xxv.j CORN MILDEW AND BARBERRY BLIGHT. 171 



it gives out an unpleasant odour ; and as the fungus of bunt 

 also gives out an offensive scent, it is quite possible that the 

 similar strong odour belonging to both parasites at one time 

 led rustics to connect barberry blight and bunt together. 



In past times rustics not only believed in witchcraft 

 and magic, but they, as we all know, had strange beliefs 

 regarding the influence of the moon on the weather, and 

 other old beliefs which now prevail to a less extent. No 

 one would now think of bringing forward these absurd 

 old beliefs in support of the more exact astronomical and 

 meteorological knowledge of recent times. 



In the agricultural journals of the last hundred years 

 many curious observations may be found from the pens 

 of sharp observers, who really thought the connection of 

 corn mildew and barberry blight to be proved. Other 

 observers, however, and equally sharp ones, have brought 

 forward evidence of an entirely opposite character ; so 

 that nothing has been proved from old experience either 

 for or against the connection. Mr. C. B. Plowright, in a 

 valuable paper published in the Gardener^ Chronicle for 

 19th August 1882, has given all the popular evidence 

 that he could collect in favour of the barberry being in- 

 jurious to corn ; but this gentleman has not referred with 

 equal fulness to the popular evidence that told the other 

 way. Prof. J. S. Henslow, writing in the Journal of the 

 Royal Agricultural Society in 1841, vol. ii. p. 13, said 

 that practical men were by no means unanimous in de- 

 nouncing the barberry. An experienced cultivator of 

 Hamburgh is referred to in that paper, who, after observa- 

 tions made for thirty-one years, expressly contradicted the 

 commonly-received opinion. Experiments are recorded 

 by Professor Henslow which were made at Copenhagen. 

 Wheat was there planted and surrounded by barberry 

 bushes without obtaining any mildew. A similar experi- 

 ment was made by Jussieu in the garden of Trianon with 

 a like result. Mr. Knight also only obtained a negative 

 result with experiments of the same class. Mr. Henslow 



