SWEET CORN 



out a brownish-black powder. This is the 

 so-called smut of corn. The fungus may 

 gain entrance to the sweet corn at any 

 time, and the control would be along the 

 lines of cutting out the disease before the 

 material has turned dark colored and the 

 small spores or dust is thrown out by 

 the body. 



Another very important fact concerning 

 the fungus is that, if the stalk is cut and 

 placed on the compost pile, the spores will 

 live over w^inter, and when the compost is 

 placed on the land in the spring the spores 

 will be ready to develop upon the plant. 

 From this, it would seem, the statement 

 has been put forth by a great many farm- 

 ers, that manure applied to sweet corn has 

 a tendency to increase the amount of smut. 

 It would be much better for the grower 

 to destroy the smut by the use of fire. 



In some sections of the country the loss 

 averages as high as 25%. In other sec- 

 tions, where care has been observed in 

 keeping down the amount of smut, the loss 

 is 5.% or less. 



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