THE AGRIC ULTURAL GAZETTE. 



of these has succeeded, yet they must be taken as the 

 exceptions rather than the rule. That mould having 

 been witnessed under all systems of management and 

 after all sorts of manure, and the same systems having, 

 in the same seasons, escaped, upon the same soils, no 

 determination as to the causes can be come to, excepting 

 upon some very strong instances given of its resulting 

 after the use of rags. That many of the artificial ma- 

 nures recently introduced appear to have a stimulating 

 effect upon the hop, but that the Club require further ex- 

 periments to be made ere they can recommend their 

 jreneral adoption." It was then determined that the sub- 



S^htaJX^ V"" PerfeCtly effectire " be««,e, in 

 thrashing the \\ heat, m.njr of the infected grains ( smut- 



IS? a ? n « P° Wde /' Which » dh «« with considerable 



419 



condition of the Agr v r __. 



from all political considerations,) and the best Mode of 

 Breeding the Domestic Animals. — Kentish Courier. 



We are much gratified to hear that these excellent 

 locieties are progressing in the county of Monmouth. 

 On June 1st, a Farmers' Club was established at Usk, 

 with upwards of thirty members — W. A. Williams, Esq., 

 Chairman ; T. Reece, Esq , Vice-Chairman ; H. Phillips, 

 Esq., Treasurer, and J. Knapp, Esq., Hon. Sec. At 

 Abergavenny, on June 2nd, a large meeting of land- 

 owners and farmers met, Hanbury Williams, Esq., in 

 the Chair, supported by W. H. Little, Esq., W. Wil- 

 liams, Esq., &c. The excellent Chairman, after briefly 

 stating the importance to agriculture of farmers' clubs, 

 proposed that a club should be established at Aberga- 

 venny ", this being carried by acclamation, upwards of 60 

 members enrolled their names, and elected Hanburv 

 Williams, Esq., Chairman ; W. H. Little, Esq. Vice- 

 Chairman ; W. Williams, Esq., Treasurer, and W. H. 

 Walbridge, Esq. Hon. Sec. 



Miscellaneous. 



Diseases of Wheat.— On the Bunt, Smut-balls, or 

 Pepper-brand.— The fungus which occasions this well- 

 known and much dreaded disease has hitherto been met 

 with only in the grains of Wheat. Its presence is 

 readily recognised by the peculiarly disgusting odour of 

 the infected ear. It may be detected in the young 

 seed, even in the very earliest states of the flower-bud ; 

 and when fully ripe it most frequently occupies the 

 whole interior of the grain, but without bursting the 

 skin, so that the Wheat seed retains very nearly the 

 same size and shape that it would have assumed had it 

 been perfectly sound. When examined under the mi- 

 croscope, the Bunt-fungus is seen to consist of vast 

 numbers of extremely minute globules, of a dark-colour, 

 and which are at first attached to a mass of matted 

 tnread-I.ke matter, analogous to what is termed the 

 spawn in Mushrooms, and other Agarics— and which 

 in nose plants spreads underground, and frequently oc- 

 casions the remarkable appearances called fairy-rings. It 



the MtJui! I & T^ is 8pawn of the bunt-fungus" bi t 

 tected T, gl ° bules caIIed s P° re8 » ma y readi, y ^ de- 

 ve*it p i 167 may be consit *ered analogous to the seed- 

 ing nf i flowe . nn S P Iants > and each of them contains a 

 of whw! T &t , 1 nconceivab ly minute sporules, by means 

 powers of f G P "' i8 F ro P^ ated - The reproductive 

 Fries on U ? S * 8re ( l uite De yond ur comprehension, 

 that 'a n?rH , 0Ur , greatest aut horities, has calculated 

 ridia * Mr r u gUS may contain 10,000,000 spo- 



of the nl * UCr 8 accura tely measured the spores 

 mJJ I? 4 8 P ecies ' and finds their diameter 



Iff OS" 



IS 



of WW ? h ? **** or au mcn - A 



cubic inch) wouldT" f 3t ICSS than the *** ° f a 

 ■«<* sdqtL . I \ • " f ° re contam more than 4,000,000 



ho * manVinn i 14 1S hardIy P° ssible t0 conjecture 



"e «cTceiv P rii7 CS Ca u Ch S P° re contains > since th ey 



0r vapour 3f',t th6n a PP ear onl y as a faint cloud 

 s P° r e 8 . a refill y \ re esca P in g from the ruptured 



of this fu^Ius n ' t0 ^ Bauer ' 8 P late and acco « D t 

 P^G.wilUurnishV.f ^Magazine'' for 1833, 

 of »ts structure » a lnc l mrer *ith very accurate details 

 Prevails, it Kr e^l?2 P e ? uliarities - When this disease 

 ^Parting i? 8 disJn.f- " 0I ? tea the value of the M^ple ; 



less fit for bread h S °? 0ttr t0 the flour ' lt makes [t 

 lasers are to be'f understand that ready pur- 



brea d, who have Hi among the venders of ginger- 



eTer else they mir ;f 0vered that the treacle, and what- 

 # °, d °w of the fungus? i7l ^ effectualI y disguises the 

 there can be no ifhil V S In it8elf is reall y innoxious, 

 ttc tainted flour -hi t0 SUch a mode of employing 

 Wrtai n extent del** - S ° me are of °P inion that it is to a 

 confi *es its attack, ^T 8, Althou g" the bunt-fungus 

 .condition essential t • y0UD S seed ' Jt seems to be a 

 introduced into th* i 8 P ro P a gation, that it should be 



f° w tb, and that ir<? durin « the earl y sta g ea of its 



°y the root durini f l porules are most readily absorbed 



JJJ«ch the pl ant h g tn e germination of the seed from 



hat Wheat-pl an ; a8 m 8 P ru Ag. It has been clearly proved 



~u« P r °pagated, h* .sL . easiI y inf ected and the disease 

 *£. ,0 * n . with t ' he y 81 fl *P ly rubbing the seeds before they 



tril't J 1 [ * a,g o as dp. i powder » or spores, of the fun- 

 Sem d -, be ^orouVhlv { ascertain ed, that if seeds thus 

 Unl?.!*' 11 not he infeLS ai J! cd ' the P lants raised fr °m 



fpln B cert ain solutiol f , Waahing or 8tee P in S seed 



*KC Pl ' iffi ^inTthe a Lr St . UniversaI1 y !«"*. 



J^»and on th? . g f n m water > the iDfect ed 



a D D| Th ^T^— ~- — — ^"iPonred off nothing 



%?**• *ran!jSI tcUce a PPoars to hJ \~ dlfferent authors. The 



inft ^icaSil^^enj and nljf 8P ° hdia tor the c **™ 



•^t— *^^!£^**** cover- 



obstinacy to the surface of the sound grains, bv means 



?« 2 r L 7 f°K r gr T y mat / Cr f0UDd in *****£ ^ order 

 to detach them thoroughly, it has been considered useful 



wufhf I" K C •. le 5 'n the Water in which they are 



washed ; because oil and alkali unite and form a soapy 



substance, and then the spores will no longer adhere to 

 the surface of the grams of Wheat. Lime, possessing 

 alkaline qualities, has been long employed for the pur- 

 pose. Common potash, and substances containing am- 

 monia, as the liquid portion of stable manure, have also 

 been used. But, as some persons employ brine, sulphate of 

 copper, arsenic, and a variety of other materials which 

 do not possess alkaline properties, it is supposed that 

 all these solut.ons act rather by destroying the vegeta- 

 tive properties of the fungi than as a means of removing 

 them from the surface of the grains. It may therefore be 

 worth while to institute a set of experiments to determine 

 which supposition is really correct. Perhaps some portion 

 of the effect may be owing to the increased specific gravity 

 of the liquid ; or perhaps some portion of the solution 

 may be imbibed by the steeped Corn, sufficient to pre- 

 vent the sporules of the fungus from germinating within 

 the substance of the plant; just as corrosive sublimate, 

 essential oils, and Russia-leather prevent the formation 

 of mouldiness. I may also add that the temperature at 

 which the solutions are applied may be of some import- 

 ance. On the Smut or Dust-brand.— This disease is 

 produced by another fungus, which is often confounded 

 with the last. The smut-fungus, indeed, resembles the 

 bunt-fungus in colour and shape, but its spores are not 

 half so large, and it possesses none of that disgusting 

 odour which characterises the latter. Although this 

 fungus is generally supposed to attack the grain much 

 in the same way as the bunt-fungus, only that it more 

 thoroughly destroys it, this is not the case. M. Ad. 

 Brongniart has shown, in the " Annales des Sciences," 

 vol. xx. p. 121, that the smut-fungus destroys the ear, by 

 first occasioning the innermost parts of the flower to be- 

 come abortive, whilst the little stalks (pedicels) on which 

 these are seated swell, and become verv fleshy. The fungus 

 then consumes the whole of this fleshy mass, and at 

 length appears between the chaff-scales in the form of a 

 black soot-like powder. It is stated, however, by others, 

 that it does not confine its attack to the ear; and though 1 

 have not myself witnessed its effects on other parts, it is 

 described as infecting both chaff, straw, and leaves. 

 The spores, when ripe, burst through the epidermis, and 

 disperse in the form of a black powder, resembling char- 

 coal. Mr. Bauer has given figures, and an account of 

 this fungus also, in the " Penny Magazine " for 1833, 

 p. 180. He there gives the dimensions of the fungus, 

 by which it appears that the diameter of a spore is not 

 more than [the ^'^ of an inch. This disease is not so 

 much dreaded as bunt, for two reasons : the spores 

 have generally been dispersed before the Corn is cut ; 

 and even when present in the flour, they have no 

 disagreeable odour. It is sometimes, however, very 

 injurious, by diminishing the produce. It is compara- 

 tively rare in Wheat, but very common in Barlev, and 

 even more so in Oats ; Rye does not appear to be sub- 

 ject to it. It has been observed in several Grasses, and 

 I have this year noticed it in the common Oat-like 

 Grass. (Arrhenatherum avenaceum). Like the bunt- 

 fungus, so also may the smut-fungus be kept in check by 

 carefully steeping the infected grain ; but this process 

 does not here appear to be so thoroughly effective as in 

 the former case. Probably the earlier ripening of the 

 spores causes the sporules to disperse in the fields, and 

 so keeps up a greater out-door supply of them. If of 

 two evils we might choose the least, it would certainly be 

 more desirable that the Corn should be attacked by smut 

 than bunt. I know not how an idea has originated, 

 which I find prevalent among farmers, that a little smut 

 in the Barley crop is a good sign ; I can only suppose 

 they mean to say the less the better. It seems to be 

 most likely that both bunted and smutted Corn cannot 

 be very noxious, as fowls which have been fed with them 

 receive no injury. At the same time it is asserted that 

 the straw of Corn infested with the smut-fungus is dis- 

 tasteful to cattle; but I am not aware that any experi- 

 ments have hitherto been made with a view of ascertain- 

 ing whether it is actually injurious to their health. On 

 the Precautions to be taken against Bunt and Smut.— 

 Whatever some persons may hope when they suggest 

 the possibility of our effectually exterminating the bunt- 

 fungus, provided a system of carefully steeping all seed 

 Wheat were universally to prevail, the most sanguine 

 calculations could never count upon the exterminntion 

 of the smut-fungus with any prospect of success. Since 

 the smut-fungus does not confine its attacks to Corn, 

 but is also found in the Grasses which grow in pastures 

 and by the road-side, a plentiful supply of sporules will 

 always be kept up to warrant our believing that we shall 

 never expunge this species from the British Flora. Still 

 we may feel assured that precautionary measures may 

 materially lessen an evil which cannot be wholly avoided. 

 Since the sporules of the two fungi which produce bunt 

 and smut enter the plants they attack by absorption at 

 the roots, and since they are buried with those seeds to 

 whose surface they have attached themselves, it is evi- 

 dent that too great care cannot be bestowed in procuring 

 clean seed, or in purifying such as may accidentally be 

 infected. From a variety of considerations, it has always 

 appeared to me strange that practical agriculturists are 

 accustomed to pay so little attention to the raising of 



pure seed-crops. There may be reasons, which I do not 

 properly appreciate, that would render it inexpedient to 

 cultivate a seed-crop apart from the rest of a produce 

 raised on a farm ; but I should have thought that it was 

 always worth while for every farmer to set aside some por- 

 tion of ground to be more carefully tended than the rest, 

 for the purpose of securing good and perfectly clean seed. 

 Among other reasons for such a practice, he would then 

 be able to weed his crop from every plant infected with 

 bunt or smut, before the fungi ripened. The benefit of 

 steeping Wheat in some mixture or other, being tho- 

 roughly established, but it being still uncertain to what 

 cause the success of this practice should be attributed, a 

 few experiments might be undertaken, with a view 'to 

 determine this point. These would tend to point out 

 which of the numerous substances now in use were most 

 likely to be really serviceable, and which of them might 

 advantageously be dispensed with. I shall therefore 

 venture to suggest, in the following skftch, the kind of 

 experiments that may be called for ; and they may readily 

 be added to, or improved upon, by those who are willinr 

 to interest themselves in this inquirv. A parcel of tho- 

 roughly bunted or smutted seed should be divided into a 

 number of small packets, each of the same weight ; or if 

 very sma n f each containing the same number of grains. 

 \N hen any of these packets are steeped or washed, the 

 Moated grains, and the fungi which rise to the surface, 

 may be kept apart for separate experiments, being care- 

 fully labelled •< F. 1," » F. 2," &c, to show that they 

 were obtained from the packets of seeds, " No. 1 " " No. 

 2," &c. by this process. ' 



J ii u m cold Watcr onl y-(2*; in scalding water. 



— 3. hashed m water with lime, the proportions spec.ncd. 



— 4. Washed in wafer and brine, 

 (a) Mixed in the proportion of 2 water to l saturated brine. 



c b ' \ " l 



(d) Saturated brine. 



— 5. Washed in sulphate of copper. 



— 6 - Sprinkled, but not washed, with lime. 

 Another set of experiments may be prepared with clean 

 Corn, to be infected with the floated fungi obtained in 

 washing the above. 



No. 7. Rubbed with— 



(a) F. 2, to serve as a comparative experiment. 



(b) F. 3. 



(C) F. 4. 



id) F. 5. 



Another set may be prepared with clean Corn, which 

 should first be steeped in different solutions, and then 

 rubbed with the fungi obtained by simply washinz in 

 water (No. 2). 6 



No. 8. Steeped in lime, and rubbed with F. 2. 



— 0. „ brine and do. 



— !•• m sulphate of copper and do. 

 TheBe last may be repeated by washing the seeds clean 

 after they have been steeped, to remove any of the mix- 

 ture that may adhere to the surface. 



No. II, Prepared as So. 8. 



— I2 - ., » 9. 



— 13. „ „ io. f &c. 



—Professor Heuslow's Report, 2nd vol. of the English 

 Agricultural Society's Journal. 



Fodder for Horses.— According to a five years' average 

 of foddering horses, from the year 1825 to 1829, the fol- 

 lowing quantities are required to a head : — 



I 



M 

 »» 



Hav. 



Work- horse for 



a heavy train 10 lbs. 

 Ditto for a light 



train 



Stallion . 

 Chaise-horses 

 3 — 4 years old 

 2—3 years old 

 1 — 2 years old 

 4 — l year old 



i 



75 

 6-5 



6-5 

 4'5 



3/5 



2-5 



2 



Worth 

 in Hay. 



20 lbs. 

 15 



13 



13 



9 



7*5 

 5 

 4 



Mixture of 5 

 Hay & 3 Straw,! Worth 

 cut into Chaff. I of 



whole 



Wt. 



12 lbs. 4 lb?. 





10 



10 

 10 



10 

 8 



7 



5 



4 



4 

 4 

 4 

 3 

 3 

 25 



Worth 

 in Hay. 



in Hay. 



3* lbs. 

 3* 



M 



n 



H 



•2 





35ilbSv 



284 

 26* 

 26* 

 22* 

 IS 



Hi- 

 ll 



2nd 

 3rd 

 4th 



»» 



»» 



The lb. here is that of Bavaria, 5-6tbs of the English lb. 

 — Bur ger } s Economy of the Farm. 



Effects of Manures on Turnips. — I prepared for 

 Turnips a piece of five acres, of poor stiff clay, which 

 would otherwise have in the usual round lain fallow, with 

 5 different manures of nearly equal value, and put on, on 

 the same day and under exactly the same circumstances. 

 The results are placed in the following tabular form i — 



Acres. Manure. Produce. 



1st Ninety cart-loads of dung 300 bush. 



Eight cwt. guano, at 12*. 6d 640 



One ton of rape, cost 5/. 5*. .. .. 460 



One ton of urate prepared by the London ^ 

 Company, which cost 5/. in London, being I 

 more than double the quantity they re- f *» 



commend per acre J 



Forty bushels ground bones, cost5/. at Maid- \ , Q 

 stone j-480 „ 



Mr. Barnes, at the Maidstone Farmers' Club.—' 

 Maidstone Gazette. 



The Turnip. Fly.— I ascertained, by accident, that 

 the fly prefers other food to the Swede, and that the 

 reason why it is more difficult to obtain a plant of 

 Swedes than common Turnips is from being sown before 

 other species, at a season of the year when commonly 

 less rain falls than at a later period, and being slower in 

 growth, and less able to withstand the attack of the fly. 

 Over-feeding, whether from genial weather, excess of 

 manure, or thick seeding, will commonly insure a plant : 

 but sowing other seeds, as a decoy, is the most con- 

 venient, certain, and economical mode. The Turnip-fly 



5th 



abounds in woods, fences, and pastures. This, and 

 some other facts relating to their nature and habits, I 

 learned from the Rev. Mr. Kirby; and, acting on this 

 information, I drilled thick rows of common Turnips as 

 a decoy to catch them off, as practised by Mr. Paul, of 



