8 



lents. As this last point is especially important, and can be presented 

 briefly, it will be first discussed. 



THE BLOOMINGTON CANNING CO. EXPERIMENT 



As a consequence of newspaper statements concerning the valu- 

 able effects of our treatment of seed-corn with oil of lemon in 1906, 

 one of the farm managers of the Bloomington Canning Co.< called at 

 my office in the spring of 1907 for personal information and advice. 

 Upon a statement of the facts of our experience of the previous year, 

 he undertook an experimental planting in one of the company fields 

 near Normal, McLean county, the results of which, as given me July 

 1, by Mr. P. W'hitmer, the president of the canning company, showed 

 so serious an injur \- to the seed by the treatment that I sent to Normal 

 one of my most valued assistants, Mr. Jas. A. West, for an investiga- 

 tion of the facts and circumstances. The following is his character- 

 istically full and careful report, dated July 8, 1907. 



"The Canning Co. field was located three and a half to four miles 

 northwest of Bloomington on the east side of the L. E. & W. Railroad. 

 It contained sixty acres of (|uite level land. This field was planted 

 June 20, 21, and 22, 1907, by John Zook, with seed of 'Acme Ever- 

 green' corn — a very early and very tender variety. Under germination 

 tests 92 to 94 per cent of the kernels had grown. My information was 

 obtained from Andrew Lindblad, the head farmer. He was not in 

 the field when it was planted, but he says that John Zook, who did the 

 planting, is a perfectly reliable and very intelligent man. 



"Mr. Zook purchased May 17, 1907, of John Frey, a druggist at 

 Bloomington, one pound of oil of lemon ($2.50), one gallon of de- 

 natured alcohol (85 cents, including the jug), and a 'four-ounce' lit- 

 tle to be used as a measure. A subsequent test of this bottle showed 

 that it actually held six ounces. He mixed the oil and alcohol, June 20, 

 by pouring into a pint of the latter nearly all of the oil of lemon and 

 shaking the jug. The seed was measured with a half-gallon tin pail, 

 and treated, in a galvanized pan, by stirring into each gallon three 

 ounces of the alcohol and oil of lemon mixture, enough of the seed be- 

 ing treated each time to fill the two planter-boxes, which held two 

 gallons each. The boxes were filled alternately with treated and un- 

 treated seed, and this process was continued until about forty acres had 

 been planted, except that a strip thru the center of the field was 

 planted with six boxes full of untreated seed. 



"The unused remainder of the oil was given me; the jug in which 

 the oil and alcohol were mixed was seen; the iron pan in which the 

 mixing was done was large enough to permit the thoro stirring of 



