THE WHEAT CROP. 69 



wheat mildew, though rarely met with on the other 

 cereals, seems to be common to all the inferior grasses; 

 and as many of these are to be found in all conditions of 

 growth, either in our fields or the hedges, ditches, or 

 waste places surrounding them, thus offering ready means 

 for supporting the fungus, a suggestion was made some 

 years ago by Mr. Tycho Wing, the eminent agent of the 

 Bedford Level estates, that no reeds or loose grass should 

 be allowed to remain in the ditches, but that everything 

 should be regularly cleared away and consumed at once. 

 This appears to be a very sensible remedy, especially ap- 

 plicable to the district with which he was connected; and 

 if we were to follow it up throughout the country, by 

 keeping our ditches and waste spots clean, and by 

 cutting our grain crops low down, leaving as little stubble 

 as possible, and carrying out a system of autumn cultiva- 

 tion, we probably should do much towards limiting the 

 attacks of this powerful enemy. 



It has generally been observed that mildew is more 

 prevalent on light than on loamy and clay soils, and that 

 the earlier kinds of wheat are the least affected. In all 

 cases, strong healthy plants are less liable to it than sickly 

 ones. 



If these diseases are generated in the manner supposed, 

 by the absorption of the sporules into the tissues of the 

 plant at an early period of its growth, the feeding the crop 

 close down by sheep in the spring would be likely to pro- 

 duce good results. 



Wheats sometimes appear covered with a black soot-like 

 fungus, dusting the ears all over, and thus giving evident 

 indications of disease. This is often mistaken for mil- 

 dew, but is, in fact, very different from it, being a result 

 or consequence of previous disease in the plant, and not, 

 like the mildew, a cause of disease in itself. This 

 fungus, which always accompanies decay in vegetable 



