The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1928-03-15
ALL SEED OUGHT
TO BE TREATED
Smut Is Positively Killed by
Properly Treating Spring
SOwn Grain

"Stinking smut, the common kind
found in North Dakota, lives through
winters only in smut balls or on
grain kernels and not in tn, soil"
is the statement issued by the North
west Grain Smut Prevention COM
mittee of Minneapolis. Smut is pos
itively killed by properly treating
spring sown seed grain.
"Farmers in Minnesota. North Da-
kota. South Dakota and Montana an
nually lose several million dollars
from sowing smutty seed grain.
Much of the loss from sinking smut
cannot be accurately calculated, but
in 1926 the farmers in these four
states lost over three million dollars
in smut discounts according to the
United States department of agri-
culture.
1.-THE largest loss to the grain
farmer who does not treat his seed
is the lowered yield. Sinking smut
in bread ard durum wheats often
reduces the yield one-tenth. Other
SHUTS in oats and barley seriously re-
<ucc yields of these crops. Expert
ments using alternate drill rows
planted with treated and untreatcd
seed show the startling fact that
treated grain stools more, the straw
is taller and the heads longer. Smut,
which is parasitic plant fungus,
grows inside the grain plant and re-
tards it's growth.
One SpOrc Is Dangerous
Zone smut spore will infect the en-
tire grain plant. A single smut ball
contains many million smut spores.
II all the smut spores in single
smut ball were evenly distributed
among the kernels in Il bushel OF
wheat, each wheat kernel would re-
ceive from 4 to 20 smut spores. The
general idea that durum or macaronl
wheat is immune to smut is a mis-
take. One-fourth of the durum wheat
marketed in the fall of 1927 graded
smutty. Sinking smut in durum can
be killed by the same treatments that
kill smut in other wheat. Unless
durum wheat is thoroughly treated
this year there is danger Of severe
losses in yield and milling value.
1.-THE cost of mate ais for treat
ing amounts to much less than the
value of the additional yield Of the
grain that comes from treated seed.
The expense Of treating seldom cX-
ceeds five cents per acre. !
isn't it good busine. to spend
less than one per cent OF your crop
prospects to insure an increase Of at
least five per cent to ten per cent!
Best to Treat All Seeds
"Many grain growers after cOnsid-
cradle experimenting have concluded
that it pays to treat all seed grain
every year. The smut infection may
be very slight and not even visible
to the naked eye, and unless the seed
is treated, much smut may occur in
the crop.
"Very little smut was found in the
1924 crop, but there was enough smut
in the seed sown the next spring to
cause the smut epidemic OF 1925:
Those farmers who treat their seed
every year did not have smutty
grain in 1925.
"A smut spore is less than 1-10OO
inch in diameter. and is invisible to
the naked eye. Seed grain may look
clean and have no smut OdOr, but yet
be infected with smut spores. Each
sinking smut sporc sprouts into one
or more threads. These threads may
attack the young grain sprout and
grow up inside the plant. The smut
threads growing inside of nc plants
get their nourishment from the grain
plant and hinder the growth. These
threads stunt the growth Of the
plant, and cause short heads Of
grain.
''Thc diseased head of smutty
wheat can first be recognized in the
milk stage. 1t has dark, opaque
green color, instead of the yellow
green of the healthy head. The smut
threads growing into the wheat BIOS
som infect the developing grain kerr
nels with smut, usually changing
the kernels into smut balls.
ASK your county agent or the Ag-
ricultural college for full informa-
ton OH materials and methods Of
treating"