Disease in Wheat, 423 



which I collected the wheat I send you : my wheat is 

 not much injured this spring, but some of my neigh- 

 bours have suffered more than usual. The disease 

 increases on the land that was Z. HoUingsworth's, on 

 which I am told the whole crop is destroyed. — I yes- 

 terday saw a highly manured field about two miles 

 from me, the property of Mrs. Gilpin, and at least one 

 third of it is destroyed : in many places the land is as 

 bare as the public road. I have not seen any field in 

 my vicinity, but what is somewhat injured. I have no 

 doubt of the disease being also in the wheat near Phi- 

 ladelphia, — I saw it in the wheat near Lancaster, in 

 June, 1807," 



The most likely means to remedy the evil are the 

 following. 



1. Attention to the stable manure put on the land 

 intended for wheat. 



2. Attention to the time of liming the land. 



3. Paring and burning the injured spots. 



One of the best papers ever written on manures in 

 general, is by the late Robert Somerville, of Hadding- 

 ton, and was drawn up for the consideration of the 

 British Board of Agriculture : and as nothing in the 

 whole round of agricultural operations is of more 

 importance than the right management of manure, and 

 few are so little understood, I have thought it would 

 be rendering a service to the agricultural interest to 

 insert an extract from the paper of Mr. Somerville, 

 in the appendix. It is more than probable that the 

 disease in the wheat proceeds from very minute in- 

 sects bred in the manure, and that a right management 

 of it will tend to destroy or to lessen their number. 



