Dec. 1895.] 



INJURIOUS INSECTS AND FUNGI. 



327 



fungus may be materially checked, and the first is the avoidance 

 of seed-wheat among which there are any bunted grains, or the 

 least suspicion of bunt, in the sample. This can be detected by the 

 abnormal shape and colour of bunted grains. In many cases it 

 happens in bunted samples that the spores which have escaped 

 from the infected grains blacken the sound, and that they are 

 especially visible upon the downy tufts on the ends of the grains. 

 It is hardly necessary to say that grains so blackened should not 

 be used for seed. 



Seed-wheat in which there is the least trace of bunt should 

 be " pickled " or " dressed " before it is sown. Sulphate of 

 copper solutions have been proved to be efficacious if they are 

 applied properly. But merely to ladle these solutions over the 

 seed corn and to turn it over two or three times can hardly be said 

 to be a satisfactory and sufficient mode of " pickling " it, as every 

 part of the grains cannot be covered and saturated with the 

 solution applied in this perfunctory manner. The best way 

 of " blue-stoning " is to put the solution into a large tub — half 

 a wine-pipe, or a similarly deep tub — and to immerse the 

 seed corn, in a basket or bag, in it for five minutes. After 

 the seed corn is taken out of the solution it must be spread 

 upon a floor to dry, or upon old rick-cloths in the open air. 

 It should be dried quickly, particularly when it has been immersed 

 for a long time, and sown as soon as it will run in the drills. 

 For this brief immersion the solution should be strong, at the 

 rate of 1 lb. of sulphate of copper to 10 gallons of water. If it 

 is convenient and there is not a great quantity of seed to " blue- 

 stone/' it would be better to reduce the strength of the solu- 

 tion by using f lb. of sulphate of copper to 10 gallons of water 

 and to keep the seed-wheat in the solution for three quarters of 

 an hour. The basket or sack should be moved about in the 

 solution so that all the grain may be wetted. It is calculated 

 that 10 gallons of solution will " bluestone " about 7 bushels of 

 wheat. 



Another method of " blue-stoning " adopted to some extent in 

 France and America is to soak the seed wheat in a solution of 

 1 lb. of sulphate of copper to 25 gallons of water for 12 hours. 

 After this it is sometimes put into a solution made by slaking 

 1 lb. of lime in 10 gallons of water. Shallow tanks, or vats, are 

 necessary for this method. 



It is most important that in all solutions the sulphate of 

 copper should be thoroughly dissolved. If it is hung in a bag 

 in the water this object will soon be secured^ and there will be 

 no refuse, dirt, or undissolved particles in the solution. 



Bags with wide meshes, like gunny bags, may be used instead 

 of baskets. 



Salt, lime, sulphate of soda, and sulphate of potassium are 

 used for " pickling " wheat, but neither of them is as good as 

 sulphate of copper. There are also various compositions sold for 

 this purpose of moie or less value and efficacy. 



