5»4 
Journal of Agricultural Research 
Vol. XXI, No. 8 
HAMPER 
Sweet potatoes are often stored in bushel hampers, and it is sometimes 
convenient to use these as containers in making the treatments. Table 
VII gives the results obtained by treating a hamper in 7 gallons of solu¬ 
tion contained in a io-gallon stone jar. 
Table VII. —Percentage of mercuric chlorid removed from solution by treating a bushel 
hamper in 7 gallons of solution 
Length of treatment. 
Percentage 
of HgCla 
present in 
solution. 
Percentage 
of HgCI 2 
removed 
from 
solution. 
Control a . 
97-3 
96. 0 
5 minutes. 
10 minutes. 
1 • 3 
1.8 
30 minutes. 
95 - 5 
60 minutes. 
9 -. 1 
91. 8 
68. 8 
24 hours. 
5 - 5 
28.5 
a Solution unused. 
An examination of Table VII shows that the hamper likewise removed 
some of the mercury, although a proportionally much smaller amount 
than the sacks. Nevertheless, it is to a certain extent responsible for 
reducing the strength of the mercuric-chlorid solution in the commercial 
treatments. 
concrete 
Farmers sometimes use concrete tanks instead of barrels as containers 
for the disinfectant. In order to learn whether concrete will produce 
any change in the concentration of the mercuric-chlorid solution, the 
following experiment was conducted. Two concrete blocks, having a 
combined total area of 215 square inches and a weight of 9 pounds, with 
smooth surfaces except at one end, were immersed in 2 gallons of solu¬ 
tion. The changes in the concentration of the solution are shown in 
Table VIII. 
Table VIII. —Percentage of mercuric chlorid removed from solution by treating concrete 
blocks in 2 gallons of solution 
Length of treatment. 
Percentage 
elHgCL 
present in 
solution. 
Percentage 
of HgCls 
removed 
from 
solution. 
Control a . 
94. 2 
94. O 
94. O 
90. 7 
84. 4 
5 minutes. 
0. 2 
. 2 
3-5 
9.8 
10 minutes. 
2 hours. 
24 hours. 
a Solution unused. 
