STATE OP WHEAT CROPS. 383 



S most favourable for that purpose, being, in 

 truth, the only part of the summer unaccompanied 

 with rain or wind. From these observations may 

 be drawn the following corollary : that when the 

 wheat hath a good blooming time, though the rest 

 of the summer, both antecedent and succeeding 

 this period, may have been unkindly ; yet so much 

 depends on the kindly state of the air at the blos- 

 M>ming season, that little danger need be appre- 

 hended to the crop from the weather in any other 

 part of the summer. On the other hand, though 

 the summer months may in general have been such 

 as to promise a good crop of wheat ; yet should a 

 wet and unkindly season intervene while the com 

 is in bloom, the produce will not be analogous to 

 the general state of the weather during the greater 

 part of the summer months, but to that particular 

 prevalence of it at the time when the wheat was in 

 bloom, a time whereon seems to depend the future 

 \veltare of this and every other vegetable. 



A series of easterly winds at the blooming sea- 

 son is often highly prejudicial to the wheaten crop : 

 in the year 177 1 3 the weather having been such as 

 above described, there appeared a very capital < 

 feel: m the wheat after the blooming season was 

 past : on opening the chests of the ear, were per- 

 ceived several small maggots, resembling in size 

 and colour, the male blossoms of the wheat, and 

 for which I at first view mistook them. Tli 

 maggots lay in a cluster within the chest, and ad- 

 hered closely to the nib of the seed : within some 



of 



