DISEASES. 151 
1894, comments on the sudden death of cattle 
in Illinois and says that farmers attribute it to 
the stock eating smutted corn. Prof. Morrow, 
so the dispatch says, thinks not, as they had 
fed a steer two bushels of smut at the Univer- 
sity of Illinois and it had not injured him. 
It is very questionable if cattle are injured 
by smut in the fodder; yet it will be safer and 
better to keep it out of the rations. 
Preventing smut.—There is no absolutely 
sure method of preventing the appearance of 
smut. The spores on seed corn may be de- 
stroyed by the use of sulphate of copper (blue 
vitriol or bluestone). A strong solution in 
water should be made, using about half a 
pound of the sulphate to a gallon of water. 
The seed may be scaked about half an hour, 
after which it should be removed from the 
liquid and dried. The smut may also be killed 
by soaking the seed in water at 160 deg. F. for 
five minutes. 
It is also important to adopt preventive meas- 
ures. The spores will pass through animals in 
the manure and germinate, so that is a reason 
why stock should not eat it. The smut in the 
field which can be secured should be burned. 
Rotation of crops will also reduce the degree 
of prevalence. 
Bacterial disease.—This is a disease caused 
by a very minute class of plants termed bac- 
