Timely Hints for Farmers. 245 



plug near the bottom, by means of which the liquids can be 

 drawn off at the proper time and used again in the treatment of 

 another batch of wheat. 



This method of treatment with copper sulphate and lime so- 

 lutions is the one commonly practiced and usually recommended 

 for the prevention of stinking smut. If handled according to 

 the directions given above, there need be no fear of this disease. 

 In this work, as in all others, the farmer should be thoughtful and 

 clean in his operations. After the wheat is treated, it should not 

 be put back in smutty sacks, nor in bins which have had smutty 

 wheat in them, without first destroying the smut. This can be 

 done by treating both sacks and bin with a copper sulphate so- 

 lution of twice the strength quoted above, or by thoroughly 

 soaking with boiling water. The seeder should also be thoroughly 

 cleaned and the box and cups treated with either boiling water or 

 a strong solution of copper sulphate. 



It must be constantly borne in mind that copper sulphate is a 

 poison. Care should therefore be taken that chickens and stock 

 be not allowed to eat the treated wheat. 



There is practically no danger in planting in ground which 

 produced a smutty crop the previous year. If clean seed is 

 planted, no smut will be raised. 



There are many other species of smut, and doubtless some of 

 them do considerable damage in Arizona; but this "Hint" is 

 intended to cover the question of stinking smut only. Indeed, 

 botanists recognise two species of stinking smut, but the 

 treatment given above will destroy both. 



David Griffiths, 



Department of Botany. 



THE USE OF CHEMICAL PRESERVATIVES IN MILK. 

 No. 21, November i. 



Late in the month of September, while the weather was yet 

 warm, one creamery patron was heard to say to another, "What's 

 that thing for?" indicating by a motion of his hand, a milk cooler 

 standing near. Upon being told that it was a milk cooler, and 



