352 



The " Cause'' and " Remedy." 



Vol. V. 



produced 48 bushels per acre. Wheat is 

 blighted at two seasons of the year — first, 

 when in bloom, by long-continued rains that 

 rot or chill the blossoms and prevent them 

 fertilizing, but that which grows in open fields 

 has some advantage from the wind that dis- 

 lodges the water sooner from the ears; and 

 second, from light ear?, which is most fre- 

 quent. Another cause is the falling of the 

 crop, for then tiie stalks are broken down 

 near the ground, so that the juices cannot 

 ascend, and then circulation is hindered ; that 

 the tailing of the wheat causes the ruin of 

 the crop, is well known, but what causes it 

 to fall, is not so plain ; but I take this weak- 

 ness of the stalks, which occasions their fall- 

 ing, to proceed from want of nourishment, 

 ■want of air, or want of the sun's rays, or of 

 all three. Air is necessary to the life of all 

 plants, but wheat requires a free, open situa- 

 tion, where the air has a greater motion, and 

 can more easily carry oft' the excrements 

 from the leaves after it has shaken off the 

 dews and rains, which w^ould otherwise suftb- 

 cate the plants: all these evils are removed 

 by the free motion of the air, which prevents 

 the falling and lodging of the crop. A greater 

 quantity of the sun's rays is necessary to keep 

 wheat in health, and in Egypt and other hot 

 countries it is not so apt to fall, a& in more 

 northern countries. The sun, with his rays, 

 supplies the part of the pulse, as in the 

 human frame, to keep the sap in motion, and 

 carry on its circulation — as in the heart's sys- 

 tole and diastole. Wheat being, doubtless, 

 originally a native of a hot country, it re- 

 quires, by its constitution, a considerable de- 

 gree of heat to bring it to perfection ; and if 

 much of that degree of heat be wanting, it 

 will be the weaker, and when the solar rays 

 cannot reach the lower parts of the stalks, 

 the lowest leaves and knots cannot do their 

 office; by these means that part, which, if it 

 had a due share of the sun's influence, would 

 be hardened, so as to perform the ofHce of the 

 bones for the support of the stalk, becomes 

 more like cartilage, soft and weak, and una- 

 ble to sustain the weight of the ear; it yields 

 and lets it fall to the ground, and then the 

 grain is blighted," But he observes, want 

 of nourishment, want of air, and want of the 

 sun's rays, are all removed by the row cul- 

 ture and hoeing, the practice of which must 

 of necessity deprive the earth of every ves- 

 tige of grass and weeds, and expose the crop 

 to the full influence of the sun's rays. " The 

 whole field of plants receive the same quan- 

 tity of sunbeams amongst them, whether they 

 stand confusedly, as in broad-cast crops, or in 

 order, as in drilled; but there is a vast differ- 

 ence in the distribution of them amongst those 

 of the drilled or sown crops, for whore the 

 crural parts that should support the whole 



body of every plant are deprived of the due 

 share of what is so necessary to strengthen 

 them, the plants are unable to stand ; but in 

 drilled wheat, the sunbeams are more duly 

 distributed to all parts, and, being reflected 

 hy the ground, ithence the lower parts of the 

 stalks must receive the greater share of heat, 

 being nearer to the point of incidence, hav- 

 ing no weeds to shadow the?n." 



He concludes by the following remarkable 

 words : " 1 have never sef n any drilled wheat 

 so much spoiled by falling, as sown wheat 

 sometimes is: the drilled crop never falls so 

 close the ground but that the air enters into 

 hollows that arc under it, and the wind keeps 

 the ears in motion. But notwithstanding all 

 the precaution that can be used, in some un- 

 seasonable years wheat will be blighted. I 

 have known such a general blight when 

 some of itiy Lammas whent planted late and 

 on blighting land, was blighted, amongst the 

 rest of my neighbours by the insects, but the 

 grain of the soiccd wheat was vastly more 

 injured than that of the drilled ; the former 

 being so light that the greatest part was 

 blown away by winnowing, and the remain- 

 der so bad that it was not fit to make bread : 

 the drilled, however, made as good bread, and 

 had as much flour in it, as the sown wheat 

 that was not blighted, the grains of the drilled 

 wheat being much larger than those of the 

 sown, being originally formed to be twice as 

 big as the grains of wheat generally are, had 

 they not been blighted." 



Now, does it not appear strange that any 

 one should go to Tull's book to " show that 

 the wheat in drills is more liable to blight 

 than that sown broad-cast," and that the 

 writer "labours hard" to defend his own 

 system from being obnoxious to blight] 



John S^monds. 



Montgomnry County. 



I CONSIDER every man who makes some 

 new agricultural improvement — every man 

 who is instrumental in promoting the cause 

 of agriculture — as the most deserving of ap- 

 probation. The farmer's enjoyment from the 

 improved culture of the ground, is greater 

 than what arises to men employed in other 

 kinds of bu^^iness; and this might be much 

 increased, if they Vv'ould expend a portion of 

 labour and expense in beautifying and adorn- 

 ing the lands which the Almighty has blessed 

 with fruitfulness under their hands. — Dr. 

 Channinsr. 



The religion of the ancient Persians re- 

 quired its followers to plant useful trees — to 

 convey water to dry lands — and to work out 

 their salvation by pursuing all the labours of 

 agriculture. 



