BUNT, OR STINKING SMUT, OF WHEAT. 
19 
In order to determine the possible virtue of any fungicide or 
fungicides as immunizing agents against infection from spores 
present in the soil, an experiment involving the use of several such 
preparations was conducted. The results are given in Table 15. 
Table 15. — Relative value of various treatments as immunizing agents in infested 
soil, at Pullman, Wash., in 1914.. 
[Soil inoculated on November 1, seed sown on November 3, 1914.] 
Plat. 
Seed treatment. 
Highly infested soil. Lightly infested soil, 
Plants Bunted Plan tc j Bunted 
; riants - heads/ -^ ants - heads. 
No 
1 
No 
2 : 
No 
3 i 
No 
1 
4 
No 
5 
No. 6 
No. 7 
No.8 i 
No. 9 
No 
10....; 
NO 
No 
11..:. 
12.... 
Immersed for 40 minutes in a solution of 1 part ; Per cent. 
commercial lime-sul'nhur to 20 parts water '■■ 45 61. 05 I 
Immersed for one-half minute in commercial lime- 
sulphur, full strength- dried 17S I 26 50! 
Copper sulphate: 1 pound to 1 gallon water: grain : 
sprinkled and dried ! 92 11.46 
Immersed for 20 minutes in 1 pound copper sulphate j 
and 1 pound salt to 5 gallons water 178 j . 37. 24 
Immers3d for 20 minutes in 1 pound copper sulphate ! 
to 5 gallons water , ■ 157 
Grain rolled dry in Bordeaux uowder \ 130 
Grain rolled damp in Bordeaux powder \ 104 
Corbin's Protector I 31 
Formal dehvde: 160 c. c. of a 1 to 240 solution: sprin- 
kled and dried ; 352 
Copper sulphate: 160 c. c. of a solution 1 pound to 
5 gallons water: sprinkled in open drill before : 
sowing j 325 
Lime worked into the soil 144 
Immersed for 30 minutes in a 1 to 240 solution of 
formal dehvde (control ) - - 339 
45. 15 
37.11 
39.34 
4.24 
71.09 
60. 82 
40.07 
55. 15 
39 
131 
80 
114 
132 
110 
133 
17 
324 
334 
339 
240 
Per cent. 
9.27 
2.50 

1.93 
3.82 
5.62 
10.19 
12.50 
26.91 
21.04 
24.55 
959 
Table 16 shows the results of sowing variously treated seed in 
summer fallow. There was no artificial infestation of either the 
soil or the seed; therefore, the bunt in the resulting crop was due 
to infection arising from wind-disseminated spores. The plats were 
in duplicate and were sown in early October. Check plats sown in 
soil from which any wind-disseminated spores had been removed by 
surface burning were all bunt free. 
Table 16. — Relative value of different methods of seed treatment for prevention of 
bunt in wheat sown on summer-fallowed land at Pullman, Wash., October, 1914- 
Number of plants. 
Seed treatment. 
Plat. 
Bunt 
free. 
Partly Wholly 
bunted, bunted. 
Formaldehyde solution, 1 to 240; 90-minute soak. . 
[t 
Copper sulphate, 1 pound to 1 gallon water: /A. 
sprinkled on seed. !.B . 
Copper sulphate + common salt. 1 pound each to fA. 
1 gallon water: sprinkled on seed. \B . 
Copper sulphate, 1 pound to 5 gallons water; 10- fA. 
minute soak. \B . 
Copper sulphate + common salt, 1 pound each to 5 fA . 
gallons water: 10-minute soak. \B . 
... 
Plants 
infected. 
Per cent. 
SI} 36 - 4 
13;0/ 13 - 8 
20.0 
27.5 
27.4 
21.8 
)* 
