TREATMENTS OF SEED WHEAT FOE LOOSE SMUT 27 
penetration of heat to the center of the mass of wheat in a cotton 
sack was approximately four times that required for wheat in a 
burlap sack. 
Rapid penetration, even through burlap sacks, was obtained only 
by strong mechanical agitation of the water and when the sacks 
were placed in close proximity to the source of agitation. 
Reduction in the amount of agitation or removal of the sacks a 
short distance from the source of agitation greatly decreased the rate 
of penetration. These facts indicate that agitation of the sacks no 
doubt would be necessary, at least for a short time at the beginning 
of treatment until the temperature of the mass of sacked wheat 
reached the temperature of the treatment bath. 
Two kinds of machines may be had which could be used in com- 
bination to treat large quantities of wheat by the single-bath method 
and to dry the wheat so treated. Under our present system of seed 
treatment, however, the use of machines of these kinds would be 
impracticable, because they would be used only for a short period 
previous to sowing time and their efficiency would be greatly reduced 
by the need of treating many small seed lots and of keeping each of 
the lots separate. 
Single-bath treatments could not be employed at central or com- 
munity seed-treatment plants as usually equipped without material 
reduction in the daily output of the plants. The successful .adop- 
tion of these treatments therefore seems dependent upon the develop- 
ment of practical methods and machinery which will facilitate their 
application. 
Steam treatments were applied in an upright grain drier with a 
capacity of 2 bushels of wheat. Except in size, this machine is 
similar to the standard driers. 
With this machine the following results were obtained: (1) A 
saturated recirculating atmosphere was maintained in the drier at 
temperatures suitable for the treatment of seed wheat (46° to 49° 
C); (2) the temperatures were maintained with but slight varia- 
tion; (3) the only change necessary to obtain these conditions was 
the attachment of a return pipe to the outlet of the drier to provide 
for recirculation of the saturated air; (4) the seed was soaked for 
four hours before treatment with steam at a temperature of 46° to 
48° C. for periods of time ranging from one to five hours; and (5) in 
the experiments of a single year some of the treatments effectively 
controlled both loose smut and bunt without material injury to 
germination or reduction in yield. In some instances the yield of 
plants from treated seed was greater than that from untreated 
smutted seed. 
The application of steam treatments to large quantities of wheat 
would involve some difficulties not encountered in the foregoing 
experiments. 
The single-bath hot-water and steam treatments were studied only 
from the viewpoint of application at cooperative or community seed- 
treatment plants or at establishments handling large quantities of 
seed wheat. The application of these treatments involves the main- 
tenance of constant temperatures for relatively long periods of time, 
special equipment, and other factors which make them hardly prac- 
ticable of application by the individual farmer. 
