24 



LABORATORY MANUAL IN FIELD CROPS 



PRACTICUM NO. 19 



Object. A Comparative 

 Study of the Methods of Treat- 

 ing Cereals for Bunt, Loose, 

 or Covered Smut. 



Materials. Seeds of oats 

 or wheat; copper sulphate 

 (blue vitriol) ; formalin (40% 

 solution of formaldehyde). 



Method. Immerse several 

 hundred seeds for ten minutes 

 in a solution of copper sul- 

 phate made in .the proportion 

 of one pound to five gallons 

 of water. 



Allow the seeds to drain in 

 a cloth or basket. 



Test duplicate samples of 

 treated and untreated seeds 

 in a germinator and tabu- 

 late the results as shown in 

 the form on the opposite 

 page. 



In a similar manner make a germination test of a sample 

 of the same seeds, which have been immersed for ten minutes 

 in water at 133 F. and quickly cooled by plunging into cold 

 water. 



Also make a germination test of seeds which have been 

 sprinkled with formalin, and kept in a closed box for 30 minutes, 

 or tightly covered with a cloth for 1 hour. 



SMUT ON OATS 



