June 9,1923 
Treating Seed to Destroy Spores 
859 
SUMMARY 
In various parts of the Orient there are several downy mildews (Sclero- 
spora spp.) that cause severely destructive diseases of maize. Yet it is 
desirable that seed of varieties with useful characters be imported even 
from such regions for experiment and breeding. This involves the 
danger of introducing these dreaded diseases into our own country by 
oospores adhering to the maize seed. Therefore such importations are 
grown in quarantine greenhouses to produce seed under constant obser¬ 
vation, a costly and time-consuming procedure. There is need of some 
method of seed treatment which with absolute certainty will destroy any 
oospores which may be adherent, and make possible immediate and 
unrestricted planting of the seed. Such a method not only must give 
conclusive visible evidence of destroying the resistant Sclerospora 
oospores which might be on the seed, but also must leave the viability 
of the seed unimpaired. The writer finds that treatment with sulphuric 
acid after preliminary wetting with alcohol successfully fulfills these 
requirements. Details of the method are given in this paper. 
LITERATURE CITED 
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(6) - 
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