22 
BULLETIN 1383, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
of treatment was reckoned from the moment that steam was first 
applied. At definite intervals one or more bags were pulled out of 
the mass of grain and out of the drier by means of a string attached 
to the top of each bag and running to the outside of the drier through 
a small hole in the lid. The bags were removed from the drier while 
the lid was momentarily raised. The wheat was released from the 
bags immediately after treatment and spread in a thin layer to cool. 
Treated seed was left to dry five days or more at room temperatures, 
to reduce its moisture content to about that of the untreated seed. 
The post-treatment methods employed in making germination tests 
in soil, etc., were the same as used for seed treated with hot water. 
On account of the necessity for removing samples of wheat from the 
drier at successive intervals, as noted above, it was not possible to dry 
the grain in the machine. In practice this would involve cutting 
off the inflow of steam into the drier, substituting hot air as ordi- 
narily employed, and switching a damper to provide for circulation 
instead of recirculation of the air. No experiments were conducted 
to determine the highest temperatures which could be used with safety 
in drying treated wheat. In regard to the artificial drying of wheat 
treated with hot water, Humphrey and Potter (6) state "It will be 
safer not to use temperatures above 150° F. after the grain is surface 
dry. The grain itself should not reach a temperature above 140° F., 
and if the circulation of air is inadequate temperatures as low as 
110° F. will be injurious if long continued." 
Table 11. — Individual and average percentages of germination of three lots of 
Goens wheat from seed untreated or treated with steam, as specified, following a 
4-hour soak in cold water, at Arlington Experiment Farm in 1920 
Treatment of the seed 
Percentage of germination 
Kind and temperature 
Duration 
Lot 1 
Lot 4 
Lot 13 
Average 
Hours 
Minutes 
90.1 
92.6 
88.8 
85. 1 
87.7 
87.0 
79.6 
74.0 
85.1 
81.5 
88.9 
Treated: 
f 1 
1 
2 
2 
3 
3 
4 
4 
5 
88.2 
30 
88.8 1 87.2 
81.5 90.7 
81. 5 85. 1 
87.0 83.3 
85.2 
82.1 
At 47° C 
30 
83.9 
83.9 
30 
77. 7 1 72. 2 75. 9 
87. 1 77. 7 74. 
75.3 
79.6 
30 
67. 2 64. 8 
68.5 66.6 
74. ! 75. 9 
64. 8 74. 
62.9 61.1 
46. 2 44. 4 
85.1 : 70.3 
70. 3 77. 7 
64.8 
70.3 
77.7 
66.6 
53.7 
64.8 
83.3 
74.0 
59.0 
65.6 
68.5 
f 1 

75.9 
At 48° C 
1 
2 
2 
30 
68.5 
59.2 
30 
45 
51.8 
79.6 
At 49° C 
1 
1 
74.0 
30 
62.9 
64.8 
62.2 
EFFECTS OF STEAM TREATMENTS ON GERMINATION, EMERGENCE OF SEEDLINGS, 
SMUT CONTROL, AND YIELD 
Steam treatments were studied first in relation to germination. 
Three lots of Goens wheat (Nos. 1, 4, and 13) grown in 1920 were 
employed. Samples of each of the lots were treated during the 
period from November 9 to 12, 1920, at the temperatures and during 
the time periods specified in Table 11. The treated wheat was left 
