408 The Pi-opagation and Prevention of Smut 
During the year 1887 I conducted a series of experiments 
with these dressings, the results of which are appended in a 
tabular form. 
Results of Disinfection Experiments with Oats. 
a 
I\0, 
O '13 
■ u O, 
ce o 
sot- 
O O 
¥■5 g 
Estimation of quality of crop 
• 
Means of DisiDicction 
s'? " 
at the beginning of July. 
Per 
nutte 
the 
per 
Scale 1 to 5 
s. ° 
o 
\ 
36 
20 
o. V ery good 
o 
£t 
y p.c. sulphate of copper . 
X 
1 
5 
4. (jOoa 
•J 
O 
1 p.c. sulphate of copper 
0 
0 
1. Very bad 
A 
'x 
1 p.c. sulphate of copper 
with 4 p.c. quicklime . 
2 
? 
4^ Good, almost as good 
K 
o 
^ p.c. English sulphuric 
as No. 1 
13 
1 or 2 
4. Good 
c 
o 
1 p.c. English sulphuric 
2 
7 
O TIT— J— 1. — 
i. Moderate 
i 
1^ p.c. English sulphuric 
4 
7 
3. Moderate 
8 
\\ p.c. English sulphuric 
0 
0 
2. Bid 
0 
4 p.c. quicklime and 2 p.c. 
9 
4 
4. Gjod 
10 
Dry heat. 122° F. for 7 
36 
20 
4j. Good, almost as good 
11 
Dry heat. 129° F. for 7 
as No. 1. 
34 
? 
4§. Good, almost as good 
12 
Moist heat. 127° F. for 5 
as No. 1. 
0 
0 
3. Moderate 
13 
Warm water. 127° F. for 
1 
1 
1 
1 
5. Very good 
14 
Warm water. 133° F. for 
0 
0 
5. Very good 
Having found that the spores of smut lose their germinating 
power when they are placed for two or three minutes in water 
at a temperature of from 127° to 137° F., and that the seed- 
corn was uninjured by the treatment, I was led to think that 
this method would be a good and convenient one for preventing 
smut in these plants ; preferable to the disinfection of the seed- 
corn by the chemical agents enumerated above, all of which 
have some drawbacks. I also tried a number of experiments 
with moist and dry heat, although these methods were obviously 
less adapted for practical use even if they proved efficacious. 
The seed-oats employed in these experiments were taken from 
a field badly affected with smut, while the barley-seed was from 
a field in which three per cent, of the ears were diseased, 
