412 



THE WHEAT CULTHRIST. 



of smnt, while that which was sown without under- 

 going this process was much diseased. The following 

 experiments were made at Lord Chesterfield's farm of 

 Bradlj Hall, in Derbyshire : The first was on a peck of 

 verj smutty wheat, one-half which was sown in the 

 state it was bought, and the other washed in three 

 waters, steeped two hours in brine strong enough to 

 float an egg, and then limed. The result was, that two- 

 thirds of the wheat grown from the unwashed seed was 

 smutty, while that produced by the steeped and limed 

 seed had not a single ear of smut. The second experi- 

 ment was made ujDon some very fijie wheat, perfectly 

 free from smut. A quart of this was washed in three 

 waters, to make it perfectly clean ; it was then put for 

 two days into a bag in which was some black dust of 

 smutty grain ; and the result was, that a large portion 

 of wheat thus sown was smutty, while out of twenty 

 acres sown with the same grain, not inoculated, not one 

 smutty ear was found. Mr. Taylor, Jr., of Ditching- 

 liam, near Bungary, rubbed a number of ears of wheat 

 with the powder of smut, having moistened them to 

 make the powder adhere ; one-half of these were washed, 

 wetted with chamber lye, and limed. A similar quan- 

 tity of dry wheat was then procm^ed, the whole being 

 dibbled, each parcel by itself. The produce of the in- 

 fected wheat was three-fourths smut ; the same infected 

 wheat, stee^Ded and limed, was perfectly sound. The 

 contagious smut-powder adheres to sacks and barns with 

 which it has been in contact ; it attaches itself to the 

 straw and chaff", and is thus probably in many instances 

 carried from the barn and stable doors, when the dung 

 is taken green to the fields, without being properly 

 turned and fermented. The infection may indeed be 



