43 
Concerning tbe action of sulphate of copper (bluestone) Mr. Jensen 
says that one-fourtli per cent, of this salt reduced the per cent, of 
smutted heads to such an extent that it might be considered practically 
sufficient. A part of the seed-crop was killed, however, and the croi> 
suffered not inconsiderably. With a 1 per cent, solution about three- 
fourths of the seed was killed, and a large number of plants remained 
without rootlets for two or three weeks. This lot was still green when 
all the others were almost ripe. The remaining experiments demon¬ 
strated beyond question that the seed in many cases was destroyed or its 
vitality was greatly injured by dressing with the preparations enumer¬ 
ated above; they moreover showed that disinfection by heat was the 
safest and most satisfactory way of treating the grain. The author con¬ 
cludes his remarks on this subject as follows: 
Dressing cereals with sulpliate of copper in tlie usual manner against smut and 
"bunt causes, as a rule, a waste of seed. It is, moreover, injurious to the plants and is 
unnecessary. Treating the seed with water heated to a temperature of 127° Fahr. for 
live miuutes prevents these diseases equally well and protects barley much better, 
while it has the advantage of not injuring the seed or the resulting crop.—B. T. Gal- 
LOWAY. 
Kellerman, W. A. Experiment Station, Kansas State Agricultural 
College. Bulletin Ko. 5, Dec., 18S8. Preliminary Report on Sor¬ 
ghum Blight. 
The paper describes the appearance of the disease, and gives briefly 
the results of the laboratory experiments, which were performed by W. 
T. Swingle. 
Plants were examined first with reference to the disease being caused 
by insects and the theory disproved. 
The most common and evident appearance of the disease is in large 
blotches on the leaves. The roots were examined and found to be dis¬ 
eased also, often to such an extent as to be entirely destroyed, and in 
this case the stem at the junction of the roots was also diseased; in other 
cases the stem was intact, except where it had been wounded. 
The microscopic examinations resulted in proving the disease to be 
the work of a micro-organism, the Bacillus sorghi , belonging to the group 
of Bacteria. The presence of the germ was demonstrated by the micro¬ 
scope, and the disease was produced on young and apparently healthy 
plants by inoculating them with a broth containing the organisms. 
Sorghum seed was planted at the same time in soil taken from a field 
of diseased plants and in soil from the greenhouse. The plants which 
were produced in the former were all badly diseased, and those in the 
latter not at all or only slightly. 
He concludes (1) that it is not wise to use a field in which the disease 
has been present even in a mild form the year before; (2) when the crop 
is infected, not even the stubble should be plowed under but collected 
and burned. 
