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THE GENESEE FARMER. 



EX7ST IN OATS- WHAT IS IT1 



Throughout the whole South-western portion of 

 the Union the oat crop has sutfered from a terrible 

 hliglit, which, from its resemblance to the fungus 

 substance that sometimes attacks wheat by that 

 name, has been called rust. So far as we are in- 

 formed, rust in oats has hitherto been unknown. 



While in West Tennessee, a short time since, we 

 took occasion to examine the blade of the oat under 

 a microscope, and were greatly surprised with the 

 phenomenon which the glass revealed. Since then 

 we have followed up those examinations, by the aid 

 of more powerful instruments, at the Medical Col- 

 lege in this city, in company with several scientitic 

 gentlemen, among whom were Drs. Briggs and 

 Buchanan, of the Medical Faculty. 



Tiie cause of all this destruction of the oat crop 

 is a living worm, too small to be plainly seen with 

 the naked eye. A single blade or leaf of the oat 

 sometimes contains hundreds of them. They lie 

 encased in the tissues of the leaf or blade, where 

 they have been germinated, beneath the epidermis 

 or thin pellicle over the exterior portion of the 

 blade, and, as they progress in development, the 

 skin of the leaf is raised into curious putty blisters. 

 The growth of the worm subsequently ruptures 

 these, and it escapes to feed on the plant. When 

 first released from its covering, they are of a beau- 

 tiful, clear, red color, almost transparent, but seon 

 begin to change color and form, getting more 

 opaque and dark in appearance, until, in the course 

 of transformation, they become a black bug, with 

 legs and wings, when they attack the head or grain 

 of the oats. 



Under the microscope, the dust which remains 

 on the leaf closely resembles that on the wings of 

 butterflies. 



iiow tliis innumerable army of infinitesimal 

 worms originated, is yet a mystery. It is a sing- 

 ular fact, however, that wherever the greatest 

 quantity of rain has fallen, there the oat crop has 

 f a-ed the worst. In our recent trip through West- 

 ern Tennessee, we saw but a single field of oats, 

 between the Mississippi and Tennessee rivers, which 

 was not a failure, or into which it would not be 

 f .lly to put a scythe blade. It is well known that 

 more rain has fallen in West Tennessee, this season, 

 than in any other part of the State ; hence the ex- 

 treme wet weather must have had some agency in 

 the production of this animacula. It is also well 

 known that moisture and heat will produce and 

 multiply animal life, millions per hour, and therein 

 we judge is the secret of this destruction of the oat 

 crop. It is one of those cases of natural phenomena 

 which occur only at a certain stage in the growth 

 of plants, and under peculiar states of temperature 

 and weather. It may happen next season, or it 

 iDMy not occur again in many years. — Southern 

 ffomestead. 



Oats are rarely attacked by mildew, rust, smut, 

 or any other disease ; but it is not true that " rust 

 in oats has hitherto been unknown." The leaves 

 are liable to be infected by the fungi Erysiphe 

 graminis and Uredo ruligo vera, though seldom to 

 any injurious extent. We have little doubt that 

 the present disease, like rust in wheat, is caused by 

 a fungus and not by an insect. The cold spring 



and excessive rain, followed by sudden hot weather, 

 are probably the main causes of the general appear-: 

 ance of the rust this season. 



BREAKING COLTS. 



Humanity, patience and kindness does the whole 

 of the work in breaking colts. I commence by 

 assisting the colt to do what he wishes. When ho 

 is first cast, I help him on his legs, show him how 

 to come at the teat, and by being gentle with him 

 and going frequently into the field where he is, I 

 often have a chance of playiug with him, by rub- 

 bing his face and scratching around his ears, which 

 he is very fond of in fly time. My horses are all 

 gentle and kind, as I seldom go to the pasture with- 

 out a handful of salt, when the first that sees me 

 gives a bit of a neigh, which is a signal for all to 

 start, and the youngest colt is often first up. I 

 never go to the pasture in such haste but I can stop 

 a few minutes and coax them all with a litlle pat 

 on the neck or scratch on the head, and tliey go 

 away satisfied that I am pleased with them. 



My next step is to make a halter out of some 

 useless piece of rope : a piece of bed-cord makes a 

 good one. I put the headstall on without any 

 leader to it; then whenever I go to the field I 

 catch hold under his chin with my finger, and in 

 the other hand hold the salt, and coax him along 

 in that way for a few times. If he makes much 

 resistance I let him go, and try him again and agaiD: 

 until he makes no resistance. Then I put a leader 

 to the halter and lead him where he wants to go — 

 that is, aftci" his mother. By leading him a few 

 times after the plow he will allow you to lead him 

 in a contrary direction. He will be very docile 

 and kind, if you be the same to him. 



I wean my colts when I put my horses in the 

 stable, as the mare dries up much easier on dry 

 food tlian on green ; but I keep the colts out some 

 time longer — at least as long as they can get a sup- 

 ply of grass and not suffer with cold, as I now want 

 his assistance in drawing his mother's bag, which 

 he does with all his suck-abilities. My mode is 

 this. I take the mare to the bars where the colt is 

 confined, about twelve hours after he is first taken 

 from her, let a bar down, and he eases her bag and 

 fills his own, much to the satisfaction of both. In 

 twenty-four hours repeat the operation, and so on 

 for a week or ten days, until the mare has lost her 

 milk, and the work is done much to the satisfaction 

 of all parties ; for milking the short teats of a mare 

 with my thumb and finger is anythiu'^^ but sport. 



I put a collar on and pull it off" frequently when 

 young, as well as the rest of the harness. I often 

 take an old horse-blanket, let him smell of it, and 

 then put it on his back ; he soon finds the comfort 

 of it, and will let it be spreiid and buckled on him. 

 As he gets old enough to work a little — say from 

 two to three years — I harness and drive liim about 

 the barn-yard, putting the tugs through the breech- 

 ing in such a manner that the ends may hang down 

 and touch the legs so as to accustom them if a tug 

 should accidentally get unhitched. I handle his 

 feet from the day he is foaled. And now I con- 

 sider my colt is broke, ready for work ; but I wnll 

 go a little further. When the road is broke — that 

 is, after the snow has fallen — I take my colt, hitch 

 him to a whifiietree with a log chain in the eye,— 



