JJEPAM'MiiNl'AL Acl'lVlTliJ!5. 50; 



]'criniii. — Tin's Tiistil utioii ii(i\\ possesses a (Mayloii ^asfsill^' 

 macliiiic. Ii\' means of wliicli hoi .sulphur tunu's can l)e hh)\\ii inio 

 tlie luiifows of lats. lesulfiu^' in ihe desf luci it)ii divectly and 

 indirectly (d' whole cohuiies of the xcruiiu. It is tliou^^ht 1ha1 llie 

 uiaeiiilie could lie effecti\'tdy used a^amsl spviiij^-haies. j^round- 

 s(|uinels. etc. This last has, howevei'. not heen tried. 



GROOTFONTEIN, MIDDELBURG (CAPE). 



\\ licdl Solemn . — .June is considoed lhe hest jnontli for sow iu^' 

 mid-season varieties of wheat, siudi as Federation, Main's Pateiit, 

 Mar(|\iis, Ivirly Spring', etc. The last named, a hearded variety, the 

 ori<>in of whicdi is iiiiknown. is not really an early wheat, and is often 

 confused with S])i'inf>' Farly. which is lieardless. Should the seed 

 to be sown Ite infected with smut, or have heen tlnashed l)y a tra'vel- 

 lin<>' ma(diine, it is advisable to di]) either in formalin or co])])er 

 sulphate. 



Formalin is ivcommended as follows: '.iO ounces formalin to 4-) 

 gallons of water, (jr 4 ounces to 'J] ])araftin tins of water. If the seed 

 contains unbroken smut balls, it is advisable to wash it first; these 

 will tben swim on the surface and ctin be skimmed oft. I'liis is 

 necessaiy because the smut spores are enclosed in a touj^h skin and. 

 unless broken, the dip mixture canmtt |)eiietrate. WTien unbroken 

 smut l)alls have not been removed, they are likely to itnnfect the seed 

 during' the subsequent seeding o])ei iitions. After immersing- the seed 

 for 10 minutes in the solution, reinoxe an<l coxer with a bucksail or 

 empty sacks for two hours, and then spread oiit thinly to dry and 

 sow as soon as possible. If a seed drill is used it will be necessary 

 to adjust the feed regulator to albtw for the increased size of the 

 grains due to swelling; this ina\ be an\tliing from lo to •')() per cent., 

 according to th<' jxM-iod allowed for di\ing. 



Ff co])])er suli)hate is used, the following quaiilities are recom- 

 mended: 1.', lb. to 10 gallons of water. Immerse seed for •> minutes, 

 stirring well, tlien drain for 10 to 20 minutes and reimmerse for a 

 few miinites in a lime solution made of I lb. freshly Imrnt lime mixed 

 in 10 gallons of water. The object of redi])])iiig in the lime solution 

 is to neutralize the caustic effects of the co]»per suli)liate on the wheat 

 ^ierm. Any ty])e of xcssel may be used for holding the formalin 

 solution, but a wdodeii \"essel is necessary when using bliiestone. 



As mcjst forms of dii»])ing to lie sm-cessful in destroying the smut 

 spores may also injure the germination of the seed, esjiecially machine- 

 cleaned seed, which may be slightly damaged dining thrashing, 

 growers are advised to pro(-ure their seed from a clean crop, and. if 

 possible, to tiaiii]) it out. thus escaping' the risk of smut from an 

 infected cro]). Tiampiiig the seed is recommended in })reference to 

 thrashing wiih a machine, as the latter injures the grain to a certain 

 extent and, if a trav(dliiig- one that has thrashed smutty crops 

 jireviously. it will infect a clean sample of seed. 



All \arieties may be sown slightly thicker than for May sowing'. 



('Iiincsc Liii-cnii' .^VrJ.- - Farnu-rs aie reminded that this Institu- 

 tion is the only grower of ■"Chinese" lucerne, and applications for 

 seed should be nuide to the Priiici]ial direct in order to avoid 

 unnecessary delay. 



