404 Tlie Propagation and Prevention of Smut 
by several of my experiments with barley, in which all the 
externally adherent spores were killed, and yet the crop was 
more or less smutted. If we accept the view that the infection 
takes place in spring from the spores included by the husk, we 
shall arrive at the following conclusions : — 
1. The experiment mentioned above, in which the washed 
oats gave a slightly less proportion of diseased plants, may be 
accounted for by supposing the water entered the space between 
the kernel and the husk, and washed out some of the spores. 
2. If we remove the husk from oats, and apply spores of 
Z7. segetum to the kernel itself, we should expect the resultant 
plants to be smutted. During the summer of 1887 I performed 
this experiment. A quantity of oats was disinfected with 
warm water in the manner hereafter described. This was 
divided into four parts, each containing 100 oats. The treat- 
ment of each of these lots, and the results of the experiment 
regarding the smutted plants which were produced from them, 
were as follows : — 
No. 1. Husk removed, spores dusted on 
the bare kernel, gave . . ,33 ears, of which 4 were smutted. 
No. 2. Husk removed, no spores dusted on 
the bare kernel, gave ... 53 „ 0 „ 
No. 3. Husk not removed, spores dusted 
on the outside .... 50 „ 0 „ 
No. 4. Husk not removed, no spores 
applied 62 „ 0 „ 
The plants produced by the above seed did not thrive well, 
partly because they were injured by being bitten off by a stray 
horse. But it will be seen that only where the spores were 
applied to the bare kernel were any smutted plants produced, 
and then four ears were produced from two plants. The total 
number of plants is, however, too small to render the experi- 
ment conclusive. 
During the year 1888 I obtained satisfactory evidence that 
barley and oats become infected by smut from the spores of the 
fungus finding their way inside the husk (or glumellie), and not 
from the entrance of threads of spawn (mycelial hyphae) into 
the ovule. A quantity of oats was disinfected by immersion in 
water at 133" F. It was divided into two equal portions, from 
both of which the husk (glumellae) was removed. To one portion 
(A.) smut spores from an oat plant were applied to the bare 
kernels ; the other portion (B.) was planted without further treat- 
ment. The subjoined was the result : — 
A. produced ..... 21 per cent, smutted ears. 
B. „ ..... 0 „ „ 
