres, will not exceed 40 cents or 8
cents an acre. The dust Is applied
with mixing machine of the type
used in treating wheat with copper
carbonate dust for smut. A mixer
can be made at home If others are
not available. An ordinary barrel
or oil drum mounted on an axis will
serve as mixer, or barrel churn
may be used. The dust should be
thoroughly applied SO that every kerr
mel is covered with thin coating.
The seeu can be treated any time be-
fore planting, but should be stored
in a safe place because the dust is
poisonous.
Although numerous dust disinfect-
ants have been tested, only three are
commercially available at the present
time. They are described in Circular
B4-C, "Chemical- Dust Seed Treatments
for Dent Corn" just issued by the.
department and are known as Bayer
dust, Improved Semesan Jr., and
Merko. Names and addresses Of the
firms manufacturing these dusts are
given in tlIe circular.
The recent tests show that treat
ment with these chemical dusts bene-
fits diseased seed and does not injure
good seed. While treatment may not
increase yields from good, healthy,
clean seed, such treatment will kill
certain seed-borne organisms and
prevent losses which their presence
might otherwise cause. Even many
high-yielding strains of corn through
out the corn belt, thought to be
/ healthy, frequently carry an appre-
cable amount of infection with GER
tain fungous parasites Such seed
may result in a poor stand, in blighted
plants, or in plants that fail to grow
and yield normally.
Yield Of Diseased Seed.
At the Illinois station. seed that
was known to be diseased gave a
yield Of 47.5 bushels per acre when
untreated. and when treated gave
yield of sos bushels, or an increase
of IL bushels to the acre. At the
same station, seed that was pro-
nounced good made a yield of 63.2
bushels without treatment, but when
treated yielded 65.1 bushels or an In
crease Of 1.9 bushels per acre.
The fact that corn from diseased
seed was benefited by seed treatment
should not be taken as an argument
In favor of Inferior seed, says the de-
partment. Rather, it shows the i'm
portance of treating inferior seed
when such seed has to be used, in or
der to secure as high yields as pos
s;ble.
The low cost, says Doctor Johnson.
and the ease of application should
make seed treatment appeal to all
corn growers in the central portion of
the corn belt, where its beneficial eff
fects have been proved.
copy of Circular SAC may be
obtained by writing to the United
States Department of Agriculture,
Washington, d. G.