310 



EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



(55° C.) for 5 luiiintes. Half the quantity of each variety was sowed 

 after this treatment, the other half was in both cases thorou<;hly 

 iufe(;te(l with spores from a head of oats with smut perfectly hidden by 

 the outer glumes. The 4 portions were sown on plats of about 18 sq. ft. 

 The results obtained were as follows: 



Smut in infected and iioti-iiifeded oats. 



Variety. 



Gray oats, treated 



Gray oats, treated and then iiitected.. 



AVli'itc oats, treated 



White oats, treated aud then infected 



Only hidden smut appeared in the infected heads. 



Infiurneeo)ithcyieldofh(()-Jei/a)id oafs. — The yields of barley from 

 the 11 substations were pronounced the same for both kinds of seed in 

 6 cases, and largest for the treated seed in 5 cases. The oats showed 

 similar yields in 4 cases and larger yields in 7 cases. Where a large 

 number of i)lat experiments has been conducted the treated seed has, 

 however, in the author's experience, always given the largest yields. 

 The barley and oats grown were threshed and weighed separately at 4 

 substations, and the increase in yield amounted to 14.4 per cent in case 

 of barley and 10 per cent in case of oats. In the exi^eriment made by 

 tlie author the increase amounted to 3.5 per cent (bailey), 26.8 per 

 cent (oats, method A), and 25.7 per cent (oats, method B), respectively; 

 and the straw at the same time increased in yield 1.7 per cent, 2.3 j)er 

 cent, and 10.2 i)er cent, respectively. 



It was found that with the treated seed 9 (method B) and 10 (method 

 A) per cent more headed oat straws were formed. " The reason is 

 doubtless not that the treated seed has a higher power of germination, 

 for a large number of comparative experiments have shown that the 

 power of germination remains the same after the hot- water treatment, 

 but that the germinative energy is increased, and the chances that all 

 seeds capable of germination will germinate in the right time and come 

 through the soil are greater for the treated seed." 



From 2 to 4 per ciMit more plants will, as a rule, be obtained in case 

 of treated seed, with 5 to 7 per cent more straw. The kernels from the 

 treated seed weighed on an average 2.3 per cent more than those grown 

 from untreated seed. In more than 70 different experiments with barley 

 and oats no exception to this rule has been found. 



The inciease in yield obtained from the hot-water method is usually 

 somewhat higher for oats than for barley. In the author's experience 

 the increase for the latter lies between G and 10 per cent, while for oats 

 it amounts to 8 to 12 per cent, and often more.— F. w. woll. 



