[Ch. X STEEPING. 161 



' Hessian,' and ' American weevil,' or any of their numerous varieties — are 

 the most dangerous ; but although learnedly treated of by naturalists, 

 they have furnished no means of either prevention or cure. Receipts with- 

 out number liave indeed been published, with a view to ensure their destruc- 

 tion, but of these not one has proved efficacious*. The only modes which 

 can be safely relied upon, are therefore those of preserving a free circulation 

 of air in the granary where the corn is deposited, and frequently screening 

 it, so as to stir the lieaps, and impede tlie growth of the larviE ; and these, 

 being within the reach of every farmer, should never be neglected. 



STEEPING. 



Wheat requires more care in the choice and preparation of the seed than 

 any other species of grain : not only, therefore, should great attention be 

 paid to its quality, but it should be completely screened and sifted, in order 

 to free it as far as possible from the seeds of weeds ; and it should be after- 

 wards steeped, to destroy the larvae of insects and the germ of smut and 

 other diseases to which it is subject. Although this has been very uni- 

 versally practised, and a great variety of steeps have been invented, yet 

 their infallibility has never been decisively proved ; for many of those 

 farmers who have been the most constant and regular steepers have never- 

 theless reaped smutty crops. This, however, should not decry their use, 

 which is merely to purify the seed, and extends no further ; for it cannot 

 prevent any second infection. 



Among the various washes which have been recommended, those most 

 generally used are either stale urine, or a brine made of salt and water 

 sufficiently strong to buoy up an es^g. In either of these the corn is 

 steeped, in tubs containing enough of the liquid to be a few inches 

 higher, and to allow it to be well stirred, so as to bring the light grains 

 to the surface, from whence they are skimmed off so long as they con- 

 tinue to rise; or, it is put into baskets having two handles each, which 

 are immersed in the tubs, and can thus be conveniently taken out and 

 placed over an empty tub to drain off the liquid. The seed is then left 

 for three or four hours in the chamber-lye, or for full six hours if in the 

 pickle; after which the liquor is drawn off, and the wheat is spread thinly 

 on the floor of the barn or granary, where it is well sprinkled with sifted 

 quick-lime fresh from the kiln, which has been recently slaked with a small 

 quantitv of the liquor. About half a peck of lime is sufficient for a bushel 

 of wheat, and it should be carefully stirred, that every grain may receive a 

 portion ; but if the seed is to be drilled, it should be passed through a coarse 

 sieve, after being limed, to facilitate its passage through the machine. The 

 grain will thus be quickly dried, but it should not be left longer than six 

 hours in the heap; after which it should be spread open and used the 

 following day. Some caution is requisite in the use of the lime ; for if not 

 properly slaked, so great a degree of heat might be raised as to destroy its 



* The weevil ileposlts its eps^s, or larvre, probably during various periods of the 

 summer aiul autumn, and the progenj^ are brought to life in the course of the following 

 year. In hot climates, the devastations which Ihey occasion are so serious, that whole 

 cargoes of wheat are frequently devoured by them ; and, in the granaries of Lisbon, we 

 have seen them swept by bushels from the walls. There, they are supposed to have 

 an antipathy to the odour of craw-fish, which are hung over the corn as jireventives ; 

 but evidently with little or no eflect. In Bavaiia, and other parts of German}', green 

 hemp, if spread ujiou the grain, is said to attract the insect in such numbers, that they 

 desert it : the smell of eldt-r is, on the contrary, found objectionable ; and fresh hay is 

 thought to have a powerful effect in deterring them. 



The most eff'ectual metliod of destroying the weevil is, however, by the operation of 

 kiln-drying: for which see ihe Chapier on " Harvest."' 



