7U Bulletin No. 159 



to entries on which the fungi were apparent. The time is 

 coming, I beheve, wnen such corn will be barred from 

 exhibits, and no good corn breeder will think of showing 

 diseased corn, any more than a breeder of Jersey cattle 

 would think of competing for premiums with animals 

 affected with tuberculosis. Seed corn is worth thinking 

 about by farmers and seed corn men as one of the 

 agencies by which molds may be scattered about the State. 



Seed infested with molds, even slightly, should not 

 be planted. As a precaution against introducing the molds 

 it may be well to treat suspected corn with formalin or blue 

 stone in the manner customary for wheat. 



Judging from statements coming to me from farmers I 

 should think the percentage of loss this year to the crop 

 alone would not fall below ten per cent. , which means a loss 

 to the State of about 10,000,000 bushels. Some farmers 

 would, I have no doubt, place the percentage of loss much 

 higher. One of my correspondents asserts that fifty per 

 cent, of the crop is moldy in his county this year. 



THE EFFECT OF MOLDY CORN ON STOCK. 



That some of these fungi are capable of injuring stock 

 is evident from complaints reaching the Station every year, 

 and coming from farmers who have suffered loss of horses, 

 cattle, hogs, or poultry. Correspondents writing this Fall 

 have asserted that numerous cases of blind staggers have 

 resulted from feeding such corn. Corn being fed to these 

 animals have in some cases reached my hands, and bore the 

 pink fungus and the Aspergillus. An ear of this sort has 

 recently been handed me by Dr. Graham of the Station and 

 was received by him from Shelby county, where stock has 

 been dying. Diplodia fed to mice has been found to cause 

 paralysis and ultimate death. Corn smut fed to animals 

 in large quantities has been shown, on the contrary, to 

 have no ill effect. Some recent claims have been put 

 forward with reference to the effect of corn fungi on 

 poultry, and it has been asserted that a disease presenting 

 some of the symptoms of pellagra has been induced ex- 



