PICKLING WITH FORMALIN.

Otago Witness, Issue 2928, 27 April 1910, Page 7

PICKLING WITH FORMALIN.

EXPERIMENTS IN VICTORIA. During the past season some attention has 'been given to experiments with recognised wheat pickles for the treatment of smut or bunt in wheat. The most important of these—formalin and blues-tone—have been tested side by side, not only as to their efficacy in the prevention of smut, but as regards their relative effect on the germination of the grain, which, of course, largely determines the relative yields of wheat. It has been shown by experiments carried out at Longerenong (Vic), where the seed was pickled for the purpose of demonstration in the presence of some 200 to 300 farmers, that the formalin treatment is not only as effective as bluestone in the prevention of smut, but is claimed to be a little superior. Upon the question of relative germination and conseauent yields of wheat from seed pickled with formalin and bluestone, the formalin is proved tc be superior to a marked degree. The results are expressed in the following extract from the principal's report of the Dookie Agricultural College and Longerenong Agricultural College for the past vear:—"This season the percentage of germination of wheats treated with bluestone or copper sulphate solution, compared with that of -wheat treated with formalin, was 66.03 per cent, to £6.63 per cent. The seed treated with formalin had the advantage to a considerable degree. With wheat pickled in a strong solution of bluestone, not only was the germination vary bad, but the growtn in the early part of the season was very poor." The increased yield of wheat from seedtreated with formalin, is shown in the following result, obtained from the plots sown down under the supervision of the. vegetable pathologist on 28th June, 1909: Formalin-treated seed, yield 16 bushels 281 b per acre; bluestone-treated seed, 15 bushels 211 b; increase due to formalin ve,i- acre, 1 bushel 71b. With regard to the convenience of treating the seed wheat, some important investigations were made to determine how long the seed wheat might be safely kept after pickling before' sown. The yield of wheat above alluded' to was obtained from seed sown (501 b per acre) 11 days after piekl'ing. The result of the tests goes to show that it is perfectly safe to bsep seed treated with either formalin or bluestone at least a fortnight before being sown, but that it would not be advisable on any account to keep seed for a peiriod of three months.