556 GRAIN SMUTS. 



degrees, add a little cold water. In all cases the water should be wiell 

 stirred whenever any of a different temperature is added. The basket 

 of seed should very shortly after its immersion be lifted and drained, 

 and then plunged and agitated in the manner described above. This 

 operation should be repeated six or eight times during the immersion, 

 which should be continued ten minutes. In this way every portion of 

 the seed will be subjected to the action of the scalding water. In 

 practice it will be found best to have a man or boy devote his whole 

 time to keeping the temperature at the right point, adding a little hot 

 water if it falls below 132 degrees and a little cold water if it gets 

 above 133 degrees F. Another man should handle the grain and 

 immerse and drain the portion being treated as directed above. After 

 removing the grain from the scalding water, spread on a clean floor or 

 piece of canvas to dry. The layer of grain should not be over three 

 inches thick. If it cannot be spread out at once, dip in cold water 

 and set to one side until it can be attended to. It dries better if 

 spread while still hot. Another portion of grain can then be treated, 

 and so on until all the seed has been disinfected. Directions for dry- 

 ing the seed will be given further on. 



The important precautions to be taken are as follows: (i) Maintain 

 the proper temperature of the water (132 degrees or 133 degrees F.), 

 in no case allow it to rise higher than 135 degrees or fall below 130 

 degrees; (2) see that the volume of scalding water is much greater (at 

 least six or eight times) than that of the seed treated at any one time; 

 (3) never fill the basket or sack containing the seed entirely full, but 

 always leave room for the grain to move about freely; (4) leave the 

 seed in the second vessel of water ten minutes. 



COPPER-SULPHATE TREATMENT FOR STINKING SMUT OF WHEAT. 



This consists in immersing the seed wheat twelve hours in a solution 

 made by dissolving one pound of commercial copper sulphate in twenty- 

 four gallons of water, and then putting the seed for five or ten minutes 

 into limewater made by slaking one pound of good lime in ten gallons 

 of water. The treatment is cheap, easily applied, and very effective. 



DRYING THE TREATED SEED. 



All of the seed treatments leave the seed wet and necessitate drying 

 before planting. The grain should be spread in a layer two or three 

 inches deep, and should be shoveled over twice or three times a day. 



