§8 DISTEMPERSOFCORN. Part I. 



" it very carefully. It was laid in a granary Vv'hich had no com- 

 " munlcation with any other, and which had an opening to the 

 "North; The farmer ordered it not to be laid above three inches 

 " tijick on the floor, and to be turned twice a day. Four days 

 '* paifed before- the leaii: heat was perceived ; but on the fifth day, 

 " it began to grow a little warm ; and from that time the heat 

 " increafed, notwithftanding every means that had been, and Ifill 

 " continued to be ufed. All that could be done, was, to prevent 

 " its being fo much fpoilt as corn in general was that year. 



" The other experiment fucceeded better. As foon as the wheat 

 " was threflied, well cleaned and winnowed, it was put into an 

 *' oven heated to a certain degree. The floor of the oven was 

 " covered v/ith wicker hurdles, on which the corn was fpread 

 " four inches thick : the door of the oven was then fhut, and 

 " remained twenty-four hours without being opened. Many have 

 " follov/ed this example. Their grain has not changed: only its 

 " colour is not fo bright. Care muft be taken that the oven be not 

 " too hot: otherwife the bread made of this flour will have a burnt 

 *' tafle. It is likewife neceffary to cover the bottom of the oven, 

 " left the wheat fnould communicate its tafle to it. 



" I confefs that this operation is long and troublefome, where 

 " a great quantity of corn is to be preferved ; for only ten or 

 " twelve bufliels can be put into the oven at a time : and belides, 

 " it mud be done the moment it is threlhed j otherwife it will 

 " infallibly fpoil." _ . *• 



\J have not had an opportunity, fays M. Duhamel, of inquirmg 

 into the caufe of the accident here complained of: but as the oven 

 has been found fo effeftual a prefervative againft it, it would cer- 

 tainly be right to make ufe of the flove, of which I have given a 

 defcription in my treatife on the prefervation of corn. The method 

 there advifed, will not be fo expenlive, nor fo troublefome as the 

 ovens, and the price of making the floves will bear no proportion 

 to the advantages which will arife from the ufe of them. 



Our author, like all the other French writers, divides the diflem- 

 per which we call/mut, into two kinds, viz. Smuf, properly fo called, 

 and charbon, coal, fo named from the wheat's looking as if it was 

 burnt. He obferves that it is of great confequence to inquire into 

 the caufes oi fmut and charbon, becaufe we may perhaps arrive at 

 the knowledge of effectual means to prevent thefe diforders, which 

 frequently occalion fuch great loifes to farmers. He begins with • 



