94 DISCUSSION ON SMUT IN WHEAT. 



destroyed by the ordinary process of pickling ; while too long- 

 soaking in even a weak solution raay cause premature 

 germination, resulting in a badly-rooted and unhealthy plant. 



Discussion. 



Me. E. M. Johnston said he had studied this matter 17 

 or 18 years ago, and had found that the same form of 

 fungoid growths prevailed in all these cases. At that time 

 he took occasion to make enquiries among the western 

 farmers as to the surroundings which usually proved most 

 favourable to the development of the pest, and the prevailing 

 opinion was that it was most prevalent in newly cleared 

 lands, adjoining forest lands, and that the further removed 

 the land was from the timber growth, the pest sensibly 

 decreased. Perhaps, in view of all this, it might be wise on 

 the part of farmers, when selecting seed wheat, to obtain it 

 from districts which were free, or almost free, from the 

 pest. 



Me. MauIcT directed attention to the fact that the Agri- 

 cultural Department of the Privy Council, Great Britain and 

 Ireland, issued reports by experts on all these subjects, and 

 that copies thereof were furnished to the Tasmanian 

 Parliamentary Library. These reports embraced works deal- 

 ing with the latest information, respecting both agriculture 

 and fruit culture, and he thought the fact was not generally 

 known that copies existed in the colony. 



Me. Waed called attention to the fact that sulphate of 

 copper contained a percentage of sulphate of iron, which 

 was a decidedly more powerful germicide than sulphate of 

 copper. It also appeared that the iron sulphate formed a 

 chemical compound with the cellulose portion of the coating 

 of grain. 



