g64 DISEASES OF WHEAT. 



An alkali There can be little doubt but either of the iixed alkalis 



bly^haveUKT" ^^^^^ ^^^'^ ^^^^ ^^"^^ ell'ect as the lime; but as they are no<v 

 effect oflime. under trial, I do not venture to recommend them till I am 



certain of the. result. 

 Other diseases Althouj^h smut is the most destructive, yet there are other 

 o ^K eat. diseases incident to wheat, which are sufficiently injurious 

 tp deserve attention. 1 shall therefore take the liberty of 

 making a few observations on each of them. 



In the second edition of Adams's Essays on the Micro- 

 scope by Kanmacher a description of animalcular eels is 

 given, in what is there called blighted wheat. The grains 

 are said to be blackish, and contain a white soft substance^ 

 which separates into numerous filaments when put into wa- 

 ter. 

 Account of tlie Needham was the first who discovered, that each of these 

 eels in diseased filaments was a living creature. He sent some of the grains 

 eorn. to M. Folkes, Esq., at tliat time president of the Royal So- 



ciety, with an account of his discovery. They were deli- 

 Tered to Mr. Baker for examination, who after repeated 

 trials could discover no other motion than a separation of the 

 fibres or threads, which he imputed wholly to the elasticity 

 in them; and perceiving no token of life, after watching 

 them with due care and repeating the experiments, an ac- 

 count thereof was sent to Needham, who from his own trials 

 fmind out the cause of failure, and advised him to steep the 

 grains before he attempted to, open them. This method 

 proved successful ; and at different times after this Baker 

 made experiments with grains of the same parcel, without'' 

 being once disappointed. He soaked a couple of them in 

 water for the space of thirty-six hours, when, believing them 

 sufficiently moistened, he cut one open^, and applying some 

 pf the fibrous substance to the microscope in a drop of wa- 

 ter, it separated immediately, and presented multitudes of 

 the anguillulae without the least motion or sign of life ; but 

 being taught by experience, that they might notwithstand- 

 ing possibly revive, he left them about four hours, and then 

 examining them again, found much the greatest number 

 moving their extremities pretty briskly, and in an hour or 

 two more they appeared as lively as these creatures usually 



are. 



