8 



On the Diseases of Wheat. 



ground to be more carefully tended than the rest, for the pur- 

 pose of securing good and perfectly clean seed. Among other 

 reasons for such a practice, he would then be able to weed his 

 crop from every plant infected with bunt or smut, before the fungi 

 ripened. The benefit of steeping wheat, in some mixture or 

 other, being thoroughly established, but it being still uncertain to 

 what cause the success of this practice should be attributed, a few 

 experiments might be undertaken, with a view to determine this 

 point. These would tend to point out which of the numerous 

 substances now in use were most likely to be really serviceable, 

 and which of them might advantageously be dispensed with. I 

 shall therefore venture to suggest, in the following sketch, the 

 kind of experiments that may be called for ; and they may readily 

 be added to, or improved upon, by those who are willing to in- 

 terest themselves in this inquiry. A parcel of thoroughly bunted 

 or smutted seed should be divided into a number of small packets, 

 each of the same weight ; or if very small, each containing the 

 same number of grains. When any of these packets are steeped 

 or washed, the floated grains, and the fungi which rise to the 

 surface, may be kept apart for separate experiments, being care- 

 fully labelled " F. ] ," " F. 2," &c.-, to show that they were obtained 

 from the packets of seeds, " No. 1," " No. 2," &c. by this process. 



No. 1. Seeds unwashed, to serve as a comparative experiment. . 



— 2. Washed in cold water only — (2*) in scalding water. 



— 3. Washed in water with lime, the proportions specified. 



— 4. Washed in water and brine. 



(a) Mixed in the proportion of 2 water to 1 saturated brine. 



Ch) "> ■) 53 •> ■) 1 3> 1 



(c) , , , , , , 1 J » 2 , , 



(d) Saturated brine. 



— 5. Washed in sulphate of copper. 



— 6. Sprinkled, but not washed, with lime. 



Another set of experiments may be prepared with clean corn, to 

 be infected with the floated fungi obtained in washing the above. 



No. 1. Rubbed with — 



(a) F. 2, to serve as a comparative experiment. 



(b) F. 3. 



(c) F. 4. 



(d) F. 5. 



Another set may be prepared with clean corn, which should 

 first be steeped in different solutions, and then rubbed with the 

 fungi obtained by simply washing in water (No. 2). 



No. 8. Steeped in lime, and rubbed with F. 2. 



— 9. , , brine and do. 



— 10. , , sulphate of copper and do. 



