207 



" (1.) Dissolve 1 lb. of Blue-stone (copper sulphate) in 20 gallons of water ; soak 

 and stir the grain well in it and leave to soak for 12 hours; then soak in limo water 

 (lime slaked in ten times its weight of water) for 10 minutes. 



" (2.) Dissolve Blue-stone (copper sulphate) at the rate of 1 lb. to 2 gallons of 

 water; place this in some large receptacle and pour in grain until it almost reaches 

 to the surface of the liquid ; stir well and skim all ' smut-balls ' and rubbish from the 

 top. Leave the grain to soak for a quarter of an hour ; then pour off the liquid and 

 spread the grain out thinly to dry, and sift dry lime over it. 



Should the above be inconvenient, the following may be used : — 



" (3.) One pound of Sulphate of Copper is dissolved in a pailful of hot water, which 

 is then sprinkled by one person over 10 bushels of wheat placed in a waggon-box, 

 whilst someone else keeps the grain well stirred. Should a large amount of Smut 

 be detected in grain required for seed, the solution is made stronger, double the 

 quantity of Blue-stone being used." (C. B. P. Bulletin 3, 1888, p. 14.) 



** To your own readers I would recommend them to refer to your number for 

 January, 1891, where the subject is treated fully by Prof. Panton. It was also 

 exhaustively treated in Central Experimental Farm Bulletin No. 3, 1888, Bulletin 

 56, Ontario Department of Agriculture, and Bulletin 32, Manitoba Department of 

 Agriculture. 



" There is no question as to the efficacy of the Copper sulphate treatment, and the 

 small percentage of injury to the vitality of the grain is not worth considering when 

 compared with the crop of good, clean grain reaped. 



" Wheat, oats and barley may be treated in the same way, but oats should be sub- 

 merged, not sprinkled only. 



"Prof. Kellerman, one of the highest authorities on this continent, says (Bulletin 

 12, 1890, Kansas Agricultural College, p. 30) : ' Since the earlypartof this century, the 

 almost universal method of preventing Smut has been to soak the seed before plant- 

 ing in a solution- of blue vitriol (sulphate of copper). Of the many forms of the 

 treatment in use, perhaps the best is to immerse the seed twelve to fifteen hours in 

 a one-half per cent solution of sulphate of copper (that is 1 lb. in 20 gallons of 

 water), and then put the seed for five or ten minutes in lime water made b}'' slaking 

 lime in ten times its weight of water. This, if properly carried out, will prevent 

 the smut, with but little injury to the crop.' 



"Cooke & Berkley, the highest English authorities, say : 'Since dressing the 

 seed-wheat has been so widely adopted in this country, this has been of comparar 

 tively little trouble.' 



" The above remedies have been tried, and have certainly given good results. 



"Messrs. Kellerman & Swingle, who have been investigating this matter of 

 Smuts for several years, and whose conclusions are, therefore, of much weight, have 

 found that, on the whole, and particularly with oats and barley, the * Jensen hot- 

 water treatment' is the best. This consists of submerging the grain for from five 

 to fifteen minutes in water kept at a temperature of 132^ degrees. I. have not yet 

 tried this remedy, so cannot speak of it; but I should judge that there would be 

 difficulties, for farmers without special apparatus, in the way ofmaintaining the water 

 at the proper temperature. Mr. A. Mackay expresses the opinion that there would be 

 *no use in recommending this treatment for the North- West Territories; water is 

 scarce and farmers would not take the trouble.' " 



GEASSES. 



The experiments in grasses have been continued, and the grass plots have 

 attracted a great deal of attention from visiting farmers. 



The trial plots of one square rod each have been extended, and a larger num- 

 ber of species have been cultivated than was the case last year. Donations of grass 

 seeds have been received from the following : — 



Prof. Macoun, Government Botanist, Ottawa. 



Prof. S. M. Tracy, Agricultural College, Mississippi. 



