'wfilcTj are Parafitics of the Wheat. irj 



fowcd the two undrefTed portions, before he covered the feed with 

 earth he fprinl<.led upon it feme Brand dufl:. The refult of his expe- 

 riment was, that the three firfl: portions of both forts which had 

 been piepared for fowing were very little injured by the Bianc)'. 

 Thofe which were from feed of the clean famplc had" only one ear 

 affeded, and that partially. Thofe froni the branded fample pro- 

 duced two ears that were partially branded, and three that were 

 afFcfted by the Smut or Dufl: Brand (Reiicu/aria fegetum). But the 

 produce of thofe portions which had been fprinkled with the duft 

 of the Pepper Brand was greatly injured by it, three-fourths of the 

 grain being deftroyed. There appeared no difference in the number , 

 of plants produced from each portion of the clean feed ; e\'ery grain 

 vegetated, except in one inftance, where it was evident that thofe 

 which perillied were deflroyed by an infect : but the number of 

 plants produced from the injured {ecd was various ; that which was 

 wafhed with water produced the greatefl number, and that wetted 

 with vinegar the fmallefl:. Mr. Lathbury, in the dreffing of the 

 feed for his experiment, does not appear to have ufed lime ; which I 

 lliould apprehend to be the moft efficacious preventive of the evil, 

 though at the fame time it may probably be mofl: deftruftive of the 

 feed. Thefe portions of wheat were fown at Orford on the 2crth of 

 September 1786. 



The other experiment was made in the neighbourhood of Wood- 

 bridge in the following year. I lliall give it in Mr. Lathbury 's 

 words : " Mr. John Woolnongh of Boyton, a moil intelligent and 

 excellent farmer, read Mr. Bryant's pamphlet, and, in confcquence 

 of his arguments, the next year fowcd a large field in alternate 

 breadths with wheat taken from a good fample (without drejjing) 

 and wheat that had been drelTcd in the ufual manner. Long before 

 th£ corn was ripe, the difference was molt diHinguilhable. U[)on 



tJbcfc 



