HXPERIMENTS ON THE SULPHUR-LIME TREAT: 
MENT FOR ONION SMUT.* 
F. A. SrrRINE AND F.. C. STEWART. 
SUMMARY. 
_ Where onions are grown extensively they often suffer from the 
attacks of smut, a fungus disease which kills the young seedlings 
or checks their growth. 
The chief methods of combating smut are: (1) Transplanting; 
(2) rotation of crops; (3) use of larger quantities of seed; (4) the 
application of sulphur and air-slaked lime in the drills. 
Transplanting is a certain and practical preventive, but there 
being considerable prejudice against it because of the labor 
involved, we undertook to develop Thaxter’s sulphur-lime treat- 
ment. Extensive field experiments have been conducted at 
Florida, N. Y., during the past five years. These experiments 
prove that the yield of onions on smutty land may be greatly 
increased by the application of 100 pounds of sulphur and 50 
pounds of air-slaked lime per acre in the drills at the time of sow- 
ing the seed. In several instances the yield has been. increased 
at the rate of more than 15,000 pounds per acre, as compared with 
untreated plats. 
Sulphur alone has considerable value as a preventive of smut, 
but seems more efficient when mixed with lime. It has been 
shown that the accumulation of sulphur in the soil in moderate 
quantity is not likely to be harmful. The sulphur and lime should 
not be applied broadcast, as they appear to have no effect upon 
the smut when applied in that way. 

*Reprint of Bulletin No..182, 
