280 



The unusually Ioav temperature at wliieh the viability of the spores 

 were impaired seems all the more remarkable when we take into account 

 the fact that a ti-eatment of the seed wheat for ten minutes at a tem- 

 perature of 130 degrees F. is not effective in removing all the smut from 

 the ensuing crop. The results obtained from both the formalin and hot 

 water treatments would seem to indicate that the spores are easily killed, 

 in weak solutions of formalin and in comparatively low temperatures of 

 water, when brought in direct contact with these agencies. 



The lack of success in treating the seed for smut seems to be due to 

 the inability of the agency used to reach all the smut spores. This is 

 probably due to the fact that the seed coat is somewhat impervious to 

 liquid solutions; hence, all spores that are held in the interstices of the 

 seed coat are reached with ditficulty, if at all. Assuming this explana- 

 tion to be correct, it would appear that a different treatment should be 

 accorded wheat than that advocated for oats. Some preliminary treat- 

 ment should be given -nith the object of softening the seed coat, to such 

 an extent as to permit of the ready action of whatever disinfecting agency 

 it is desired to employ. With this idea in view a series of experiments 

 were undertalcen in which the seed, intended for treatment either with 

 formalin or hot water, was given a preliminary soaking in water at about 

 70 degrees F. The length of time in which the seed was allowed to soak 

 in water varied somewhat inversely to the time in which it was to be 

 treated in formalin and hot water. For example, in the formalin treat- 

 ments in which four lots of seed were treated, the first lot was soaked 

 a half hour in the water and two hours in the formalin solution, whereas 

 the fourth lot was soaked three hours in the water and only a quarter- 

 hour in the formalin solution. In the hot water treatment, somewhat the 

 same method was followed, except that a shorter period of treatment was 

 given. 



Germination tests were made of the treated seed in a Geneva germi- 

 nator. The treatment of the seeds and the data obtained from the germi- 

 nator tests which are presented in Tables IV and V, show that the forma- 

 lin treatments injured the viability of the seeds somewhat more than 

 that of the hot water. In neither case, however, was the seed appreciably 

 injured. 



