10 
of the fluid to the gallon of corn, and at the rate of an ounce to the 
gallon. No injury was done by the 1 percent solution applied in 
periods up to two hours, and the 2 percent solution was harmless up 
to 20 minutes. Two hours' soaking at the latter strength was in- 
jurious, giving a germination ratio of but 68 percent, and all the 
plants growing were more or less injured. The 5 percent solution 
did no harm when used for 5 or 10 minutes, but after 20 minutes' 
treatment only 78 percent of the kernels grew, while after 2 hours' 
treatment at this strength all the corn was dead. Even 5 minutes' use 
of a 10 percent solution proved injurious. Corn treated with the 
pure lysol at the rate of half an ounce to a gallon of the corn was 
uninjured, 92 out of 100 kernels of it germinating; but when this 
strength was doubled, the germination ratio fell to 72> percent. From 
these experiments we may infer that a 2 percent solution of lysol in 
water may be used to soak the seed if treatment be not continued 
over 10 minutes, and that half an ounce of the undiluted lysol may 
be stirred into a gallon of corn without risk of injury. 
Kainit. — The potash fertilizer known as kainit, which has some- 
times been reconmiended as a repellent to the corn root-aphis, was 
tested on 300 kernels divided into six lots. The total germination 
ratio was 90 percent. One lot, in which the planted seed was thickly 
covered with kainit, fell to 78 percent. 
Lime, Sulphur, and Salt. — Saturated solutions of either lime or 
salt were harmless to seed-corn soaked in them for 30 minutes or 
less, and 84 percent of the kernels germinated when planted after 
rolling in a plaster of wet salt, none of the plants showing injury. 
Simple powdered sulphur, 1 or 2 pounds to the bushel of corn, had 
no effect upon the seed, however it was applied ; neither did mixtures 
of lime, sulphur, and salt, or lime, sulphur, and blue vitriol, unless 
these were applied for more than an hour. After 2 hours' soaking 
in a solution of lime and sulphur (15 pounds of each to 50 gallons 
of water), seed-corn sprouted in a ratio of 80 percent, with an ap- 
pearance of injury to all the plants which grew. A ready-prepared 
solution of sulphur sold under the name of "Rex Dip" was variously 
used in the treatment of seed-corn, and in every case without notice- 
able effect on the germination of the seed until this had been soaked 
in it for more than an hour. Seven hundred kernels divided into four- 
teen lots of 50 each and soaked for periods varying from 5 minutes to 
an hour gave a general germination average of 96 percent, 4 percent 
more than the normal for untreated corn of this sample. Two hun- 
dred kernels planted in four lots of 50 each, and soaked for 2 hours, 
gave a ratio of 88 percent of kernels germinating. 
Chlorid of Lime. — Used in a saturated solution, or applied by 
rolling the kernels in a wet plaster, chlorid of lime was without effect 
on the sprouting of the seed or the growth of the plants. Two hun- 
dred kernels soaked for 5 to 30 minutes in the solution grew in a 
ratio of 98 percent, and 100 kernels rolled in a thin paste of the wet 
lime all grew. Dry chlorid mixed with the seed was also harmless 
to 50 kernels. 
