1846. 



GENESEE FARMER. 



93 



For the Genesee Fanner. 



Rust, Mildew, and Charcoal. 



Mr. Editor: — Though I am not a practical 

 agriculturist or chemist, I take the liberty to sug- 

 gest to you, or to your readers if you see fit to 

 publish them, a few i-emarks on Lime, Plaster, 

 and Charcoal as manures — together with rust on 

 wheat, as I consider them intimately connected. 



The principal use of quick-lime, when applied 

 as a manure, is to draw tlie carbon from the or- 

 ganic matter, which will then readily decompose 

 and form food for the growing plant. Plaster, or 

 sulphate of lime, acts in the same v/ay, with the 

 addition that the sulphruric acid leaves the lime 

 and passes over to the alkalies in the organic 

 matter. In proof that this is the principle on 

 which they act, I will bring a few well conceded 

 facts. 1st. That lime or plaster, when applied 

 where there is little or no organic matter, has but 

 little or no effect. 2d. That the larger the 

 amount of organic matter the greater the effect. 

 3d. That plaster, when sown just before, in a 

 rain, or just after a rain, does but little if any 

 good. The reason of which is, that water ab- 

 sorbs carbon and saturates the lime with it before 

 it has operated on the organic matter. I need 

 not inform you, sir, but doubtless many of your 

 readers are not aware that anything saturated 

 with carbon is imperishable, and decomposes only 

 as the carbon is given off'. Charcoal is the pur- 

 est carbon in the vegetable form, with whicli 

 we are acquainted, and will last for ages if of 

 any size, if acted upon by nature only. The ef- 

 fect of pulverized charcoal is the opposite of 

 lime and plaster, and should be used only when 

 there is a superabundance of organic matter. 



Now for the rust — and, to introduce the mat- 

 ter, I will just state the combination of causes 

 that produce it. 1st. A low, sheltered situation. 

 2d. A soil rich in organic matter, and frequently 

 very rich in alkalies. 3d. About the time the 

 wheat is in the milk, a still atmosphere, small 

 showers, or heavy dews with hot sunshine be- 

 tween. We all agree as to the causes, and must 

 be satisfied as to effect; but in the whys and 

 wherefores we are not so fortunate, hardly two 

 writers agreeing in opinion, wliich gives me but 

 little courage in setting mine afloat, so many oth- 

 ers, and from abler pens, having preceded it — 

 but here it goes, hoping that if I have not hit up- 

 on it, it may help some one to progress still far- 

 ther towards finding out this disideratum. 



I consider that the effect of the above causes is, 

 to deprive the i>lant of a full share of carbon, 

 without which it can not mature any more than 

 we can live without atmospheric air. I think of 

 no better way to explain myself, so as to be un- 

 derstood, than to take each cause and note its 

 particular bad effect. 1st. A low, sheltered sit- 

 uation is peculiarly fitted for a bad circulation of 

 air. 2d. A soil rich in organic matter, &c., 

 gives a superabundance of food to the plant, and 



of course requires a proportionate amount of car- 

 bon to ensure health. 3d. A still atmosphere 

 does not bring carbon from the surrounding 

 country as it would if it were in motion, so the 

 leaves (tlie leaves are the lungs, and the plant 

 takes in carbon from no other source,) of the plant 

 soon inhale the small quantity of carbon within their 

 reach, made still smaller by being absorbed by 

 the water from the showers andheavy dews. 



One word farther in explanation. The juices 

 pass up through the pores by capillary attraction — 

 get charged with carbon through the leaves — pass 

 down between the fibre and cuticle, or bark, (if 

 we may so term it,) and if properly assimilated 

 form another course of fibre, if not the course of 

 nature would be to eject it from the system 

 through small slits in the cuticle, called stomata. 



Now if this is the fact, what is the remedy '? 

 I answer that the best one with which I am ac- 

 quainted, is, a judicious use of pulverised char- 

 coal. 1st. To keep the organic matter from de- 

 composition as much as possible, and — 2d. to 

 supply the plant with carbonic acid through the air, 

 in a measure, when it is partly absorbed by water 

 and not supplied by wind from the surrounding 

 country. Such is my theory, and I miglit bring 

 many acknowledged facts insupportof it; butwill 

 forbear, being a friend of short articles. 



Mr. Editor : — Excuse me for troubling you 

 with a poscript to my yesterday's communication; 

 but I think if what I am about to advance is fact 

 it is high time for the world to know it. It is to 

 extend my theory of rust to the potato disease — 

 and the -way it acts is this : The tuber is form- 

 ed by the sap passing up the fibre of the stalk, 

 and down between the fibre and cuticle into the 

 root, and of course has an opening for it, which 

 plants without tubers have not: and the sap, 

 which otherwise would have formed fibre, if it 

 had a sufficiency of carbon, passes down also, and 

 not belonging there, does tliis mischief, which there 

 is so much talk about. The remedy is, of course, 

 the same as for wheat. The bliglit or fire blight 

 in pears, &c., is accounted for in the same way, 

 and, I think, the mildew on peas, &c. Yours, 

 PMsford, March, 1840. T. E. H. 



Remarks. — The theories of our correspondent 

 are ingenious, but we fear that his explanations 

 of the mysterious workings of Nature, in the mat- 

 ters discussed, will not be satisfactory " to the 

 world." We give place to them in the hope 

 that, the frequent collision of intellect with intel- 

 lect will ultimately evolve important discoveries 

 for the common benefit of our race. 



Our correspondent is in error when he says 

 tliat " plants take in carbon from no other source 

 beside their leaves." Rain and other water that 

 enters the roots of plants carries with it no small 

 amount of carbon in carbonic acid held in solu- 

 tion. There are other remarks which are open 

 to criticism, but we let them pass. {. 



