Book VIII. land of BARBADOS, 
Should it be afked, If this Blaft is occafioned by Worms, how comes it 
to pafs, that the adjoining, and often the intermixt Corn and Pulfe fhould 
be free from it ? it may be eafily accounted for from fimilar Inftances in 
England, where the fmall Worms, caufing the Blight or Blaft, which deftroys 
the tender Buds of Apple-trees, never affects the Pear or Cherry-trees, tho’ 
in the fame Orchard ; for, in all Probability, neither of thefe affords a proper 
Nourifhment for them. 
Having thus, till better Reafons are offered, fhewed the Nature of the 
Difeafe, the next Thing neceflary will be to look fora Cure, 
Foc Opus, bic Labor eft. 
Various are the laudable Endeavours to this End, which the Inquifitive 
in this and the neighbouring Iflands have made; but, alas! made in vain : 
Therefore, as this Difeafe hath been hitherto of the Number of thofe which are 
incurable, and almoft literally as deftru@tive to us, and our neighbouring 
Iflands, as the Locufts were to the Egyptians ; a ftudious Attempt to remove 
fo great an Evil, will, I dare fay, meet’ with the Approbation of every Well- 
wither to our Wef?-India Wlands ; efpecially fince what I have to offer upon 
this Subject 1s attended with the ftrongeft Probability of Succefs: And as it 
requires very little Expence, and lefs Labour, I may with more Confidence 
venture to recommend it to the Public. 
When the Canes appear to be firft infe@ted, which happens generally when 
they are young, take an equal Quantity of Brimftone, Aloes, and. the Bark 
of bitter Wood ; let thefe be put in the Middle of a Bundle of wet Straw 3 
the Whole muft be put in a Cradle of Wire as large or larger than the Crown 
of an Hat, made Lattice or Neét-fathion ; this is to be faftened to a wooden 
Handle of convenient Length, and kept to the Windward of the infe@ed 
Bunch of Cane, having firft fet the inclofed Combuftibles on Fire; and hold- 
ing it there till the thick Smoke hath for fome time penetrated among all the 
infected Blades, and fo on to the reft, for a few Mornings and Evenings: This 
by its very Nature cannot fail of killing thofe minute Animalcules, as well as 
deftroying thofe that are inEmbryo in thofe downy WVidus’s already men- 
tioned. Experience, which is the moft convincing of Proofs, gives a {trong 
Sanction to this Method; for we find, that the Smoke of Brimftone, in an in- 
clofed Room full of Flour, peftered with Wevils, will, in a few Minutes, 
intirely deftroy them. If then Wevils, which have a {trong fcaly Covering, 
and are grown to their full Strength, can be thus deftroyed; how much 
more probable is.it, that fuch tender fmall Animalcules may likewife, in the 
fame manner, be deftroyed? If it be faid, that in the former the Smoke is more 
confined, it muft likewife be confidered, that a far weaker Degree of this 
fulphureous Smoke will deftroy Animals of a far weaker T exture, and per- 
haps of but a few Days old. “The Neceffity and Ufe of the other Ingre- 
dients of the fame Nature are too evident to be further explained. 
The Cane-plant being defcribed, and the Difeafes of it confidered, and a 
more than probable Remedy propofed, I fhall proceed barely to touch on the 
Method of making Sugar. 
Recer The 
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