SMUT. 



table affeftion by fir John Call, who fiippofes, that the 

 fmut is occafioned by certain animalcula depofited in the 

 hufks of the ear, when the wheat h in bloflbm, which are 

 fed and brought to perfedion by devouring the milky 

 iuice, and obferves, that were the difeafc radical in the 

 original grain of the feed-wheat, or infeffious from the 

 juice arifmg through the pores and tubes of the ttalk, there 

 could not be in the fame ear, grains, fome decayed and 

 others quite perfeft. But to bring the matter to the tel^ 

 of experiment, he collefted a quantity of fmutted ears of 

 wheat, in fome of which were two or more grains apparently 

 perfeft, all which he caufed to be rubbed out with the 

 hand in a bag, fmut and altogether ; the frefh grains found 

 in the bag were then fown in a particular ridge amonglt 

 other wheat, in a field under tillage. Their growth from 

 the firll was fimilar to the reft of the wheat ; and from a 

 certificate of refpeftable farmers, it appears their produce 

 was as free from fmut, as that of the field in general. And 

 hence the conclufion is drawn, that wafhing or pickling 

 wheat, as a remedy againft the fmut, is unnecefTarjr and ufe- 

 lefs • and that as bhghts and other difeafes of plants are 

 more prevalent from circumftances in fome feafons than in 

 others, fo the fmut is an accident of a like nature, which 

 mankind can neither forefee nor prevent. The general 



experience of farmers is, however, in oppofition to this 

 fuppofition. And whether this vegetable difeafe may be 

 produced by infefts, or be the effeft of fome other caufe, 

 to many of which it has been afcribed by different philo- 

 fophical inquirers ; the moft general praftice of farmers 

 has been that of preparing their feed by the means of fome 

 fort of wafhing or brining. The following is a tabular 

 view of the relults of trials made with different fteeps, in 

 order to afcertain their utility in this intention, as well as 

 in promoting the growth of the grain, as given by Mr. 

 Bevan, in the 9th volume of the " Agricultural Magazine." 

 It contains twelve famples of fmutty wheat, and the fame 

 number of found good wheat, iteeped in twelve different 

 folutions of the moft common acids and alkalies, and falts, 

 moft readily procured. The wheat was fown at Leighton, 

 Bedfordfhire, on a fandy foil. The folutions were all made 

 cold, and the famples continued about twenty-four hours 

 in iteep. The columns marked A are the refults from the 

 good wheat, and thofe marked B are from the fmutty 

 famples. It may be obferved, that neitl.er of the famples 

 fteeped in the folutions of nitric acid cair.e up, excepting a 

 fingle corn in the good fample, and which produced above 

 1200 corns from it. 



Kinds of Subftances vSei. 



I. 



2. 



3- 

 4- 

 5- 

 6. 



7- 

 8. 



9- 

 10. 

 1 1. 

 12. 

 13- 



Solution of potafh 



of muriate of potafh 



of nitrate of potafh 



of foda 



of murate of foda 



of fulphate of foda 



of muriate of ammonia 



of common foot 



of lime faturated 



of nitric acid 



of muriatic acid 



of fulphuric acid 



Dry in its natural ilate 

 Wafhed in common water 



Specific 

 Gravity of 

 ihe Solution. 



Number of 

 fraulty Kars in 

 Three Sheaves. 



'•357 

 1.097 

 1.080 

 1.056 

 1.089 

 1.047 

 1.026 

 1.025 

 1.003 

 1.016 



I.OII 



1.050 



I 

 3 

 7 

 9 



12 

 1 



6 



.\'oiie ? 

 fo-,v!>. 5 



B. 



81 



218 



IIS 



159 



290 



241 

 150 

 123 



2 

 136 



323 

 107 



Bufhels of gooil W^hedl, 

 per Acre. 



A. 

 21.6 



20.2 



23.8 



20.2 

 24.0 



21.6 



19.8 



20.8 



21.9 



2.07 

 2.04 



20.3 



B. 



13.6 



10. 1 



14-3 

 11.7 

 14.5 



12-3 



17.6 

 11.4 

 12.4 



16.1 

 17.8 

 14.7 

 18.3 



C»is. of Straw, per .Acre. 



36^6 

 36 O 



36-9 



35-6 

 41.5 



38.5 

 35-4 



34-8 

 38-7 



35-7 

 35-4 



35-7 



B. 



29.1 

 21.1 



31-9 

 26.7 



33-3 

 27.8 

 30.2 



25-3 

 25.9 



34-1 

 37-1 

 311 



35-8 



But M. de LigneroUe contends, that the fureft means of 

 avoiding fmut, and that which he has long praftifed with 

 fuccefs on upwards of three hundred acres of land, is to 

 change the feed every year, to be very careful that the feed- 

 corn be well dried and thoroughly ripe, and that it be not 

 fmutty, nor have any fmutty powder fticking to it. He 

 then pours boiling-water on quick-lime, in a large tub ; and 

 after the ebullition is over, as much cold water as there was 

 hot, and itirs it all ftrongly together, in order to difl'olve 

 and thoroughly mix the lime. The quantity of wheat in- 

 tended to be fowed is fprinkled with this ley, and then well 

 ftirred with a fhovel, and laid in as high a heap as poflible. 

 It is beft, he fuppofes, to keep the grain for a week after 

 this preparation, turning it every day ; for otherwife it 

 would heat fo as to deftroy the germ. By thefe means he 

 has not had any fmut, when the fields around him have been 

 infefted with that diftemper. And Mr. Donat, near- Ro- 

 thelle, has ufed the followiHg with fuccefs : take quick-lime 

 and pigeons'-dung, of each twenty -five pounds, forty pounds 

 of wood-alhes, and twenty-five pounds of fea-falt, or falt- 



petre. Put all thefe into a tub large enough to hold half 

 a hogfhead of common water, which fhould be added to 

 them. Stir them all well with a ftick, till the lime is quite 

 diffolved. This ley will keep fome time without fpoiling. 

 It muft be ftirred juft before the corn is fteeped in it. The 

 grain is then put into a bafket, and plunged into the ley, 

 where it remains till it has thoroughly imbibed it ; after 

 which it is taken out, and laid in a heap till it is quite 

 drained of all its moifture : or, which is a ftill better way, 

 take a mafhing-tub, fill it with grain to within four inches 

 of the brim, and then pour in the ley well ftirred before-hand. 

 When the tub is full, let the ley run out at the bottom into 

 fome other veftel, in order to ufe it again for more corn. 

 Let the grain be then taken out and laid in a heap to drain ; 

 and continue in this manner to fteep all the feed-corn. The 

 wheat, thus prepared, may be fowed the next day, and muft 

 not be kept, above five or fix days, for fear of its heating. 

 This quantity of ley will ferve to prepare more than twenty 

 bufhels of wheat. Mr. TuU has alfo long fince obferved, 

 that brining and changing the feed are the general remedies 



for 



