Cleaned, Treated and Tested Seed 
31 
5. It may then be dried and sown. 
6. The sprinkle method may also be used if preferred. Use 
one pint of formalin to 40 gallons of water and follow directions 
given for stinking smut of wheat. 
Timothy. 
Leaf Smut. This disease affects mainly the leaves and stems, 
although the heads are also attacked. Stunting or dwarfing is 
characteristic of affected plants. The disease appears first in the 
form of elongated narrow stripes on the leaves and later on the 
stems. The general appearance of affected plants is quite similar to 
that of rye smut. The stripes or spots at first are grayish in color, 
but later are black, owing to the exposure of the black spore masses. 
Affected leaves become very much torn and shredded, especially 
those at the top of the plant. No marked discoloration is visable 
from a distance except in extreme attacks. 
Affected plants do not usually produce heads. However, when 
they do appear they are found to be diseased. In severe attacks all 
parts of the head are destroyed, even including the bristles. Osner 
has shown that the timothy smut fungus may pass the winter in 
three different ways: 
1. In the green tissues of the plants. 
2. In the embryo of the seed. 
3. In bulbs and rootstocks of perennial plants. 
The greater percentage of infection, no doubt, occurs at the 
time the plants are flowing, hence the seed when mature contains 
the smut fungus in the embryo. In respect to infection, therefore, 
timothy smut is quite similar to loose smut of wheat and barley. 
Control: 
1. Hot water treatment of the seed offers the best known con¬ 
trol measures. 
2. The method recommended under loose smut of wheat mav 
be used for timothy, except for modifications as follows: 
3. Soak the seed in cold water 6 to 8 hours. Then transfer 
it to water at about 118° to 120° F., and leave for one minute. 
From this transfer the grain to water at 125° F., and keep it there 
for 10 minutes. The temperature should not be allowed to exceed 
126° F., or serious injury may result to the germination power of the 
seed. 
4. Keep down all wild grasses adjacent to the field which 
became smutted. Timothy smut occurs on red top, orchard grass, 
Kentucky blue grass and many others. 
