Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1890-10-30
WHEAT SMUT.
Best Method of Treating II with Hot
Water.

Water.
The hot water treatment, when prop
erly carried out, is quite effectual It
is as good, says Farm and Home, as the
copper sulphate solution without injur-
ing the seed, as the latter often does
This hot water treatment consists in
immersing the the seed infected with
smut for a few minutes in scalding
water. The water must be hot enough
to kill the smut spores, but the INNER
sion must not be long enough to in]ure
the germ within the seed-coats. If the
water is at a temperature of 1872 degrees
F., the spores will be killed, and vet
the immersion, if not con tinued beyond
fifteen minutes, will not injure the
seed. The smut spores may possibly
be killed by ten minutes immersion,
but fifteen IS recommended. The tenn
perature of the water must vary but
little from 132 degrees, in no case rising
higher than 1S5 degrees, nor falling be-
low 100 degrees. TO preserve these
conditions when treating large quanti-
ties of seed, the following suggestions
are offered: Provide two large vessels,
as two kettles over fire, or boilers on
a cook stove. the first containing warm
water at ITO degrees to 120 degrees and
the second scalding water at 1872 degrees.
The first is to warm the seed prepare
tory to dipping it into the second I'm
less this is done it will be difficult to
keep the water in the second vessel at
the proper temperature. The seed TO
be treated must be first placed in bar
rel, or other large vessel filled with
water, and stirred until all the grains
are wet The smutty and imperfect
xx,s1 - 49,
skinned off. The grain may remain in
the water from fifteen to thirty min
utes. Then it must be removed and
placed, half bushel at time, in a YES
sci that will allow free entrance and
exit Of water on all Sides For this
purpose bushel basket made of heavy
wire can be used, over which stretch
wire netting, say twelve meshes to the
inch; or an iron frame could be made at
a trifiing cost, over which the wire
netting could be stretched. This would
allow the water to pass freely, and yet
prevent the passage of the seed. A
gunny bag sack might be used instead
of the wire basket if more convenient
Now dip the basket of seed in the
first vessel. After a moment lift it,
and when the water has mostly escaped.
plunge it into the water again, repeat
ing the operation several times. The
object of the lifting and plunging, to
which might be added also rotary mo-
ton, is to bring every grain in contact
with hot water. Less than a minute is
required for this preparatory treatment,
after which plunge the basket of seed
into the second vessel. If the Their
mometer indicates that the water is
growing cooler, pour in hot water until
it is at 1872 degrees again. If it should
rise higher than 1872 degrees, add small
quantities of cold water. This is the
most eHectual method of keeping the
proper temperature, and requires only
the addition of two small vessels-one
for cold and the other for boiling water
The basket of seed should, soon after
its immersion, be lifted, and then
plunged and agitated in the manner de-
scribed above, and the operation re-
peated from eight to ten times during
the immersion, which should be con-
tinued fifteen minutes. In this way
every part of the seed will be subjected
to the action of the scalding water.
Immediately after its removal dash
cold water over it or plunge into cold
water, and then spread it out to dry.
Treat another lot in the same way until
all the seed has been disposed Of In
this way the following precaution
should be observed: Keep the water at
132 degrees f. Don't let it rise higher
than 135 degrees nor below $50 degrees
This is not difficult if a thermometer
and hot and cold water are kept handy.
See that the amount of scalding water
is much greater, at least six or eight
times, than of the seed put in it and
never fill the basket so full of seed as
to prevent the free movement of the
grain in the water. This method was
originated by J. L. Jensen, of Den
mark.