2g3 DISEASES OF WHEAT. 



bunch, and those which arrive last use every exertion to bury 

 theniHelves amongst their companions. ' "* 



Many other particuhirs velutin<^ to them mi^ht be stated^l 

 but as the subject seems not to lead to any purpose of uti* 

 lity, 1 shall close this account of them by mentioning two 

 facts, which may be of advantage to be known. — They are 

 instantly kilfed by adding' a few drops of limewater to the 

 water coritaining them. And if the entire grains are steeped 

 in limewater from twelve to ttveuty-four hours, the anguillulee 

 they contain are incapable of being revived, either by placing 

 them in fresh ivater^ or by any other means. The evident 

 inference from these facts is, that the same preparation^ 

 \vhich has been recommended for the prevention of smut will 

 also prove effectual for ear-cockle. 

 The great va- An experimental inquiry into the nature, causes, and cure 



lue ai.d im- ^f the diseases c/f corn won hi prove a valuable acquis" tiori ; in-^ 

 ponance of in- , , ., . . . - ■, • i • ^ . i 



quiries into the ^^^^ it is surprising, considermg the impo:tHnce of the sub- 

 diseases of ject, that notliing of thit:^ kind has been attempted. Sir Joseph 

 Banks, in his Short Account of the Cause of the Disease in, 

 Com called by Farmers the Blight, &c., published in the be- 

 ginning of 1805, presumes, that the want of actual observa- 

 tion will be abundantly supplied by those, "whose leisure and 

 residence in ihecountry enable them to examine, not only 

 the progress of the crops, but the origin and advances also 

 of all those obstacles which nature has opposed to the suc- 

 cess of agricultural labours.'' We have still to regret, that 

 the expectations of that justly celebrated philosopher have 

 been hitherto disappointed ; for 1 believe little or nothing 

 has been given to the public on the subject since that timie. 

 Two species of From the few observations 1 have been able to make on 

 funjii in the the blight, it appears, that the parasitic fungi which occa- 

 " sion it are of several difl'erent species, and that none of them 



are particular!}" injuiious, except the dark coloured, such as 

 that which destroyed the crops in 1804. I was never able 

 to discover, that the orange coloured, which appears early 

 in the summer, was the dark coloured in an immature state. 

 the yellow and On the contrary, I have always found them ditlerent ; the 

 the dark. yellow changing to a dirty ash colour as it approached to 



decay, and the dark coloured continuing unchanged from' 

 its first appearance. In tlie summer of last year I carefully 



examined 



