76 Bulletin No. 159 



When kernels of corn are completely invaded by mold 

 the germ is killed, and common sense will teach that such 

 corn is not to be planted. But it sometimes happens that 

 ears bear only a little of the fungi and these are the ones 

 most likely to be fed, or used for planting. As suggested 

 under another head moldy corn should be avoided as far as 

 practicable for such purposes, and when suspected of bear- 

 ing the fungi, seed corn may well be treated with formalin, 

 or bluestone, as a precaution against conveying mold fungi 

 to the corn field. 



Judges of corn exhibits can help to rid the State of these 

 molds by discouraging the exhibition of diseased corn. 



Unfortunately it is not possible to say at present 

 whether or not the spores remain alive in manure. The 

 spores of the smut fungus of corn are, it will be remem- 

 bered, capable of living in manure, and are believed to be 

 distributed thus to corn fields. But in the absence of de- 

 finite experimental data with reference to the ear molds, it 

 would be well to use manure from moldy corn fodder only 

 on land planted in some other crop than corn. 



And because of the disposition of the fungus to remain 

 alive in the fields and on the corn stalks, it is always best to 

 practice rotation of corn with other crops not subject to 

 injury. 



The fungus Diplodia is believed to be restricted to 

 maize. It is widely scattered in the United States, and 

 occurs in Italy where pellagra is prevalent. Of the distri- 

 bution of the species of Fusarium it is impossible to speak 

 positively at present, though they are known to be common 

 on corn over a large part, and perhaps all, of our territory. 



DR. SAMBON'S THEORY AS PRESENTED IN 

 HIS PUBLISHED PAPERS. 



Since writing the above I have had an opportunity to 

 see the articles published by Dr. Louis W. Sambon, in the 

 Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, in the Hbrary of 

 the Surgeon General of the United States Army at Wash- 



