Nov. i, 1920 Effect of Drying Disinfected Seed Wheat 243 



to permit, first, the formation of paraformaldehyde, and second, the solu- 

 tion of formaldehyde gas in the seed. 



(9) This post-treatment injury is minimized by spreading the seed as 

 it dries so that maximum aeration occurs, thus hastening the evaporation 

 of paraformaldehyde and the escape of the gas from around the seed. 



(10) Barley is less susceptible to post-treatment injury upon drying 

 after soaking in a o. 1 per cent solution, probably because of the protection 

 afforded by the glumes; but when stronger solutions are used the injury 

 is very severe. 



(n) Seed dried for an hour by being thinly spread on towels in the 

 laboratory and then sealed in bottles is uninjured after weeks of storage; 

 but seed dried longer, although uninjured by the rapid drying, is injured 

 upon being sealed, presumably because of the concentration of gas in the 

 bottle as a result of decomposition of the paraformaldehyde on the seed. 

 Treated seed dried from 5 to 24 hours was more injured upon being sealed 

 than when dried for a longer time. 



(12) The sorghums, Brown durra, Honey sorgo, and Sudan grass, are 

 uninjured upon being stored dry after treatment, even when a 0.2 per 

 cent solution is used. 



(13) Post-treatment injury from dry storage is entirely prevented by 

 washing the seed with water immediatelv after treatment. 



LITERATURE CITED 



(1) Arcichovskij, V. 



1913. DIE WIRKUNG DER GIFTSTOFFE VERSCHIEDENER KONZENTRATIONEN AUF 

 die samen. In Biochem. Ztschr., Bd. 50, Heft 3/4, p. 233-244, 5 fig., 

 pi. 1. 



(2) Auerbach, Friedrich, and Barschall, Hermann. 



1905. STUDIEN UBER FORMALDEHYD. I. MITTEILUNG. FORMALDEHYD IN WAS- 



siger losung. In Arb. K. Gsndhtsamte, Bd. 22, Heft 3, p. 584-629, 



(3) Brittlebank, C. C. 



19 13. EFFECT OF FORMALIN AND BLUESTONE PICKLE ON THE GERMINATION O* 



wheat. In Jour. Dept. Agr. Victoria, v. 11, pt. 8, p. 473-476. 



(4) Coons, G. H. 



1918. THE USE OF FORMALDEHYDE TO CONTROL CEREAL SMUTS. In Mich. Agf. 



Exp. Sta. Quart. Bui., v. 1, no. 1, p. 11-14. 



(5) Darnell-Smith, G. P., and Carne, W. M. 



1914. THE EFFECT OF FORMALIN ON THE GERMINATION OF PLANTS. In 3d Rpt. 



Govt. Bur. Microbiol. [N. S. Wales], 1912, p. 178-180. 



(6) Gussow, H. T. 



1913. smut diseases of cultivated plants. Canada Cent. Exp. Farm Bui. 

 73, 57 p., illus. 



(7) Humphrey, H. B., and Potter, A. A. 



1918. cereal smuts and the disinfection of seed grain. U. S. Dept. Agr. 

 Farmers' Bui. 939, 28 p., 16 fig. 



(8) Hurst, R. J. 



1911. bunt and germination experiments. . . . In Agr. Gaz. N. S. Wales, 

 v. 22, pt. 9, p. 749-75 2 - 



