GKASSES OF IOWA. 261 



made at a trifling cost and the wire netting stretched over it. 

 This will allow the free passage of the water and at the same 

 time prevent the seed from passing out. A sack made of locsely 

 woven material — for instance a gunny sack — may be used 

 instead of the wire basket. In some respects a perforated tin 

 vessel is preferable to any of the above. It is important not 

 to fill the baskets or sacks completely, as the grain is wetted 

 more easily, drains better, and is more uniformly exposed to 

 the hot water when it can move about freely. It is also 

 important to have a volume of hot water at least six to eight 

 times as great as the capacity of the basket or sack; otherwise 

 the temperature varies too much. 



Copper sulphate. — This has long been used for the treatment 

 of oats smut and bunts. It is used in the following propor- 

 tions: Dissolve one pound of copper sulphate in twenty -four 

 gallons of water: immerse for twelve hours. After this immer- 

 sion Swingle recommends to place the seed for five minutes in 

 lime water made by slacking one pound of good lime and then 

 diluting to ten gallons with water. 



Corrosive sublimate — This well known disinfectant has been 

 recommenedby Bolley*for bunt, in the proportion of one pound 

 to fifty gallons of water. The following are the directions 

 given for applying this treatment: "Pile the wheat upon 

 the floor or upon a canvass and thoroughly sprinkle or spray 

 on the solution, while the grain is being constantly shoveled 

 over so that every grain becomes wet over its entire surface. 

 Do not use any more of the solution than necessary to do this, 

 as an excess is injurious to the seed. " The writer has found it 

 efficacious to prevent oats smut. It should be constantly 

 stirred, and care used not to use too much of the liquid; too 

 long contact greatly impairs germination. In this method 

 great care should be used, as the solution is very poisonous. 



The potassium sulphide treatment, as well as the hot water 

 method, show that there is an increase in the yield. Arthur 

 states that hinderel germination is due t) the liberation of 

 large quanties of diastase by the action of heat. 



RUSTS, OR UREDINE^. 



The term rust as applied to cereals is usually pretty well 

 understood by most people, though the term is often incorrectly 

 applied to many other fungi. The term is limited to a class of 



*Bun. North Dak. Agrl. Exp. Sta. 27 



