56 Oil Smut in Wheat, 



leave the smutted grains, and adhering to such as arc 

 healthy, are sown with them, and wound the tender 

 stem in such a manner as to render the plant incapable 

 of producing any thing but smut. Another practical 

 writer* also ascribes the disease to an insect, which lays 

 its eggs in the dovv^ny Darts or beard of the grain, and 

 by wounding the eai' in several places, checks its growth. 



The late Sir John Call,t entertained the same opinion 

 as to the cause of smut, but he adduces no experiments 

 to support it. He adds however a fact, which is con- 

 trary to the experience of Mr. Wimpey, Mr. Young, 

 Mr. Somerviile, and all others whose observations have 

 been published : it is, that the black dust of the smutty 

 grains has no effect upon the growth of sound grains, 

 though rubbed and mixed therev/ith. The Rector of 

 the parish, and two farmers, have certified to the cor- 

 rectness of his statement. Giving full credit to the fact, 

 we can only say, that being so contrary to general ob- 

 servation, prudence requires that we do not follow a 

 practice attended by mischief in all cases except one. 



Bai'on Munkhausen of Hanover,! also says, that after 

 a strict examination of the black powder of smut, with 

 a microscope, he found it to consist of small transparent 

 globules, with black specks in the middle of each: that 

 these globules are the eggs of extremely minute insects; 

 from these eggs, v/hen they are placed in water of a 

 certain degree of warmth, there proceeds, an animal- 

 cule of an ^^^ shaped form. When the wheat is 



^ Communications to 'Board of Agriculture. Vol. 2. 



f Same v/ork and Volume. 



i Gentlemeri's Ma.crazine. 1 768. d. 698. 



