. = + 
2 a 
Black ears in wheat, barley, &c. arife from feed 
imperfectly ripened; and though fuch imperfect 
feed may fink in a {trong brine, yet have they not 
the vegetative principle fufficiently vigorous to per- 
fe&t their fpecies. Moft farmers are anxious to fow 
new feed; whereas, would they give the preference’ 
to feed of one or two years date, none but the heal- 
thy and ftrong would vegetate and grow, the feed 
that was imperfect rotting in the ground, or upon 
its {triking root, yet dying afterwards before the ear 
was formed; whereas in new feed, that is, of the 
laft harveft, the vegetative principle may be juft 
fufficiently ftrong to caufe the roots to ftrike, and 
the blade to grow, but not powerful enough for per- 
fecting the ear. Nothing contributes fo fatisfacto- 
rily to our knowledge as experiment, and reference 
to matter of fact. . 
I doubt not but, in this feafon, every obferver will 
find, both in his wheat and barley, ears of {mut or 
black powder, even though he has beenat the pains 
and expence of changing his feed, and procuring 
the beft the market afforded; and if this obferva- 
tion hold not in every diftrié, the good fortune of 
an efcape from the evil may be attributed to what 
has been advanced, the beft ripened corn might 
have been fown, a 
It is in every one’s recollection, that the grains of 
laft year were not in general good; the prevalence 
of a wet atmofphere at the time of blooming, de- 
froying 
