AJlmple and effeBual Preparation of Seed- Corn. 1 1 

 fmut-balls. Here T ftopped ; anJ in my oun fmall praftiee 

 ufed fome of the {Irongly recommeadcd nofliinns that were 

 faid always to effecl a cure, and which apparently they did, 

 as I uniformlv ftceped the grain in rain water before I made 

 the addition of a difguftful fluid, or commixture of I know, 

 not what ftrauge fubll^nces. 



About two years fmce, I was cal'ed upon by an intelligent . 

 farmer (Roger Trefley) of Devonfliire, who conjidenUo.Uy. 

 (becaufc he had a fubfcription in view) laid this fimplc pro-'* 

 cefs before me. Ivyas immediately convijiecd, by comparing 

 what I had pra£lifed with the principle he advanced. 



I then repeated mv former expcriment«. I took a handful 

 of pure wheat, and blackened it, by rubbing in as much 

 finut-brand as I w^is able; after which, I divided this cor-' 

 rupted handful into two equal parts; retained oqe part with' 

 all its corrupt impregnation*, and llie ot'ncr part I well 

 cleanfed in water from its baneful particles : thcfe two parts 

 I again fubdivided into three portions each, two of which I. 

 dibbled in diflfcrent fituations, i-iz. a portion of the.puri; ai)d 

 impure, near to, but diftinclly fcparatcd iVom, each other; 

 twe other portions fome miles from the former two: and the 

 remaining two (the corrupted and the cleanfed) I couimitlcd 

 to the care of an accurate neighbour for his putting into the 

 ground, at which I was prefent, and witncfTcd the exailneiij 

 of the reparation. The products qf thefe feveral trials wore 

 uniformly the fame : the unwaflied was generally fmutty ; 

 the wafhed good in quality, one lingle fct exccpt^l. Thus 

 fully convinced, and confirmed in the efhcaey of the means 

 reconunended, I enjragcd the farmers of a certain parifh 

 (Baburgh) to advance me a guinea for Roger Treffcy's pub- 

 lication, aii'uring the principal occupier f, that he would ba 



convinced 



* 'VVholef:jiDe water has a tentlcncy tq promote vegetatifm, wliilc font'-- 

 of the fct-.cl and corrofivc fluids have a tetidcr.cy to duftroy its jiruici^lc j 

 in courfc, fome, perhaps much, of the feed pcrillici; in tl;c foil. 



f Tiiis .'".irmer had been fnbjefl many ycjirs to brand, notwith(l,m;!inw^ 

 his coafu-.nt ufc of faline and other fubftances : at Icnjjth 1:^ cliiinged thcfe 

 for a rcci-pc from a gentleman to whofe opinion he paid much deferi.ir:L ^ 

 but it proved, tiiat on tliis change he had more brand than beTi re . hi> 

 tl^cncp ifrfolvcfl to ufij \:<i ntorc' preparations, l)Vit brought all his fjod^ 

 C I vviicat 



