﻿TU 
  P.OTANV 
  

  

  members 
  of 
  the 
  grass 
  family 
  ; 
  another 
  sub-division 
  is 
  the 
  rusts, 
  

   found 
  wherever 
  wheat 
  and 
  oats 
  are 
  grown, 
  and 
  also 
  appear- 
  

   ing 
  upon 
  many 
  other 
  host 
  plants 
  ; 
  mushrooms 
  and 
  puffbalh, 
  

   another 
  sub-division, 
  are 
  widely 
  distributed 
  wherever 
  there 
  is 
  

   a 
  good 
  supply 
  of 
  decaying 
  organic 
  matter, 
  and 
  some 
  grow 
  as 
  

   parasites 
  upon 
  living 
  trees. 
  Because 
  of 
  the 
  

   frequency 
  of 
  the 
  parasitic 
  habit 
  in 
  the 
  stalk 
  

   fungi, 
  it 
  is 
  evident 
  that 
  the 
  group 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  

   great 
  importance 
  to 
  industries 
  that 
  depend 
  

   upon 
  the 
  growth 
  of 
  plants. 
  

  

  239. 
  Damage 
  from 
  smuts. 
  The 
  

   cereals 
  are 
  particularly 
  affected 
  by 
  

   these 
  parasites, 
  since 
  all 
  of 
  the 
  

   smuts 
  are 
  parasitic 
  and 
  since 
  the 
  

   grains 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  especially 
  fav- 
  

   orable 
  hosts 
  for 
  them. 
  Different 
  

   writers 
  present 
  very 
  different 
  esti- 
  

   mates 
  of 
  the 
  amount 
  of 
  damage 
  

   done 
  to 
  our 
  crops 
  annually 
  by 
  

   these 
  parasites, 
  but 
  a 
  conservative 
  

   estimate 
  made 
  by 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  

   Department 
  of 
  Agriculture 
  stales 
  

   that 
  the 
  loss 
  from 
  smut 
  in 
  wheat, 
  

   oats, 
  and 
  barley 
  exceeds 
  1 
  25,000,000 
  

   annually, 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  loss 
  in 
  oats 
  

   alone 
  exceeds 
  $6,500,000. 
  The 
  

   damage 
  to 
  corn 
  is 
  probably 
  about 
  

   equal 
  to 
  that 
  of 
  oats. 
  Some 
  writers 
  

   estimate 
  the 
  loss 
  to 
  our 
  crops 
  as 
  

   several 
  times 
  greater 
  than 
  the 
  above 
  conservative 
  estimates. 
  

   Whatever 
  may 
  be 
  the 
  exact 
  loss, 
  it 
  is 
  evident 
  that 
  the 
  matter 
  

   is 
  one 
  of 
  great 
  significance. 
  

  

  240. 
  Corn 
  smut. 
  This 
  smut 
  (L^ti/'i;/" 
  >nii<Hs) 
  is 
  ordinarily 
  

   first 
  noticed 
  when 
  it 
  forms 
  whitish 
  masses 
  in 
  the 
  ear 
  or 
  tassel 
  

   or 
  upon 
  other 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  corn 
  plant. 
  These 
  masses 
  develop 
  

   into 
  spores 
  and 
  become 
  black, 
  sticky, 
  and 
  unsightly. 
  But 
  

  

  l-'n.. 
  107. 
  Smut 
  nn 
  the 
  oat 
  plant 
  

  

  Two 
  h 
  '.-uls 
  of 
  oats, 
  each 
  with 
  the 
  

   leaf 
  (/) 
  which 
  sheathes 
  the 
  stalk. 
  

   The 
  head 
  at 
  the 
  left 
  has 
  matured 
  

   its 
  Drains 
  in 
  a 
  normal 
  manner, 
  

   while 
  in 
  the 
  one 
  at 
  the 
  ri.nht 
  the 
  

   grains 
  are 
  supplanted 
  by 
  the 
  black- 
  

   ened 
  masses 
  of 
  the 
  si 
  i 
  int. 
  < 
  >nc 
  third 
  

   natural 
  size 
  

  

  