SMUTS (probably from AS. smitta, 011G. smiz, stain, spot, smut ; connected with AS.
MUM! to smite, Goth. bi-smeitan, s»mi Zan, Ger. sAmeissen, to strike, smear). A group of fungi considered parasitic upon cereals and characterized by black dnst-like masses (spores) which take the place of the natural seed parts. There are many species, nearly every kind of cereal beimg subject to the attack of one or more. In general the smut spores which, as a rule, are attached to the grain when sown, germinate at the same time as the seed, the fungus entering the young plantlet in which it develops unseen until about the time the grain is beginning to head, when the flower or grain becomes filled with a mass of delicate threads which soon mature their spores for the infection of the next crop. The smuts are of two elasses: the stinking smuts, so called from their disagreeable odor, and the loose smuts. The former destroy only the kernel ; the latter, which are dusty and arc blown away, leaving a bare stalk, destroy the whole head. The amount of injury done the cereal crops is very great. Hardly a country is not more or less ravaged by these diseases. A conservative esti mate places the annual loss due to smut on the oat crop of the United States at $18,00C,000.
The smuts of wheat, barley, rye, and oats can be controlled to a great degree by treating the seed prior to sowing with various fungicides. Oat saint (Ustilago arena') may be controlled by soaking the seed for 24 hours in a solution of one pound of potassium sulphide to twenty of water, or for two hours in one pound in 45 to 50 gallons of water. Or the seed may be thoroughly wetted with the solution and allowed to stand for the same length of time, after which the grain is sown. For the other smuts the hot water or Jensen treatment is recommended. Two vessels of at least twenty gallons' eapacity a re filled with water, one at a temperature of F.,
the other at and kept constantly at those temperatures. The seed is placed in covered baskets or loose bags and dipped into the first for one to two minutes, and then plunged into the second vessel, raised and lowered several limes for ten to fifteen minutes. and then spread to dry. In treating wheat and barley for loose smut (Ustilago tritici and Ustilago mato re speetively) a preliminary soaking for four hours in cold water is advised. For the stinking smuts of wheat (Til/etia fertens and Tillrtia HritTcnl and the covered smut of harley ( Cstilago soaking seed for twelve hours in copper sulphate solution (one pound to 24 gallons of water), and dipping a few minutes into bine water, is also recommended. In all these treatments the treated seed must not come in contact with smut in un clean grain bags, bins, or seeding implements.
None of these treatments is of benefit in pre venting maize or corn smut (Ustilago ma?tdis). The black spores germinate upon the ground, in manure or other suitable locations, and quickly develop thin-walled colorless spores that are car ried by wind, germinate upon the rapidly grow ing tissues of the corn plant, which they may infect locally at any time, and in a few weeks produce boil-like growths. Each smut mass is be lieved to represent a separate infection. De struction by burning all smut balls, whenever found, is the only remedy. Throwing them upon the ground, or manure heaps, or feeding to stock will only aid in spreading the disease. Experi ments with cows have shown that corn smut is not poisonous, as it is often believed to be, the animals having eaten ten pounds or more daily without any noticeable inconvenience.