REPORT OF THE ENTOMOLOGIST AND BO1ANIST. 195 
SESSIONAL PAPER No. 8a 
sulphate of copper had been tried successfully in England and France, it was deemed 
advisable to make similar experiments here. We should then be ina position to furnish 
information at first hand on this subject. 
The fields of the Experimental Farm being free from this weed, it became necessary 
to make the trials upon an adjoining farm, and for that purpose a field of barley was 
selected which showed a considerable amount of mustard. The size of the plot treated 
in each case was one-tenth of an acre, and the quantity of solution uniformly supplied 
to each area was 5 gallons, or at the rate of 50 gallons per acre. The date of spray- 
ing was June 26, the grain being 15 inches to 20 inches high, and the mustard 
practically the same height and just coming into flower. The chief data may be briefly 
stated as follows :— 
Sulphate of Iron, 5 per cent.—No effect upon barley. The leaves were practically 
all stripped from the stems of the mustard, but the weed was not killed, as evidenced by 
new leaves subsequently starting the plant flowering and the seed-pods filling out and 
maturing. The leafless stems were quite green a fortnight after the spraying, and were 
apparently furnishing nourishment to the seed. 
Sulphate of Iron, 10 per cent.—A slight scorching of some of the leaves of the 
barley was to be noticed. A fortnight after the spraying this was not discernible, and, 
though this spray may have slightly retarded growth, it is not probable that the yield of 
grain was affected. 
Though the effect upon the mustard was more pronounced than in the foregoing 
instance, as noticed by the ‘spotting’ on the stems, it was not sufficiently strong to 
prevent flowering and the ripening of the seeds, a large proportion of which proved, 
upon testing, to be vital. 
Sulphate of Copper, 2 per cent.— A certain amount of injury to the leaves of the 
barley resulted, evidently retarding growth to a somewhat greater degree than the 10 
per cent iron sulphate solution. At the end of two weeks, however, this effect had 
practically all disappeared, and it became doubtful if there were any permanent injury 
to the grain. The mustard very quickly showed the effect of the spraying, both the 
stems and the leaves dying without allowing the plant to seed. Two weeks after 
spraying, a few living mustard plants were found in the plot, but it is believed they had 
escaped the solution, owing to the height and overshadowing of the barley. 
Sulphate of Copper, 5 per cent.—This solution damaged the barley in a much more 
pronounced manner than the preceding solution ; in all probability it somewhat lessened 
the yield of grain, though, as the ground was very uneven in character, no comparative 
data on this point could be obtained. 
The mustard was all killed ; an inspection two weeks after the spraying did not 
reveal any living plants. 
In order to ascertain the effect of these solutions upon this weed at a younger stage 
of growth than that just reported upon, mustard seed was sown in rows in a plot 
upon the Experimental Farm. When the mustard plants had reached the height of 6 
to 9 inches they were sprayed as follows :—. 
July 20: Sulphate of Iron, 6 per cent.—Not all killed ; the few survivors pos- 
sessed green stems and in time sent out new leaves. It is extremely doubtful, however, 
if the plants will have sufficient strength to flower. 
Sulphate of Copper, 2 per cent.—All the plants died within a few days. 
July 22.—Further sprayings were made: Sulphate of Iron, 5 per cent. The stems 
were stripped of all their leaves, but in the course of a few weeks fresh leaves had 
appeared on many of the plants. Sulphate of Iron, 10 per cent: Though somewhat 
more severely attacked than by the 5 per cent solution, there was sufficient vigour left 
in many of the plants to send out new leaves after a few weeks, 
8a—134 
