r BLIGHT IN CORN. 358 



probably returned inftead of being intercepted by the drying 

 of the upper joint; and to me it now appears to be a fair 

 conjecture, that what is generally called blighted corn, or What is cal!c4 

 thofe ears that produce fo many fhrivelled grains, and which f e em S 1o be'corit 

 we are called upon to feek a remedy for, is nothing more than prematurely 

 the effea of a practice of late much recommended, viz. *o rea P ed > from 



1 ... avarice or igno« 



reap early, a practice not only promoted by the Miller, who re ran ce. 

 eager for the new corn to come to market, but by the avarice 

 of the Farmer, who fears that by letting it ftand too long the 

 grain may fall in price, and reduce his profits; and, what is 

 ftill more unfortunate, by fome agricultural writers of great 

 reputation, who recommend it as (topping the progreis of 

 the ruff, forgetting that the fun only can effectually deftroy 

 that fuppofed evil, by well drying the ftraw. 



Far be it from the writer of thefe few remarks todifcourageft Is often ad- 

 any attempt at faving in a remarkably wet feafon, or in re-J^j* c oreap 

 markably wet fituations, wheat that has pafled the period 

 ufually productive of ripe corn. He knows that in cafes of 

 laid-wheat in fnady fituations, by reaping, it early, we may 

 apcelerate the ripening of that which other wife would not have 

 ripened at all, by the operation of turning and expofing the 

 (heaves to the fun, and fo make good faving crops ; but what 

 he wifhes to guard againft is, that eagernefs for putting in the 

 fickle originating in the motives before alledged ; for, reafon- Argument In 

 tng from analogy do we not always find, that in all other feeds ^"^1° aCC 

 that are to be gathered, thofe alone are plump, found, and 

 full of their proper flour, that are fuffered to receive the utmoft 

 influence of the fun while on the (talk ; and he always thought 

 many years ago, that we were in the habit of being too fearful 

 of the latter feafons ; it is true that late harvefts are expenfive 

 in collecting, but they are generally wcH matured, and the 

 inftanceof barley that may be well faved (for colour can have 

 little to do with the intrinfic value of grain) even as late as 

 November, proves the juflice of the obfervation ; fruit gather- 

 ed too foon, difappoints all views of profit or pleafure, and 

 we might, he thinks, as well attribute the flirivellrng of our 

 apples early gathered to the influence of the apple-tree mofs, 

 as the (hrivelling of our grains of wheat to a fuppofed blight 

 originating in the fungufes, that have of late fo much alarmed 

 the theoretical agriculturifts, and ceconomifts of our day. X> 



On 



