303 



Report of the Horticulturist of the 



powder and potassium sulphide germinated as well and made as 

 good growth as the untreated seed did. The experiment with 

 formalin was short and decisive. None of the seed germinated, 

 thus proving that the 5 per cent and 3 per cent solutions were 

 fatal to the seed. As soon as it was certain that this seed would 

 not grow, another bushel was given the hot-water treatment and 

 the plat seeded May 4, at the same rate per acre as before. This 

 made a fairly good growth, but rusted badly, due, no doubt, to- 

 late sowing. At the time of harvesting, August 3, the grain of 

 all the plats was flat upon the ground, having been broken down 

 by heavy rain and wind storms. The yields were undoubtedly 

 reduced a little by this condition, since lodged grain is diflSoult 

 to harvest, but as all of the plats were in the same condition the 

 yields are comparable. 



Percentage, op Smut and Yield of Plats. 



The percentage of smutted heads was obtained by selecting 

 representative parts of each plat and counting the stalks. 



Treatment, Percentage of Smut and Yield per Acre of Oats. 



That the hot-water treatment did not give a larger yield is un- 

 doubtedly due to late sowing and to the rusting of the plants. 



COMPARISON OF RESULTS. 



At Trumansburg the seed sprinkled with a 0.78 per cent 

 Ceres powder solution gave 6.3 per cent of smutted heads. 

 The only experiment at the Station to compare with this is 

 where seed was sprinkled with a 1 per cent solution and gave 

 2.9 per cent of smut. Seed sprinkled with a 5 per cent potassium 

 sulphide solution at Trumansburg gave 0.85 per cent of smut, 



