FORMALDEHYDE TREATMENT 85 



crops that have been grown on plowed sod land. The 

 land should be seeded down to clover and grasses at the 

 same time or immediately after the barley is sown. By 

 following this system of rotation the seed is put into ground 

 that has an abundant supply of vegetable mold occasioned 

 by the decayed sod. 



Diseases and Insect Enemies. Barley is comparatively 

 free from diseases and insect enemies. It is, however, 

 affected with rust, leaf stripe, and smut. Little has yet 

 been accomplished in preventing rust but good work has 

 been done in the eradication of smuts. In a few instances 

 rustproof varieties of grains have been bred for distinct 

 localities. 



Eradication of Barley Smut. Barley is attacked by 

 two varieties of smut, the loose smut and the closed 

 smut, the former being the more prevalent and the harder 

 to eradicate. The loose smut is noticeable as soon as 

 barley begins to head; the black smutty heads may be 

 seen pushing out from the sheath in which they are inclosed. 

 'A few days after the smut makes its first appearance it will 

 have ripened, and the spores will be wafted by the wind to 

 a hiding place in the immature kernels where they remain 

 secure until the kernels are planted the following year. 

 After the smut is blown away nothing is seen to indicate 

 disease except the light blackened tip of the barley plant 

 where the spike should be. 



Formaldehyde Treatment for Barley Smut. For eradi- 

 cation of loose smut submerge the barley for two hours 

 after being sacked in formaldehyde solution. Formalde- 

 hyde solution is made by putting one pint of formaldehyde 

 in 30 gallons of water. The above treatment will also 

 eradicate leaf stripe. 



