II6 — Rev, Mr. KiRBY's Ob/ervations upon certain F ungi c 
to call it, than others, nothing fatisfa&ory can be deduced from 
fuch experiments as are tried in different fields, where the foil, 
' afpect, or mode of cultivation and management, might be different. 
Mr. Bryant's method of accounting for this diforder is certainly in- 
genious, but founded upon no arguments which can convince one 
' who is in fearch not of theories but of truth. That the practice of. 
dreffing the feed previous to fowing, in the way above mentioned, is 
a very effectual preventive of the Brand, will appear fufficiently evi- 
dent, when I proceed to lay before the Linnean Society the refult 
of fome experiments made by my ingenious and accurate friend - 
the Rev. Peter Lathbury, F. L.S. Upon my informing him that I 
. Was going to put together a few obfervations upon the fubject, he 
| very obligingly allowed me the ufe of his memorandum-book, which 
alfo related another very decifive experiment, upon a large fcale, 
made by a gentleman of his acquaintance. It was in confequence 
of reading Mr. Bryant's treatife that Mr. Lathbury- and this gentle- 
man made their experiments. To thefe I fhall add a few inftances, 
out of many, that have fallen within my own knowledge. 
Mr. Lathbury procured two finall parcels of wheat, one from a 
clean fample not at all infected by the Brand, and the other from 
one which it had much injured. Each parcel he divided into four 
equal portions, and prepared for fowing as follows, dreffing one por- 
tion from each parcel in the fame manner. The firt he wafhed 
carefully with fpring water, and wiped with a foft dry cloth. The 
next he dipped in ftrong white wine vinegar, and allowed to dry 
upon a fheet of writing paper. A third he covered with falt water 
taken from the river; and after letting it remain in it for twelve 
hours, he wiped it as the firft. The fourth portions were not dreffed 
at all. The wheat from the clean fample was planted on one fide of - 
his garden, and that from the branded one on another. When he 
fowed 
