[ i39] 

 CHAP. X. 



O/Smuttiness. 



SMUTTINESS is when the Grains of Wheat 

 indead of Flour, are full of a black, ftinking 

 .Powder: 5 Tis aDifeafe of Wheat, which I don't know 

 is ufual any-where but in cold Northern Countries ; 

 for if it had been common in Greece or Ital)\ there 

 would probably have been fome Word to exprefs it 

 by, in thofe Languages, as well as there is for the 

 Blight. 



I take it to be caufed by cold wet Summers; and 

 I was confirmed in this by feveral Plants of Wheat, 

 taken up when they were in Grafs in the Spring, and 

 placed in Troughs in my Chamber-window, with 

 fome of the Roots in Water. Thefe Wheat-plants 

 fent up feveral Ears each ; but at Harveft, every 

 Grain was fmutty ; and I obferved, none of the Ears 

 ever fent out any Bloffom : This Smuttinefs could 

 not be from any Moifture that defcended upon it, 

 but from the Earth, which always kept very moifb, 

 as in the aforefaid Mint Experiment. The W T heat- 

 plants in the Field, from whence thefe were taken, 

 brought very few fmutty Grains, but brought much 

 larger Ears than thefe. 



Whatfoever the Caufe (d) be, there are but Two 

 Remedies propofed ; and thofe are Brining, and 

 Change of Szed. 



Brining of Wheat, to cure or prevent Smuttinefs 

 (as I have been credibly informed), was accidentally 



and fhould not be fituate within Three or Four Poles of a live 

 Hedge or Tree. 



The Three Infhr.ments to be ufed in thefe unexpenfive Trials, 

 are, the Spade, to fuppty the Uie of the Plough and Hoe plough ; 

 the Hand-hoe; ar.d a Rake, inllead of Harrows. 



\d) The largeft grained, plump, fat Wheat, is more liable to 

 Jigwttinefs, than fraaU-graiiied thin Wheat. 



s difcovered 



