69 
with the hot water a sufficient length of time to reach all the smut spores. 
Of formalin it may be said that, although it is a comparatively new 
fungicidal and germicidal agent, it has nevertheless been employed to 
quite an extent in the prevention of parasitic diseases. So far as known 
it was first employed in this State by the botanical department of the 
Agricultural Experiment Station at Purdue during the winter of 1895-96 
in the treatment of scabby potato tubers for the prevention of the scab*. 
The treated tubers were grown in the greenhouse, and the resultant 
crop gave such satisfactory results that more extensive trials were made 
in the open field during the season of 1896. The results of these trials 
have been reported in the bulletin already cited. 
Two experiment station bulletins are known to have been issued con- 
taining reports of trials with formalin for the prevention of wheat and 
oat smut. The first of these’ reports the use of formalin in the treatment 
of wheat and oats. The author found a solution of one pound to fifty 
gallons to be effective when the seed was given a two-hour treatment. 
The other bulletin’ referred to contains an account of the use of form- 
alin for the prevention of smut in oats. It was found that smut spores 
were destroyed by immersing the seed two hours in a 0.2 per cent. solution. 
In an experiment performed last summer by the Botanical Depart- 
ment of Purdue University and not yet reported, it was found that oats 
immersed ten minutes in a solution containing one pound of formalin to 
fifty gallons of water, only eight-tenth per cent. of smutted plants were 
produced as against over twelve per cent. in the untreated ones. 
A recent newspaper article’ contains a brief notice of some experi- 
ments with formalin by Prof. Thomas of Wabash College, in which he . 
found that oats treated half an hour in a one-half per cent. solution pro- 
duced plants entirely free from smut as against about six per cent. in the 
untreated ones. 
A few references have been found on the influence of formalin on the 
germination of the seed. Geuther® found that soaking the seed grain two 
hours ‘in a 0.1 per cent. solution did not injure its germination. In a 
4 Arthur, Ind. Agr. Exp. Sta. Bull., 65: 23, 1897. 
5 Bolley, North Dakota Exp. Sta. Bull., 27: 1897. 
® Close, N. Y. Agr. Sta. Bull., 131: 1897. 
7 Indianapolis News, Dee. 9, 1898. 
81.¢., 325-330. 
