

18 Department Circular 329, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture 



suits of field experiments show that losses due to these diseases can 

 be materially lessened if farmers will give attention to the following : 



(1) Elimination of bad seed ears by means of germination tests, 



(2) practice of crop rotation, (3) preparation of the soil to insure its 

 being in proper chemical and physical condition, (4) seed selection 

 in the field before the first killing frost, and (5) proper curing and 

 storing of seed corn. 



Ten States reported extension work on control of corn root rot. 

 The work in Virginia was of particular interest because of some of 

 the agencies that assisted. Attention of farmers was first gained by 

 conducting germination tests of seed-corn entries at a corn-utility 

 show. Following this, arrangements were made to provide for com- 



Fig. 9. — County agent instructing members of a hoys* corn club in use of germ ina tor. 



munity testing of seed corn, and in this phase of the work two 

 vocational schools gave assistance. Using plans supplied by the de- 

 partment of plant pathology, and acting under supervision of the 

 extension pathologist. 'agricultural classes in these schools built large 

 germinators, one of which had a capacity of about 4,000 ears. Dur- 

 ing the winter and spring months several lots of corn were run in 

 these germinators. 



Good work was done also by boys' corn clubs (fig. 9). A boys' 

 club team gave demonstrations not only at the farmers' institute, 

 but also at the Eastern States Exposition at Springfield, Mass. 



In summing up the work, James Godkin, extension plant pathol- 

 ogist, stated : "A total of 5,690 ears of corn were tested, 54 per cent 

 of which was found to be unfit for use as seed." 



