27 



STEEPS FOB SEED. 



Opinions as to serviceableness or unserviceableness of damping or dressing 

 seed before sowing, and notes regarding experiments with turpentine, 

 paraffin oil; oil and petroleum (observations of the use of crystal oil, 

 with sulphur dusted afterwards, on the seed, and of carbolic powder 

 with sulphur and soot drilled with the seed, are given in the tables of 

 returns fro m Herefordshire] . 



Some farmers damp the seed before sowing with turpentine, 

 paraffin oil, or other strong- smelling fluid, or mix the seed with various 

 powders; but none of these measures seem to have much effect in 

 stopping the ravages of the little pest. (W. H.) 



1 have tried dressing the seed with turpentine, but cannot say 

 positively with any decided effect. (F. S.) 



Mottisfont, Komsey. Having heard at Eomsey Market, and again 

 at Andover Market, that, by the application of spirits of turpentine to 

 Turnip and Swede seed, the parties using it had secured a good plant 

 of those roots for several consecutive years, I tried the experiment 

 myself on nine acres. On June llth, 1881, twenty-seven pounds of 

 what proved to be a mixture of Swede and Turnip seed was placed in 

 two galvanised buckets, and four ounces of spirits of turpentine was 

 poured into each, the seed being then turned thoroughly many times. 

 Three days after (June 14th) the seeds were drilled at the rate of three 

 pounds per acre, together with a mixture of screened chalk and sand 

 at the rate of fifty bushels per acre. The seeds germinated well and 

 quickly, and the plants certainly were free of the Turnip Flea for the 

 first two or three days after coming up. After these first few days of 

 freedom the flea appeared in very great numbers on the leaves, and 

 attacked them heartily, but the Turnips and Swedes grew away from 

 them. On June 27th flat-hoeing between the drills was begun in this 

 piece, horse-hoeing on July 9th, and on July llth we commenced 

 singling out the plants. The result gives a very good piece of roots 

 throughout the nine acres. Kightly or wrongly, I attach great im- 

 portance to the fact of my having used spirits of turpentine, and 

 I intend to continue the practice. (G. A.) 



Dressing the seed before sowing with pure paraffin oil has been 

 found to have a good effect in preventing attack of fly and hastening 

 growth of young seedlings. (F. M.) 



A second sowing of Swedes at Langleybury, Herts, steeped in 

 paraffin oil was a good plant, but the flea-beetle took them in patches 

 on the highest ground, which was a little foul at the breaking up. 

 -(A. S.) 



I have tried steeping the seed in oil, &c., and, although I found 



