VOL. XXVII.
W
INDIANAPOLIS, IND., FEB. 27, 1892.
NO. 9
Rsport of the Botanical Department, of
tbe Indiana Experimental Station
for the year 1891.
A large amonnt of -work haa been carried
on in the Botanical Department of the
Station during the year 1891, chei fly of a
physiological and pathological nature. The
eoonomio value of some of the conclusions
arrived at are of more than usual importance, while nearly all of the work has
well repaid the labor and thought expended upon it. In attempting to secure information that may be readily applied by
the cultivator to increase the profits of
his business, the opportunity has not been
lost to investigate a number of problems
of scientific moment which underlie the
more obvious economic questions, and
serve to place the latter upon a much
firmer basis.
CORN.
The experiment conducted in 1889 and
reported in the annual report for 1890 npon
the relation of the weight of the kernel to
the after growth and yield was repeated
during the year. The results fully con
firm the previous conclusions, and show
tbat the larger kernels produce a stronger
growth and heavier yield. As the kernels
on an ear are heavier at the butt and decrease in weight toward the tip, the butt
kernels are the most valuable for planting,
and the kernels on the remainder of the
ear are somewhat less valuable ln proportion as they are Bituated farther from the
butt.
The high efficiency of the hot water
treatment of the seed of wheat and oats in
preventing smut in those cereals suggested
the trial of the same means of removing
smut from corn. Corn smut is very preva
lent, and causes much in j ary to the crop
in this State, and it being a leadirg farm
product, a preventive for the smut is highly desirable. The hot water treatment,
carried out essentially as 'for oats and
wheat, was tested on a rather large scale;
two fields at same distance apart being
used. Q'lite contrary to what was anticipated, the results showed no diminution
in the amount of smut that could be ascribed to the treatment. The range of
temperature was -extended to the limits
ot the vitality of the seed corn; and therefore we are forced to acknowledge that
there was no prospect that the hot water
treatment will be found serviceable in
corn smut.
To learn whether the smut of corn
comes from planting infected seed or not,
an attempt was made to artificially infect
the plant by applying a large amount of
smut powder to the seed in the time of
planting. With oats and wheat, this is a
very efficient method to increase the percentage of smut in the crop. The smut
was applied to the kernels ot corn moistened with flour paste in order to make It
adhere well. The results gave no indication that the plants have received infection from this source; in fact the rows In
"which kernels were coated with smut
showed scarcely as much smut in the
plants as rows which received no application.
OATS.
The hot water treatment for the prevention of smut in oats has been further
tested and the favorable conclusions of
previous years confirmed. A bulletin (No.
35) embracing a large amount of data, and
giving the mode of procedure In the practical application of the method in faim
practice, was issued in March, 1891; The
use of this means of ridding oats of smut
must result in preventing a heavy loss
to the farming community. It has already been adopted by many farmers of
toe State, and there Is indication that Its
use will soon become general.
A fact, which first came out incidental,
ly during the treatment for smut, but
which has since assumed most Important
proportions, is the gain in yield which
oats (and also wheat) show, entirely due
to the warm bath given the grain before
sowing; This increased yield, believed to
amount to at least ten per cent, averaging
one season with another, has led the department to recommend this method as a
profitable one for increasing the yield of
oats.
wheat. .
The hot water method has been applied
to the prevention of stinking or hard
smut of wheat with complete success.
The temperature of the water, and other
details of treatment, weregiven in Bulletin
No. 32, (1890) but at that time, theefflciency
in preventing the smut, had not been fully
demonstrated. During 1891, the results
obtained from field experiments have left
no doubt that the method is thoroughly
satisfactory, and with only ordinary care
is capable of preventing all appearance of
smut in the crop.
The above remarks refer to stinking
smut only. Loose smut of wheat, which
closely resembles the common smut of
oats, and which was very abundant this
year (1891) throughout the State, attracting attention about the time wheat was
in flowe, reacts very differently.toward the
hot water treatment from what stinking
smut does. The closing sentence of Bulletin 32, (July, 1890) reads as follows:
"The prevention of loose smut of wheat
has not been made the subj eot of experiment, but it is presumable that the treatment (with hot water) recommended
above for stinking smut will be found
satisfactory." The data from field tests
for the present year, however, do not at
all bear out this assumption. In fact, the
trials in which the seeds were immersed
in water at 135 degrees Fahrein-
heit for five minutes, show that the treatment has no effect, whatever, in reducing
the percentage of loose smut. We are
consequently forced to admit that while
the hot water treatment is highly satisfactory in eradicating stinking smut, it is of
no service against loose smut.
An important fungous enquiry to wheat
in the field, known as scab, was detected
in the fields of the station and elsewhere
in the State during the last season. It affects the heads, and shows most prominently just before ripening sets in. The
loss amounted to 15 per cant of the crop in
some fields. The matter has been made
the subject of a Bulletin article (No. 36,
August. 1891,) and will also receive further
attention.
The use of seed grain having various
degrees of maturity was tested in a preliminary experiment, but the results are
not sufficiently complete to hazard any
general conclusion.
POTATOES.
The work with potatoes has received
more attention than has been given in
any other one direction, and the results
have been of great interest and Importance. Many of the experiments performed
in 1890 have been repeated during the last
year, others added. Some of the results
have been embodied in a paper entitled
"A physiological basis for the comparison
oflpotatoe production," read before the
Society for the Promotion of Agricultural
Science, and published in the Proceedings
for 1891. The remainder, and larger part,
of the data has not yet been placed before
the public.
Some of the conclusions of this work are
that the larger the potatoes, or pieces of
potatoes, that are planted, the larger the
yield; that the seed (apical) end of the tu-
ber gives the strongest shoots and is thebest part for planting; that rough potatoes
contain more starch and are better for
planting than smooth potatoes of the
same variety; that the number of eyes on
a piece bears no Important relation to the
yield, care should therefore be exercised
as to the size of the piece planted, rather
than the number of eyes; that cut tubers
are better than whole ones, because they
tike up water from the soil more readily
and permit more rapid growth; and that
the Becd material will be improved by
drying somewhat before planting, provided the loss in weight does not exceed 20
per cent. Other important results have
been secured which cannot well be presented in the brief space at command in
this outline.
The scab organism, discovered by Dr.
Thaxter in Connecticut, has been detected
during the year, and ia believed to be common in this State and an efficient cause for
more or less of the scab of potatoes, especially in its worst form. The organism has
been, and is still, under cultivation in the
laboratory.
BEETS.
Very considerable attention has been
given to the diseases of sugar beets. This
work has been principally carried on by
Miss Katherlne E. Golden, who read a
paper upon tho subject In Dscember last,
1891, before the the Indiana Academy of
Sciences.
The beet root Is subject to scabbing,
ca.ssd by the same organism that is
mentioned above as being found upon potatoes. It does not, however, appear to
seriously affect the value of the roots for
the purposes for which they are ordinarily
grown. S ime still less important ailments
of the roots have been noted and exam
ined. ,-   ■
From an economic standpoint, far the
most important affection of the beet root
is one that decrease, the sugar content
from a few por cent, down to 50 or even
75 per cent below the normal. The disease
is found to be quite wide spread, and
holds a place of no inconsiderable importance in relation to profitable sugar beet
industry. The disease is of bacterial nature, the microbes being found in great
numbers in all affected beets. The organisms occur in all parts of the beet root,
but the changes which they occasion do
not alter the appearance of the tissues materially, although a person having the
necessary experience may be able to detect the presence of the disease with much
certainty upon cutting the root open.
Much study has been given to the characteristics and development of this microorganism, and the remits will shortly be
published.
TOMATOES.
The relation of immaturity of seed to
earllness in ripening of the fruit continues
to receive attention, the problem having
been studied from newpointsof view during the last year. Although much study
and labor has b en devoted to the subject,
yet no full and satisfactory conclusion has
been arrived at, and the investigation will
be carried over into the coming j car.
Some attention has been given to several matters of heredity, looking toward a
better understanding of the conditions
underlying the improvement of this fruit,
and similar cultivated plants. Among the
most interesting facts elicited is the distribution of a certain range in number of
seed cavities in the fruit among the fruits
of a single plant, and also among the
fruits of a variety.. The data has not re
ceived adequate study at this writing,
however, to warrant a statement of the
full bearing of the discoveries.
CABNATIONS.
In the middle of October some leaves of
carnation of pinks were received from Indianapolis, affected with a destructive
fungus. The fungus was at once recognized as a species'of rust, long known in
Kurope but never before reported in this
country. Personal visits were made to
several places in the State where the business of ralsingcarnation pinks is carried on
upon a large scale, and it was found that
the disease, although not yet general, is
one that seriously threatens the industry.
It Is believed, however, that a remedy can
be devised to keep it In check, and possibly means can be found for thoroughly
eradicating it. Experiments looking toward these ends are now being carried out
in the green-house.
Many minor enquiries have received attention during the year which need not
be mentioned here.
J. C. Authub, Botanist.
Purdue University, Lafayette, Ind.
gt&U ^tvos.
Samuel S. Strong, aged 85, died at Elkhart.   He settled there in 1834.
o.
There have teen but two deaths in Trafalgar during the present winter. One of
them was caused by old age.
Dempsey Trueblood, of Anderson, died
of blood poisoning. His illness wa3 contracted by eating boneless ham.
Pang *Yim, the Chinaman who has been
calling for considerable attention recently
on account of his marriage to an American
girl, was refused naturalization papers.
Jacob Banger, one of the oldest citizens
of Monroe county died on the 17th. He
was injured by a runaway team 11 years
ago, and has not been out of the house
since that time.
Conductor Albert May, of Terre Haute,
running on the Brazil branch of the
Evansville «fc Indianapolis railway, fell
under his train and was killed. He served
for years on the west division of the Big
Four,*^nd was known among railway men
as never having met with an accident.
Harvey Rodman and wife, aged and
wealthy people near Harrisburg, have
been mysteriously warned that enemies -
are plotting against their lives and property. B.th are subject to heart disease,
and it is believed that the pretended
warning is simply a scheme to hasten
their demise by fright.
Fire broke out in the livery stable of
Broxton Bros., at Loogootee, on the 19th#
The stable and contents were consumed.
Fifteen head of horses and the fine stallion, Chancellor, were cremated, andja
number of buggies, carriages aud other
vehicles, with harness, etc., were destroyed. The loss will reach J10.000, with
no insurance.
Lewis Woogman, near Dun lap's station,
fatally ill and so emaciated that he could
not turn over in bed, was taken by friends
to the freezing waters of the river and
was immersed in Baptism. The cold was
severe, the temperature ranging but few
degrees above zero. Strange as it may.
seem, Woogman suffered no bad effects
from this terrible exposure and is still living.
Mrs. Lucinda B. J. Wishard, matron of
the Indianapolis Orphan Asylum, died of
consumption at the institution last week.
She was born 64 years ago in Troy, O., and
in early life became a missionary among
the blacks of Louisiana. Her first charge
was at Sodaville, La. In 1868 she came to
Knightstown and became matron of the
Soldier's Orphan Home. At that institution she married Dr. B. J. Wishard. She
came to the asylum here in 1882.
The life of Dr. Sylvester Newlin, of
New London, is hanging by a thread, because of blood-poisoning, caused by dressing a wound for a man that had been
shot. Dr. H. C. Miller, of Ridgeway, Ind.,
was called to attend to Dr. Newlin and
having a slight abrasion on one of his fingers, the virus was transmitted to his
system, and in a few hours the same terrible symptoms were apparent in Dr. Miller's case. Dr. Miller has now been in a
state of oqma since the first premonitory
chill, and will probably die. Dr. Newlin's
case is almost a hopeless one, as he is
growing weaker and weaker.