'Rev. Mr. Kirby'j Obfcivallom upon certain Fnn^i. 1 13 



Diift Brand (^d). Here its ufual name is Smut or Burnt Corn. This 

 ipecics is common to wheat, oats, barley, and rye. I have alio fceu 

 Fejluca fuilans, and fome other graflfes, affected by it. It is fcent- 

 lefs, and confumes not only tlie farinaceous part of the grain, but 

 even the arillus and chaff, difperfing itfelf entirely before the corn is 

 cut; fo that the injury which it occafions is confined to the quan- 

 tity of grain deftroycd by it, which is not very great in any fcafon. 

 I have feen, more than once, half an ear of corn affected by this 

 Fungus, when the other half was found and good. Sometimes it 

 injures all the ffems that f'pring from the fame root; at other times 

 part of them efcape : I never could difcover any difeafed appear- 

 ance about tlie root. The ear is often affeftcd by this Reticularia be- 

 fore it emerges from the folium vagi/ians, or hoje. 



Barley and oats are more frequently attacked by it than wheat ; 

 but this may be accounted for by the latter being ufually drejed fov 

 fovv'ing. Mr. Lathbury examined the duft of this Fungus under a 

 powerful magnifier, and found that it confiffed of a number of mi- 

 nute particles, uniform in fliape and fize, much fmaller and blacker 

 than thofe of the Pepper Brand, and lefs cafily feparable : they 

 feemed to be contained in little irregular cells. This duft or feed is 

 the food of a fmall, ilaining, black Derme/les (e). 



The next fpecies that I flaall mention is what Mr. Bryant diflin- 

 guilfies by the name of Pepper Brand (/); with our farmers it is 

 fimply called Brand or Bladders. This fpecies does not eat through 

 the arillus, confuming only the farinaceous part of the grain. The 

 £ars affected by it are eafily difcovered by their external afpe6l ; for 

 the chaff opens, as if unnaturally diftended (g), the germen becomes 

 ihorter and rounder, and exhibits the appearance both of fwelling 



,((/) Bryant, p. 31. 54 — 56. {e) Denneftes atcr. Marftiara. (/) Bryant, p. 31. 

 ig) Bryant, p. 43. 



Vol. V, Q and 



