664 THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



from tins cause, cannot be computed. We are 

 afraid that the agricultural department of the 

 above Office, will never be able to do good 

 enough to counterbalance this evil. From eve- 

 ry quarter, we have heard complaints, of one 

 kind and another, regarding the seeds sent out. 

 Mr. Negley, of Pittsburgh, says that seeds of 

 noxious weeds are frequently found in the pack- 

 ages. We have enough of those from Europe 

 already. 



There cannot be care enough taken to pro- 

 cure pure seeds for distribution. They should 

 be perfectly clear of everything that is not 

 strictly beneficial ; but unfortunately there 

 seems to be recklessness or incompetency some- 

 where, for things are done in a manner that if 

 practiced by the employee of a merchant, would 

 end in his summary ejection from ofl&ce. But 

 the servants of the people are too often the peo- 

 ple's masters, and seem to care little whether 

 the sovereigns have an interest in how things 

 are done. 



We do not like to find fault ; but where the 

 agricultural interests of our country are likely 

 to be aflected, we mast complain. The interest 

 of the farmers is more to us than that of all 

 the office-holders in the United States. With 

 the former we have everything in common ; 

 Avith the latter, nothing. 



To those who receive packages of seed from 

 any source, we say examine carefully, and if 

 like the "Large White Soft Tuscan Wheat, 

 from Ital}^," it contains an injurious insect, or 

 even find it mixed with seeds of noxious weeds, 

 if the latter cannot be separated, give it to the 

 flames — it is safest there. — Ohio Farmer. 



For the Southern Planter. 



Mildew or Rust in Wheat. 



I enclose two interesting papers on the sub- 

 ject of Mildew or Rust, copied from the 2d vol. 

 of the "Memories of the Philadelphia Agricul- 

 tural Society," which [ hope you will find room 

 for in the Planter. From the second paper I 

 omitted a paragraph or two that did not seem 

 to be of much importance. These two papers 

 are upon a subject of vast moment to the wheat 

 growers of the State. In this county, I am 

 satisfied the wheat crop has been diminished 

 this year fifty per cent, by rust. There has 

 been nothing like it since the harvest of 1840. 

 In that year, I remember, I did not cut more 

 than the third of my crop. 



I am not aware of any publication more sat- 

 isfactorily accounting for the phenomenon of 

 rust than " the thoughts upon mildew,'^ albeit 

 they are nearly a century old. 



My observation concurs entirely with the 

 views of the "New Englander," in reference 

 to the circumstances under which rust occurs : 

 that is, that it is produced by a sudden change 

 from warm to cool weather. And this change 

 of temperature in addition to the "stagnation 

 of the juices/' has a tendency to contract the 



sap vessels, thereby diminishing their size. — 

 And thus two causes conspire to produce extra- 

 vasation, one the stagnation (if the sap, and the 

 other the lessened capacity of the sap-vessels. 



The remedies suggested are impracticable, 

 except upon a very small scale, even if they 

 were efficacious. 



Now, whether the rust is merely the " extra- 

 vasated sap of the plant dried by the sun,'' or 

 a fungus, the seeds of which find in such sap 

 a congenial "bed," I am not competent to de- 

 termine. But as there seems to be a general 

 concurrence in the fact that the bursting of the 

 sap vessels, is an essential cause of rust, it must 

 be evident that any process of culture, which 

 by the application of mineral or other manures, 

 or in any other manner, adds strength to the 

 straw, by enabling the plant, vrhile growing, to 

 appropriate a larger amount of silex (sand) from 

 the soil would have the effect of preventing 

 extravasation of the sap, by enabling the ves- 

 sels to resist the pressure upon them. It is well 

 known that sand is always found in the straw 

 of grain, and I believe in the cuticle or epider- 

 mis. In some species of cane and bamboo, it 

 is found in considerable quantities. It appears 

 to me, then, that if it were possible, by any ap- 

 plication, to enable wheat to absorb a much 

 larger quantity of sand, it would in a great de- 

 gree prevent rust. What those applications 

 ought to be — if there are any — I am not compe- 

 tent to state. It is a proper subject for scien- 

 tific investigation. 



I, however, Avill suggest a dressing of wood 

 ashes or lime, as I have known spots v^^hich had 

 accidentally been heavily dressed with those 

 substances, entirely to escape rust, when other 

 parts of the field were much injured. T. 



Augusta Co., Sept. 22. 



Letter from Timothj Pickering on Mildew. 



Washington, Jan. 1, 1810. 



Dear Sir: — In a conversation with you on 

 mildews, I mentioned a short and very inge- 

 nious dissertation on the subject, which I had 

 often quoted on like occasion, and which I pro- 

 mised to send you. It was published in a Bos- 

 ton newspaper in the year 1708 ; and the pa- 

 pers for the year being bound in a volume, it 

 was fortunately preserved. 



A few days since I received the enclosed 

 copy transcribed at my request. It gives the 

 only satisfiictory solution of the phenomenon 

 of mildews that I have ever met with. Sir Jo- 

 seph Banke's discoveries (admitting their real- 

 ity) did not abate ray faith in the correctness of 

 the " New Englandman's" theory. Sir Joseph's 

 (to the naked eye) invisible seeds of^ fungi, find, 

 in the extravasated juices of the leaves and 

 stalks of grain, a bed adapted to their nature, 

 in -which they vegetate. Those seeds floating 

 in the air, and striking against the clammy 

 juices of those plants, would of course be there 

 held fast and take root. 



If you have visited the woods of Pennsylva- 



