DISEASES OF WJIEAT. ^65 



&rei These grains were four years old at the time the exper 

 riuients were j^iiade. 



M. Roffredl sowed some of the grains, which sprung up; The diseased 

 but the ear was either wholly or in a great measure spoiled, g^^^'J ^aj"d\ad 

 being filled with these eels. He ^Iso found^hem in other the same kind 

 parts of the plant. In order to diseu^age which, it must ofanimalcula. 

 he soaked in water, and then compressed a little. At first 

 sight they seemed to resemble the foregoing; but a more 

 accurate inspection showed, that they were difiierent in struc- 

 ture, and much more lively than those which were procured 

 from the dried grain. They also increased ia size in a cer- . . 



tain proportion to the plant, so that at last they were ob- 

 served with great ease by the naked eye, being two teriths of 

 an inch long, and nearly one teiith in diameter. 



This disease, which i am informed is known by the name The disease is 

 of ear-cockle, or, in some parts of the country is called cockle cr ^***' 

 burnt-wheat from the appearance of the grains, claims parti- burnt wheat, 

 cular attention, as it is by no means uncommon, and never 

 fails to prove highly injurious. I saw a field of wheat the 

 present season, in which ears of this sort were so abundant, 

 that it could not be worth above one third of the value had 

 it been clean: and I have heard of several more. 



The cause seems to be either in the seed or in the soil, or inquirv re- 

 perhaps both contribute ; but it seems by no means to be speciing its 

 influenced by the weather. On a superficial view, the ears *^^^^*'^* 

 have much the appearance of those of smut, but on closer 

 examination are found to be very different. The grains, 

 before they are ripe, are t)f a dark olive green colour, not 

 exactly the shape of sound grains, and contain a white soft 

 matter, which does not fill them exactly. When at matu- 

 rity they are black, and by keeping become considerably- 

 harder than common wheat, and have much the appearance 

 as if they had been scorched. When they are opened in 

 this state, th6 black hard crust is found to be about one 

 third of their thickness, surrounding the white substance. 

 The white matter is the anguillula^, as mentioned before. 

 By viewing them with a magnifier before they are removed, 

 they have somewhat the appearance of very fine cotton fibres 

 coiled together, and no motion is perceptible amongst them. 

 But if a recent grain is opened, and a few of them taken 



out 



