no 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XL. No. 1.020 



aad the hyphse and spores have been found in 

 the cotyledons on the inside of the seed while 

 the«seeds were still in a dormant condition. So 

 far, no treatment has been reported which 

 will kill the fungus without killing the seed. 

 Our hot water treatment studies were made 

 with a view of determining whether or not the 

 fungus could be killed by hot water without 

 injuring the seed. Our results so far are 

 very encouraging and are considered to be of 

 sufficient importance to warrant publication 

 at this time of this preliminary statement. 



To begin with, we placed cotton seed in 

 water at different temperatures and for differ- 

 ent lengths of time and then germinated them 

 between blotters in the ordinary way in incu- 

 bators with a view of determining how high 

 a temperature cotton seed would stand with- 

 out injury. As a result of these tests we find 

 that cotton seed can remain in water at 70° 

 Centigrade for fifteen minutes without injur- 

 ing the germination. 50 per cent, of the seed 

 germinated that were allowed to stand in 

 water at 75° Centigrade for fifteen minutes. 

 In a few cases more than 50 per cent, of the 

 seed germinated that had been treated five 

 minutes at 80° Centigrade, but in the majority 

 of cases a very small per cent, of the seed 

 treated for five minutes or longer at 80° 

 germinated. 



The fact that cotton seed which had been 

 allowed to stand in water at 70° Centi- 

 grade for fifteen minutes germinated as 

 well as the untreated checks prompted us to 

 germinate a large number of treated seed 

 under sterile conditions and to examine the 

 seedlings for anthracnose. We used for this 

 purpose the method which has been in use in 

 this laboratory for the past four years for 

 testing seed for disease by germinating them 

 in sterile test tubes.^ These tests seem to 

 show conclusively that the fungous hyphse 

 and spores in the seed are killed when cotton 

 seed is allowed to remain in water at 70° 

 Centigrade for fifteen minutes and the germi- 

 nating power of the seed is not injured. An 

 average of 22 per cent, of the seedlings in 



1 Twenty-fourth annual report of the South 

 Carolina Experiment Station, page 43. 



the checks from the same lot of seed and ger- 

 minated under the same conditions were dis- 

 eased. We now have two fields on the college 

 farm planted with seed which were given this 

 treatment and so far there is no indication 

 of disease in the seedlings, while in the fields 

 planted with the same lot of seed but not 

 treated diseased seedlings are abundant. The 

 field tests wiU, of course, not be complete until 

 the end of the season when the plants are all 

 mature. 



H. W. Barre, 



W. B. AULL 



Clemson Collegk, S. C. 



TBE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY. IV 



WATER, SEWAGE AND SANITATION SECTION 



Edward Barton, Chairman 

 H. P. Corson, Secretary 

 A Sanitary Survey of White Biver: John C. Diggs. 

 During the summer of 1913 a sanitary survey was 

 conducted on the West Pork of White Eiver, an 

 Indiana stream 388 miles in length. A knowledge 

 of the condition of this river is of great impor- 

 tance because this stream is used as a public water 

 supply and means of sewage disposal for cities 

 whose population totals over 300,000. A great part 

 of the work was conducted from a floating labora- 

 tory, which served also as the living quarters of 

 the members of the surveying party. Private and 

 public water supplies of cities bordering the river 

 were also examined and sanitary surveys conducted 

 in towns visited. 



Hypofhetical Combinations in Beporting Water 



Analyses: Kichard B. Dole. 



Various common methods of making hypothetical 

 combinations were illustrated in order to show the 

 wide divergence of practise in America, and the 

 combinations were interpreted in order to show 

 the similarities and differences of opinion as to the 

 quality of a given water. The author emphasized 

 the advisability of distinguishing between the facts 

 of analysis and the opinions expressed as hypo- 

 thetical combinations. He also showed how the 

 value of water may be deduced from the ionic 

 statement without reference to hypothetical com- 

 binations and quoted the opinions expressed by 

 several authors and scientific associations as to the 

 advisability of reporting water analyses in ionie 

 form and omitting the report in hypothetical com- 

 binations in order that analyses by different chem- 



