20 BLIGHT, ETC. 



live particles ; so that the progeny of a single pore will be sufficient 

 to infect a whole plant. The period of yeneratun is thought not to 

 exceed a week ; and as the particles are very light they are waited into 

 the air in clouds of animated dust, carrying disease into all the neigh- 

 borhood. Numerous illustrations of the forms of this plant, and the 

 progress of its development, have been published, which space denies 

 us the liberty to notice; but, with a strong magnifying glass, the 

 whole structure and varied appearances may be seen. The fungus in- 

 sinuates itself into the open pores and stomates, where they germinate 

 and push their minute roots into the cellular texture beyond the bark, 

 where they draw nourishment by intercepting the flowing sap necessary 

 for the growth of the grain. In some cases the corn has been so 

 completely robbed of its flour by the fungus, that hardly an atom of 

 it remains in the grain ; and bran is alone the product. Every spe- 

 cies of corn is subject to the blight, but spring corn is less damaged by 

 it than winter. Bearded wheat, with the straw full of pith, is less 

 subject to blight than Lammas, which ripens a week later. It is 

 thought probable that the leaf is first infected before the corn shoots 

 up into straw, when it is of an orange color. It has long been be- 

 lieved by farmers, though doubted by botanists, that wheat near bar- 

 bery bushes seldom escapes blight, and many examples would appear 

 to confirm the opinion. This has been attributed to the farina ol the 

 flowers of the barbery. The leaves of the barbery, it is well-known 

 are very subject to the attack of a yellow parasitic fungus, larger, but 

 otherwise not different from the rust in corn. Whatever the cause 

 of the diffusion and propagation of this fungus may be, recent obser- 

 vations have thrown much light on its nature and habits, so that we 

 may hope that means may soon be discovered by which to prevent its 

 ravages. 



The average weight of a bushel of wheat is about 60 Ibs., seldom 

 less than 56 or over 62. The average weight-yield, on being ground,, 

 is 47 Ibs. of bread flour, 4 fine pollard, 4 oz. coarse pollard, 2 oz. bran, 

 loss 2 oz. total 60 Ibs. 14 Ibs. of American flour make 2l5lbs. of 

 bread, the same of best English flour make but 18| Ibs. 



The average price, per bushel, of wheat, in England, from 1834 to 

 1840 was in 1834, $1.264; in 1835 $1.20; in 1836 $1.324; in 1837 

 $1.54*; in 1838 $1.72; in 1839 $201; in 1840 $1.91; showing a 

 rapid increase, except in 1840- The average price of flour there from 

 Dantzic is $7 per barrel. The annual consumption of all grains in 

 Great Britain is estimated at 416.000.000 of bushels. 



All Europe it is said could not supply England with more than 

 18.000.000 of bushels, yet she imported in 1841, 21.604.840 bushels ; 

 showing her dependence on America for this strain. Ohio alone yields 

 one-fourth more than the whole of that amount. The duty on imported 

 grams, according to the sliding scale, is, when the price is under $1.53 



