The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-02-28
Hot Water and DIuestOne Solutions
as Remedies for Smut in Wheat.


1t should be more generally known than
it is that bluestone, when used in very
strong solutions, destroys the vitality of
a portion of seeds soaked In il, says Mr.
H. Garman in bulletin 60 of the Kentucky
station. This effect of the solution is not
apparent except by comparison with UNI
treated seed, and hence the diminished
yield is not likely to be recognized on the
farm as the result of treatment While
this loss should be avoided If possible,
it is more than offset by the increase in
yield due to the prevention of smut, and
hence in spite of its defect buestone is
recommended everywhere as an effective
means of saving wheat from smut.
The common practice is to make up
solution by dissolving six pounds of blue
stone in four gallons of hot water, then
pouring this into a barrel and adding
enough water to make twenty gallons
The seed wheat is dipped in this in loose
bags care being taken that every seed
is wetted, then the surplus solution Is
drained out by resting the bag for a
brief time on sticks placed across the top
of the barrel, and finally the wheat is
poured out on a floor and busted with
air-slacked lime
If the wheat is TO be sprinkled 1t is
poured in a heap on barn floor and the
wheat being raked about at the same time
until all is wetted when it is busted with
lime as before and spread out to dry
Careful comparative tests of bluestone
solutions and of hot water as preventives
of smut show that hot water is quite as
effective in checking the disease and has
the advantage of not injurlng the sound
seed. When treating seed with hot wa
ter il is well to be provided with the fol-
A ~. -
A large kettle in which water can be heat
ed Three barrels
The water in the kettle is kept near the
boiling point, and the supply in it must be
replenished as fast as 1t is used. In the
first barrel keep ordinary water, and the
other two should be about two-thirds full
of water kept at a temperature of 131 de-
grees Fahrenheit.
First put bag of wheat in the barrel of
cool water and leave u until all the seeds
are moist. 1t may be left for half an hour,
or longer, but ordinarily two or three min
utes is sufficient. Drain out the surplus
cold water, then lmmerse for minute or
two In the second barrel, containing warm
water. The object of this is TO warm the
wheat so that it will not cool the water in
the third barrel. When warm, plunge
quickly in the third barrel and leave it in
! ten minutes. If the temperature shows a
disposition to fall below 131 degrees, add
a little hot water from the kettle until it
reaches the 131 mark again. 1t should nav-
er be allowed to fall below 1870 degrees, nor
go above 1874 degrees Fahrenheit. With a
good supply of hot water at hand, it is
very easy to regulate the temperature Ia
| the barrel, much easier than would be sup
posed by one who has not tried it, At the
end of fifteen minutes the wheat is re-
moved from the water and spread out to
dry. But it must never be spread out on
q floor upon which smutted wheat has
| lain. The convenience, cleanliness and
cheapness of this method of preventing
smut will certainly commend it to farmers,
and 1 have no doubt but that 1t will dis
place the use of blue stone in the course OF
time