Field. Exfcrinicnts. 129 



CHAPTER XXI. 



Field Experiments during Season 1909. 



The most appropriate place to give an account of the experiments just 

 completed for 1909, seemed to be at the close of a general study of the Smuts, 

 and before entering upon the consideration of their classification. There 

 were various questions of a practical nature which arose in connection with the 

 treatment and behaviour of the cereal smuts, and these required an answer, 

 even although that answer in many cases could only be fully and finally given 

 after further and continued experiment. A general idea of some of these may 

 be briefly given. 



There were several preparations on the market for the treatment of smut 

 and other diseases, and it became necessary to test them in comparison with 

 such recognised substances as bluestone and formalin. 



Then it was desirable to know how far the different species and sub-species 

 of Triticum were liable to bunt, so that in crossing there might be some guide 

 as to those which were most immune under our conditions. 



Again, a number of the crosses made by Mr. Pye at Dookie Agricultural 

 College, with Medeah blood in them, seemed to resist the bunt there better 

 than many others, and various selections were chosen for trial to see how far 

 this resistance to bunt was a hereditary quality. Of course, these experi- 

 ments will require to be continued in order to settle the point satisfactorily. 



There were also some doubts as to the relative virulence of the disease of 

 Flag Smut of wheat when the seed was sowai in clean ground with the spores 

 of the fungus upon it, and when clean seed was sown in ground containing the 

 diseased straw from a previous crop. 



And finally, there were a number of previous experiments which required 

 to be repeated in order to see the effect on the result of different weather 

 conditions. From the exti-nt and variety of these experiments it was only 

 convenient to use small plots, and while the actual results obtained wnll re- 

 quire corroboration on a larger scale, still the relative results are of consider- 

 able value, as indicating at least in what direction the truth lies. The in- 

 formation obtained can generally be put in the form of Tables which will 

 show at a glance the essential points determined. 



A Comparison op Various Fungicides for Bunt. 

 A sample of the powder known as " Fungusine " was supplied to us for 

 trial, and the chemist for Agriculture reported after analysis that the sub- 

 stance consisted principally of ordinary burnt lime, white arsenic, and crude 

 phenyl. This preparation was used, as well as phenol, and a comparison was 

 made between these two substances and bluestone and formalin respectively 

 as smut preventives. A variety of wheat from Tasmania was chosen for 

 treatment, naturally infected as it came from the machine, and it Avas cer- 

 tainly as smutty a sample as had ever come under my notice. The seed 

 wheat was all treated at the same time and sown on the same day (28th June) 

 in grountl which was as nearly as possible equal throughout. The formalin 

 and bluestone were used as already recommended, while the fungusine was 

 applied to the seed according to the instructions given, and the phenol was a 

 2 per cent, solution. 500 grains were sown in each plot, arranged in rows of 

 100 each, and the results were taken on 3()th December, when the wheat was 

 fully ripe. 



1S5S. F 



