232 ON THE BLIGHT IN CORN. 



Though the It cannot be improper in this place to remark, that although 



corn afford little "^^ ^ eeds of wheat are rendered, by the exhaufting power of 

 flour, they are the fungus, fo lean and fhrivelled that fcarce any flour fit 

 fo a wtga? t°h d e f0r for the manufa <^ure or' bread can be obtained by grinding 

 plumpeft famples; them, thefe very feeds will, except, perhaps, in the very worft 

 cafes *, anfwer the purpofe of feed corn as well as the faireft 

 and plumpeft (ample that can be obtained, and, in fome 

 and are much refpe&s better; for as a bufhel of much blighted corn will 

 more numerous con t a in one-third at leaft more grains in number than a bufhel 

 meafure. °f plump corn, three bufliels of fuch corn will go as far in 



fowing land, as four bufliels of large grain. 

 The flour in the The ufe of the flour of corn in furthering the procefs of vege- 



ihnvelied grain tation, is to nourifli the minute plant from the time of i(s 



isamply fufficient r 



to nourifli the developement till its roots are able to attract food from the 



minute plants till manured earth ; for this purpofe one-tenth of the contents of 



they take root. .'--,;, . , , „, . ,„, . r 



a grain or good wheat is more than fufficient. The quantity or 



flour in wheat has been increafed by culture and management 



calculated to improve its qualities for the benefit of mankind, 



in the fame proportion as the pulp of apples and pears has 



been increafed by the fame means, above what is found on the 



wildings and crabs in the hedges. 



It is a wafteful It is cuftomary to fet afide or to purchafe for feed corn, the 



fhe^lumpVft 1 " folded and plumpeft fainples that can be obtained ; that is, 



grain for feed, tiiofe that contain the moft flour ; but this is unneceflary wade 



Thefmalleft of h fubfiftence ; the fmalleft jnains, fuch as are filled 



though unnc tor . ' . ',' . . 



the ml 'lire out before the wheat is carried to markel, and either con- 



e ? ua ' ly fe good ^ ^ umed in lhe ^ armer ' s Family, or given to his poultry, will be 

 found by experience to anfwer the purpofe of propagating the 

 fort from whence they fprung, as effectually as the largefl. 

 Arrangement of Every ear of wheat is compofed of a number of cups placed 

 ewo 6 f whLrt.* 11 alternately on each fide of the ftraw ; the lower ones contain, 

 The lower ones according to circumftances, three or four grains, nearly equal 



iSVu^the^ in flze » but towards ti,e ,0 P of lhe ear » vvl,ere lhe quantity of 



upper are not nutriment is diminifhed by the more ample lupply of thofq 



inferior as feed. CU p S t ^ at are nearer the root, the third or fourth grain in a 



cup is frequently defrauded of its proportion, and becomes 



* 80 grains of the mod blighted wheat of the lafl: year, th.-t 

 could be obtained, were fown in pots in the hot-houle j of thejfe, 

 feventy-two produced healthy plants, a lgfs of 10 per cent, only 



ftuiveled 



