D2 Refort of the Botanist of the 



sets of agitatoivs to prevent banking anJ clogging, and as a fur- 

 ther precaution the sides of tlie boxes \Yere made nearly perpen- 

 d'eular; but in order to get as much carrying space as possible 

 the front ends of the boxes were slanted over the wheels. This 

 proved to be a mistake as it favored banking. The front of the 

 boxes should be perpendicular. 



The outlet spouts were made uniform in size throughout their 

 entire length and stood nearly perpendicular when in use — an- 

 other precaution to prevent clogging. To secure uniform distri- 

 bution of the mixture in the row each spout liad a cone-shaped 

 bridge below the outlet. (See Plate VII, Fig. 2.) It is desirable 

 to have the mixture scattered along the sides as well as in the 

 bottom of the furrow, so that the coverers in passing will draw it 

 over the seed. 



We have used this machine for two years with fairly satisfac- 

 tory results 'and certainly with much more uniform results than 

 could have been obtained by the hand application of the mixture. 

 The important features of uniform and rapid application are fur- 

 nished by this machine, but many improvements can be made 

 upon it by careful and neat workmanship. The agitators are 

 heavy, bungling affairs, with considerable lost motion. The sul- 

 phur-lime 'boxes should be larger and made of light material; and 

 the arrangement for opening and closing the slots which regulate 

 the quantity of material sown should be made so strong that it 

 will not bend when used. It is probable that the manufacturers 

 of garden tools could make a machine on the same lines which 

 would work to perfection and thus make the sulphur-lime treat- 

 ment an inexpensive method of controlling onion smut. 



SOME OTHER EXPERIMEXTS. 



EXPERIMENT TO DETERMINE STAGE OP GROW'TH AT WHICH INFECTION 



OCCURS. 



Reference has already been made (page 74) to Thaxter's experi- 

 ments, which proved that infection takes place below grourrd 

 and while the plant is very young; "also to Sturgis' experiments 

 on transplanting onions, in which it was shown that onion seed- 



