FARMER'S ASSISTANT. 345 



SLIPS. These are twigs torn from a tree or shrub, to 

 propagate by planting in a moist soil L-- 1 two-thirds of 

 their length be buried, and they will strike root more 

 readily than cutings This, says Mr Deane, should be 

 done as soon as the ground is thawed in the Spring. They 

 should be set, if possible, as soon as they are taken from 

 the tree; otherwise let their ends be enclosed in wet clay, 

 until the time of seting. 



They should be set in fine rich pulverized earth, and 

 should be frequently watered, particularly when the ground 

 is dry 



Some twigs will in this way grow very readily 5 others, 

 again, are more difficult to grow Mr, Deane advises to 

 place those, most difficult to grow, in pots, where they can 

 be more carefully attended to It is said that some trees, 

 which are not natural to be cultivated in this manner, will 

 not grow so large as when raised from the seed. 



Where fruit-trees are cul tvated in this way, the trees 

 thus raised will bear the same fruit as those whence the 

 slips where extracted. It is said that the life of a fruit-tree, 

 raided from a slip or cuting, will end nearly at the same 

 time of that whence the slip or cuting is extracted; but 

 this seems very doubtful, and in most instances unworthy 

 of belief. 



SMUT. The cause of smut in wheat has been product- 

 ive of much investigation and speculation ; but, since the 

 means have been discovered of preventing it, we may well 

 rest satisfied with this. 



Mr. Young sowed fourteen beds with the same wheat- 

 seed, as black with smut, he says, as he ever saw any. The 

 first bed was sown with this wheat without washing, and 

 this had three hundred and seventy-seven smutty ears; that 

 washed in clean water, three hundred and twenty-five; that 

 in limewuter, forty-three; that in lie of wood-ashes, thirty- 

 one; that in arsenic, twenty-eight Again. That steeped 

 in limewater four hours, had twelve ; that in lie four hours, 

 twelve; that in arsenic tour hours> one. And again. That 

 which was steeped in lie, as before mentioned, twelve 

 hours, had none; and that which was steeped in the same 

 kind of lie twenty-four hours^ had none: That also which 

 was steeped twenty-four hours in limewater, had none ; that 

 steeped in arsenic twenty four hours, had five. 



Mr. Ecroyd, of Philadelphia county, says that in England 

 he saw this experiment faiily tried: Grains of smut were 

 pulverised, and applied to wheat which was perfectly clean 

 and clear of smut, and which was then sown, and it produc- 

 ed smutty wheat. At the same time, dirty smutty wheat 



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