120 TRANSACTIONS OF THE 



discussion before the class in agriculture, last winter, examined the 

 grain, and expressed the opinion that it would make good flour. It 

 may not prove as good in the interior as on the coast. Possibly it 

 might shell badly in the dry northers which sometimes blow in the 

 great valleys at harvest time. Those who live in a rusty section 

 would do well to give it a trial. 



_ There is a variety known as Siberian wheat which is also said to be 

 little affected by rust. The grain growers in parts of Contra Costa 

 County commend it highly on this account. I cannot speak of it from 

 any personal experience. There are undoubtedly many other wheats 

 that are unusually hardy in this respect. Farmers may do the State 

 great service, and reap profit themselves, by watching their crops 

 closely in this respect. There is very little seed wheat sown that is 

 not more or less mixed. Sometimes, when the main part of a crop 

 is rusted, a few plants from another kind of seed will be unharmed 

 and yield well. Such exceptions should be noted carefully, and the 

 hardy grain saved, if it is not of a common kind. The College of 

 Agriculture has about fifty kinds of wheat on exhibition here at the 

 State Fair. Most of these have just arrived from Europe. They will 

 be carefully tested on the University grounds, and special attention 

 given to their rust resisting powers. We hope to hnd some among 

 them of decided value in this respect as well as in others. 



We can assure you that we have a first-class climate for rust, if not 

 for wheat. Any kind that will resist it there should be pretty safe in 

 other parts of the State. When we have secured enough for the pur- 

 pose, we intend to distribute the grain for seed among the farmers of 

 the State. We also have about as many more varieties of barley, rye, 

 and oats. Farmers will do us a favor by sending in their names, 

 and stating what classes of grain they wish for. They will be sup- 

 plied as soon as circumstances will admit. As a general rule, the 

 early grain is less likely to rust than that which comes later. This 

 is because it is not in the tender juicy state when the warm weather 

 comes on. 



There is a statement on record that a German farmer succeeded in 

 protecting his wheat from rust by a dressing applied before sowing. 

 " About six hours before sowing he prepared a steep of three meas- 

 ures of powdered quicklime and ten measures of strong brine. Two 

 quarts of this he poured on a peck of wheat, stirring it with a spade 

 until every kernel was covered and white with the preparation." 

 Such a dressing should kill the spores on the grain, and give it vigor 

 to resist disease. Various washes and other applications are made to 

 the seed wheat before sowing. Most if not all of these must be set 

 down as still in the experimental stage. Their value must depend 

 mainly on the solution of the question which I have spoken of : 

 Does the rust plant gain access to the wheat through the ground or 

 through the air? Soaking in a weak solution of carbolic acid is one 

 of these prescriptions. 



This whole subject is a serious one, and beset with many difficul- 

 ties. We should not be hasty in drawing conclusions from one or 

 two experiments, whether they be favorable or otherwise. Careful 

 investigation has solved problems that seemed as difficult as this. 

 We should all assume the position of students. This brief lecture 

 was intended simply as an introduction to a discussion in which I 

 trust all practical farmers will feel free to take part, and give us the 

 benefit of their experience. 



