400 
THE R U R.A. I- NEW-YORKER 
March 1 
Sterilizing Garden Seeds 
C AN you 
onions 
best to 
it hurt the 
afterwards? Is the 
or in the ground? 
tell me the best way to treat 
for smut? Is formalin the 
use, and how use it? Will 
seed by soaking in it. drying 
trouble in the seed 
c. w. H. 
Red Hook, N. Y. 
The use of formaldehyde as a seed ster¬ 
ilizing agent for the control of several 
of the grain smuts and potato scab is 
well known, and in many places a regu¬ 
lar part of the routine of planting these 
crops. The use of this disinfectant in 
the control of other seed-borne diseases 
of grain is of more recent development, 
and promises to be of great value, es¬ 
pecially where the soil is as yet free of 
the organisms infecting a certain crop, 
and whore, therefore, it is doubly desir¬ 
able that none be introduced with the 
seed which is sown. The question has 
now arisen whether or not a similar 
treatment of garden seeds would not be 
profitable. The immediate occasion for 
this inquiry is a case where onion smut 
is doing damage and the grower wishes 
to know if treating the seed with for¬ 
maldehyde will stop his trouble. 
Onion smut is a soil-borne and seed- 
borne disease, chiefly the former. The 
fungus lives in the soil and attacks the 
seedling while it is still very small. 
After the plantlct has grown to some size 
it is immune or practically so to at¬ 
tack. The control of the disease, then, 
involves merely tiding the young plant 
over this short susceptible period. One 
way is to transplant the seedlings or to 
use sets. Where this is impractical the 
best plan is to sterilize a portion of the 
soil at seeding time in and adjacent to 
the drill row, so that the earliest growth 
of the plantlet will be in soil free of in¬ 
fecting material. By the time the roots 
have penetrated to infected soil they will 
be capable of resisting the disease. Dilute 
a pint of commercial formaldehyde (40% 
solution) with 30 gallons of water and 
drill in the row at the rate of 125-150 
gallons per acre, or sprinkle over the un¬ 
covered seeds in the row until they are 
well moistened. In case the farm is free 
of the disease it is not necessary to apply 
the solution in the drill row, but all out¬ 
side onion seed used on the place should 
be treated in order to prevent the intro¬ 
duction of the disease. Dilute some for¬ 
maldehyde at the rate of a pint to 50 
gallons of water. Moisten the seed thor¬ 
oughly, but not wet enough to pack in 
the hand, with this solution; cover with 
coarse cloth or similar material to pre¬ 
vent drying; and leave for two hours, 
after which it may be planted at once or 
dried and kept until later. If but a small 
amount of seed is to be treated it may 
more conveniently be tied in a cheese¬ 
cloth bag and immersed 15 to 25 minutes 
in the solution, instead of moistening and 
covering with cloth. 
Another treatment for onion smut is to 
sow lime, or flowers of sulphur, or a mix¬ 
ture of both with the seed in the drill 
row. The formaldehyde solution is or¬ 
dinarily to be preferred, however. If 
the lime and sulphur mixture be used it 
can be made up in the proportion of 100 
pounds of flowers of sulphur to 50 pounds 
of air-slaked lime. 
Two other seed-borne diseases of gar¬ 
den crops are the anthracuose of beans 
and the anthracuose of peas. These dis¬ 
eases are usually treated by spraying, 
but for their thorough mastery certain 
supplementary measures are important, 
among which are rotation of crops and 
the use of clean seed. It has been shown 
that infected seed carries the disease 
over from one season to the next. In 
the selections of clean seed, however, it 
is not enough to select seed which merely 
appears to be clean, as many minute in¬ 
fectious are easily overlooked. The se¬ 
lections should be made in the field, or at 
least before shelling, and should be clean 
brans or peas from clean pods. If this 
method of selection cannot be followed or 
if seed be imported, a rigid selection of 
the shelled seed should be made, and fol¬ 
lowed by a treatment to kill stray spores. 
Treat as advised above for onion smut, 
using, however, a pint of formaldehyde 
to 30-40 gallons of water. 
The value of the formaldehyde treat¬ 
ment of garden seeds is thus seen not to 
be of great importance in the control of 
specific diseases. Most garden crop dis¬ 
eases are carried over chiefly by other 
means than the seed, although a good 
many of them are probably capable of be¬ 
ing thus introduced into a locality. The 
most promising use of the formaldehyde 
treatment of garden seeds lies, therefore, 
in its use as a preventive of the intro¬ 
duction of new diseases into a locality by 
means of the seed. Seed raisers are not 
more careful than they could be in the 
matter of rejecting diseased material as 
sources of seed. I was talking some time 
ago with a man who is familiar with the 
growing of tomato seed by one of the 
largest growers in the country. I learned 
that the tomatoes from which the seed 
are taken are made into ketchup, and 
that the only degree of decay in a toma¬ 
to which prevents its being used for 
seed is such a degree as prevents 
its being used for ketchup. It is 
true that the likelihood of disease 
introduction is small in this case, 
due to the method of harvesting the 
seed, but a formaldehyde treatment of 
the seed would make it still smaller. In 
the case of some other seeds, notably peas 
and beans, the danger is Certainly great¬ 
er, and the value of the treatment cor¬ 
respondingly larger. 
The measure of insurance secured by a 
treatment of garden seeds is thus suffi¬ 
cient to make its use advisable. Make 
a solution of formaldehyde of a pint to 
30 to 00 gallons of water, using the 
weaker solution for small seeds and the 
stronger ones for the large* seeds. Other¬ 
wise carry out the treatment as described 
for onion seed. The work involved may 
seem like a whole lot of puttering around 
for a small return; but the labor and 
cash cost are really small, and especially 
for the large grower, where the cost is 
distributed over a large crop, the re¬ 
turns will amply repay the outlay. 
C. A. LUDWIG. 
I 
Grafting Wax. 
WOULD like to know how to make 
good grafting wax, also a few point¬ 
ers on grafting. c. B. c. 
New York. 
Grafting wax may be purchased from 
any seedsman, but if preferred it may be 
made by melting together rosin, tallow 
and beeswax in the proportions of three 
parts rosin, three of beeswax and two of 
tallow. They may be applied in various 
ways. The wax may be applied when 
warm by using a brush, or may be spread 
thickly with a brush over sheets of mus¬ 
lin and this muslin cut up in strips of 
convenient size to apply. It is essen¬ 
tial that the wounds on the tree be thor¬ 
oughly covered with wax or the prepared 
cloth. 
Akciiitec- 
Jr. This 
The Art Of Landscape 
ture, by Samuel Parsons, 
book gives the underlying principles of 
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to the pres nit day. There are chapters 
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the work, laying out, grading, roads and 
paths, water lawns, plantations, fences, 
etc. The chapter on choice trees and 
shrubs will be very helpful to the planter. 
The book is handsomely bound and print¬ 
ed, and freely illustrated. Published by 
G. P. Putnam's Sons, New York; 347 
pages; price $3.50. 
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THE ROGERS & HUBBARD CO., Address Dept. A, Middletown, Conn. 
Office and Work*, Portland, Conn. 
DIBBLE S SEED FARMS ACRES 
The source 
of all that is 
in Farm Seeds 
or and 
betU‘1 
D P DDA II Northern Grown Alfalfa, Clov 
■ D. DflHflU Timothy Seed,*.19.60% Pure orl 
at wholesale prices direct to you. 
Best live kinds. 
Dent for crop anil 
$1.35 per bu. 
Best two varieties, with stiff straw, white, thin 
DIBBLE’S SEED CORN 
the silo. Average germination above 9»% and 
priced as low as . 
DIBBLE’S SEED OATS hulled, heavy grain, gQ cen | $ pe|> gy 
thoroughly recleaned, as low as 
DIBBLE’S SEED BARLEY ^ t . t : v : , .. ki . l : d . 8 :. a '!. lu ' v $1.25 per bu. 
ninni ccrn PllTflTflF? Pedigree Block, from selected seed,grown 
UIDDLC O OCtU rUlHIUCO by best modern methods, from fields yield 
ing from 200-600 bushels per acre. 29 varieties best early, 
intermediate and late. A few standard kinds as low as 
DIBBLE’S FARM SEED CATALOG 
samples of Dibble’s Farm Seeds Free. 
and ten 
Address 
Edward F. Dibble Seedgrower, Honeoye Falls, N.Y., Box B 
50c per bu. 
H EADQUARTERS for farm seeds 
DREERS191 
Garden 
BooK 
Contains gar¬ 
dening knowl¬ 
edge that is the 
result of practical 
experience, and cul¬ 
tural articles written 
by experts. 
It is full of informa¬ 
tion valuable to both 
amateur and professional 
gardeners. 
The list of worthy novel¬ 
ties and old favorites in both 
flowers and vegetables is com¬ 
plete and dependable. 
Especially noteworthy are the 
sections devoted to Roses, Dah¬ 
lias and Hardy Perennials. 
Mailed free if ijoi* mention this puhlicatiotu 
Dreer’s Superb Asters strains of 
finest varieties to r garden decoration or cut¬ 
ting. Packet of eight best colei's, con¬ 
taining enough seed to produce more than 
one hundred plants—ten cents per packet. 
Dreer’s Garden Book with each order. 
HENRY A. DREER 
714-716 Chestnut St., Phila. 
Gregorys Vegetables 
Hoffman’s Seed Book-Free 
OftVra hiVh £rad« seed—right from the farm to the 
Prices low. Qualities high. Return of weed allowed and 
money refunded with freight to dissatisfied customer*. 
P 1 ! AlfalTa—Field Peas and Beans—Vetches— 
* I-iIVu Corn—Oats—Spring Rye, Wheat and Bariev 
SEED POTATOES m,u "a ^^,«T ,sfcS8 
Till. Book—linelj- illustrated—lull of Infoi mstion—Is fres—hut 
Sd ,m“ A. H H0ff»a«, Undisville, Urn. C... fi. 
BETHEL BEAUTY SEED POTATOES 
Grown under field inspection; recommended and certi¬ 
fied by Maine Dep’t of Agriculture and Maine Seed Im 
provement Ass’n.: also standard varieties. Prices low. 
To introduce our four new quality varieties : Bethel 
Beauty. Dibble’s Russet, World's Fair and F.urcku Earlv, 
all fine ylelders, will ship 1 bbl. *4.00, l bu. *1.50, \ 
bu. *1.00. Each package containing the four varieties. 
I L. WAKE, ... Gardiner, Maine 
POTATOFS e r0WM from selected seed. Sir 
Walter Raleigh, Late Rambler, 
also Red Potatoes, 65c bu., 10 bu. $5.00. Sacks free 
Powdery scab unheard of here. Also 1st class seed 
oats. Geo. 1,. Cooper, Lyndonville, N. V. 
LOWELL’S SELECTED SEED POTATOES 
Lowell Green Mountain, Dibble's Russet, Early Eu¬ 
reka. Clyde, Sir Walter Raleigh, Early Surprise. 82.26 
per bbl.j 5 bbls. *10. FRANK LOWELL S SONS. GAR0INER, ME. 
Green Mountain Seed Potatoes ?OR SALE 
Grown. Fine condition. 
Long Island 
Wellington Farm, Coram, L. I. 
PURE FIELD SEEDS 
Clover, Timothy. Alsike, Alfalfa and all kinds of 
PUKE FIELD SEEDS direct from producer to con* 
sinner; free from noxious weeds. Ask for samples 
A. C. HOYT & CO., Box R, Fostoria, O. 
Seed Gorn 
iatth^ 
[E FAIR 
You will win by growing these sorts: 
5 large packets choicest « . 
seeds postpaid for . . . I ISC) 
Gregory's Improved 
Crosby Been LucuilusKwittsChurd 
forGreens; Sugar I.oaf Lettuce, a 
dandy; Extra Early ScarletGlobe 
Radish; Gregory’s Victor Sq u ush , 
Fine Catalog Free 
Describes the very best reliable 
sorts of vegetables, field and 
flower seeds. Illustrated with 
“true-to-nature” pictures. 
Gives honest prices forhonost 
seeds. Write for copy today. 
J. J. H. Gregory & Son 
236 Elm St., Marblehead, Mass. 
FOR SALE 
Cow Peas, $2.50 bushel; Soy Beans. $2.50 bushel; 
Crimson Clover Seed. $6 bushel: Red Clover Seed, 
$9.50 bushel; Bean Screenings. $10 ton: Oat Flakes. 
$60 ton. Joseph K. Holland, .Milford, Delaware 
Extra selec¬ 
ted, sure to 
grow. 20 
- - Leading va¬ 
rieties. Highest y lelders. Best show corn. Also seed oats, barley, 
alfalfa and potatoes. 1200 acres. Sample on request. Writo today 
ar catalog. W. N. HCAKFF, New Carlisle. Ohio 
5,000 
Bushels 
SWEET 
CLOVER 
SKKD. White and large biennial 
yellow. Prices and circular on 
leanest. E. BARTON, Box 
29, - Falmouth, Kentucky 
O NIO N S E E D-S?‘„ Ho 
J. E. Quirk, - - North Madison, O. 
ft OVFR ( 1ireet and save money. 
We f> re p ay the freight. 
Glicks .Seed Farms, Box 23, Smoke town, Pa. 
H ORSE RADISH PLANTINGS—Bohemian variety—40c per 
100; $3 per 1,000. I S WI NFREE. R. 3, Salisbury, Md. 
8ee<1 Gorn, *2 per bu. Johnson Co. 
I %5afi8»S2slBB®White & Ohio 90-Day, Reid’s Yellow Dent. 
! Big Ensilage Corn. J. Dunlap. Bor 441, William,port. O. 
F OR SALE-Extra choice PA LAIKTTO ASPARA¬ 
GUS ROOTS. A. tj Kunkel, Lisburn, Pa 
Handy 
Binder 
TEST the thing for pr*- 
** serving files of Th* 
Rural New-Yorker. Dura¬ 
ble and cheap. Sent post¬ 
paid for 25 cents. 
The Rural New-Yorker, 
333 W. 30th St., N. Y. City. 
