“Tur RURAL NEW-YORKER 
1097 
A SERIOUS TROUBLE.—The so-called blasted 
beads which are appearing in the crops every 
season in constantly increasing numbers have justly 
been the source of serious concern and worry to the 
farmers of the wheat-growing sections. The trouble 
is not caused by frosting or scalding, or some insect 
post, as some are inclined to believe, but by a disease 
organism known to the plant doctors as a scab fun¬ 
gus. It attacks all grains, but appears to be espe¬ 
cially fond of wheat. The infection takes place after 
the blossoming stage of the grain and is favored by 
hot and damp weather. 
life HISTORY.— The wheat scab germ hiber¬ 
nates and spends part of its life, as shown recently 
by Prof. IToffer of Purdue University, 
on old cornstalks and almost any kind 
of dead vegetation that happens to he 
in the field, fence rows or any place on 
the farm. It is the same organism 
w hich also causes the so-called seeorid- 
nry root and stalk rot, a serious dis¬ 
ease of corn. When it blows over from 
its old dead host to the wheat.heads it 
attacks the young kernels, sapping out 
their vitality and causing them to 
shrivel. About the time the heads are 
near or at maturity, or even after the 
grain lias been cut and shocked, the 
disease appears on the outside of the 
infected heads in form of a pinkish 
mold. As a rule only a part of the 
head, most frequently the upper por¬ 
tion, becomes diseased. The amount of 
damage caused by wheat scab lias been 
increasing the last; few years in alarm¬ 
ing proportions. Last season nearly 
every field was more or less affected, 
some being practically ruined and not 
worth harvesting. The disease not only 
considerably decreased the yield In 
bushels, but the affected grain was very 
poor in quality, being practically worth¬ 
less for milling purposes, and having 
little value even as a stock feed. 
DISEASE CONTROL.—Then are 
several things that can lie done to keep 
the disease fairly well under control, 
although, be it frankly said, no one 
method lias yet been discovered which 
will do away with this evil entirely. 
In the first place, we must bear in 
mind that the same organism or fungus 
which causes wheat scab is also re¬ 
sponsible for the secondary root and 
stalk rot disease in corn and that it 
may readily pass from one crop to the 
other. In examining a large number 
«f wheat fields in Indiana, Illinois, 
Ohio and other States, it was found 
that the heaviest scab infection occurs 
where wheat follows corn in the rota¬ 
tion. especially where old .cornstalks re¬ 
main in the field. Careful counts made 
on a farm in Morgan County, Indiana, 
showed that where wheat was sown in 
standing corn over .‘>0 per cent of the 
crop was scabbed, while in the portion 
of the field where the corn was cut and 
removed for silage, less than five per 
cent of the crop was diseased. Iu the 
same county u couple of agricultural 
students cleared a part of the wheat- 
field in the Spring of most of the corn¬ 
stalks, and found that this operation 
reduced the scab from over 20 per cent 
to a few per cent. Clearing wheatflelds of cornstalks 
would not always be very practicable, of course, but 
it shows the chief source of seal* infection and the 
possibilities of its control. There is no reason why 
it should not lie practicable for many growers to 
change their rotation so as to precede wheat with 
some other crop than corn. In sections where corn, 
wheat and clover is the common rotation, would it 
not be advisable and practicable to use such crops 
as Soy beans or cow pens between corn and wheat? 
The introduction of another legume crop tuto the 
rotation would not only help to control seal* hut aid 
in keeping up the fertility of the soil. 
REMOVE RUBBISH.—It will also pay to clean 
op by burning or removing other plant rubbish, so 
far as practicable, such as dead weeds in the fence 
rows and waste places, and old straw stacks, which 
Scat, a New Menace to the Wheat Crop 
I'lh l/oirc/x .tec in Action. Fiy. .‘122 
Bcrry-pickcrs in a Commercial Field. F'kj. 323 
The ilffeclx of the Wheat Scab. Fit/. 22} 
1 ml., was sown about two weeks earlier than another 
field. The first field had very little scab, while the 
latter field showed nearly 100 per cent infection. 
The chance to avoid heavy scab infection by maim¬ 
ing the crop early is within the reach of nearly 
every grower. Tin* crop should be put in as early 
after the llessian tly-free date as possible. The use 
of fertilizers, especially phosphates, will also help 
to mature the crop earlier and thus increase the 
yield by warding off the dangerous period of seal* 
infection as well as by furnishing an essential ele 
ment of plant food. 
VARIETAL DIFFERENCES.—That some vurte 
ties scab worse than other was observed in many 
wheat growing sections, in Southeastern Indiana, 
for example, the so-called Red Chaff or Red llall 
variety was very slightly scabbed as compared with 
Short Season Hay Substitutes 
W E have never known a season 
like this where so many people 
are calling for short-season hay crops. 
By that they mean crops that can he 
seeded this year to substitute regular 
crops of clover and grass on thousands 
of farms. It has been found impossible 
to carry out the regular plan of work¬ 
ing the rotation. In order to keep the 
bunt from lying idle farmers are search¬ 
ing for something which can be seeded 
now and give some substitute for hay. 
The Michigan Experiment Station has 
issued a little bulletin describing some 
of these crops, of course oats and 
peas, where they can he seeded early, 
will be about the best Substitute for 
hay, but it Is now too late to obtain 
full results from this combination. < >ne 
of the best crops for fodder is corn, 
sown quite thickly in a drill. When 
handled in this way in drills about 2Vj 
feet apart the thick corn gives a very 
heavy crop, and makes an excellent 
fodder when it can be cut and cured 
properly. In our own section we can 
seed corn in this way up to the Fourth 
of July, and still obtain a heavy crop 
of good fodder. In many cases this 
thickly sown corn is the best substitute 
tin* farmer can seed. 
Another very good substitute is Soy 
beans. They can he sown up to the 
latter part of June, and when they 
have fair ground wilt give a reasonable 
crop. These beans are seeded in drills, 
using either a grain drill or dropping 
the seeds by hand. Almost any farmer 
who has had experience with growing 
beans will know how to cure for this 
crop. It does not seem possible that 
these coarse, hard vines can compare 
m feeding value with clover, but they give a very 
good substitute and will help out. 
Another excellent crop which can be seeded late 
on good ground is millet. The Holden millet is 
recommended, and is generally good for two toils or 
more of good bay per acre. We like the Japanese 
barnyard millet better. It is a coarse grass and 
probably not as palatable as common millet, it, 
gives a heavier growth, however, and for cow hay 
makes a very good substitute. It should not !*e fed 
to horses, and in any event the best way feed millet 
is in connection with some other roughage. 
Another crop now grown largely is Sudan grass, 
i bis fodder is becoming very popular in many parts 
of the country, it is much coarser, higher iu bulk 
than ordinary millet, and also later in maturing, it. 
makes a heavier yield, however, and will do rather 
* » i 14 
»»*(*# 
Mill 
Mill 
are very likely to harbor the scab-disease germ. 
Wheat straw should never be used when coining 
from a scab Infected crop for top-dressing wheat. 
Tf tap-dressing is desirable, oat straw is much to 
be preferred as it is less likely, if at all, to spread 
the Iisense. 
CONTROL BY EARLY MATURITY.—Another 
important factor to be considered in the control of 
wheat scab is the earliuess in maturing the crop. 
Just as in the case of the black rust, the scab disease 
usually comes along shortly before the grain ripens. 
Even a few days’ difference in this respect may mean 
a fomparatlvely scab-free or a badly diseased crop. 
Ore field on the farm of J. Ksslinger, Martinsville, 
other varieties. The growers should note this fea¬ 
ture in their respective regions, and select those 
varieties, which, being desirable in other respects, 
show greatest resistance to scab infection. The 
claim sometimes put forth that smooth varieties 
scab worse than the bearded cannot always be sub¬ 
stantiated. 
OTHER CONTROL METHODS.—Running seed 
wheat through the fanning mill with a good strong 
blast and blowing out the light scab-infected kernels 
“•ill also help to control the trouble. The formalde¬ 
hyde treatment of tin* seed may he of some value 
in destroying the scab germs that adhere to the 
surface of the otherwise sound kernels, but infec¬ 
tion from this source is claimed to lie 
very slight as compared with that 
which comes from tin* old cornstalks 
and other plant rubbish. A more effect¬ 
ive seed treatment is that with hot 
water which seems to eliminate all 
of the scab-infected kernels. Until a 
better remedy is found, however, the 
best results can be obtained by using 
varieties showing the highest degree 
of seal* resistance, avoiding the sowing 
of wheat in standing corn, so far as 
possible, cleaning up dead plant mate¬ 
rial and hastening the maturity of the 
crop through early sowing and the use 
of phosphate fertilizers; f. ,r. mpai.. 
