G38 
Report  on  Wlteat-Mildeic. 
scientific  men  for  further  inquiry.  I am  aware  that,  as  a rule, 
iarmers  are  not  scientific  observers,  and  no  one  would  expect  to 
receive  from  them  conclusive  evidence  ; but  if  any  considerable 
number  should  be  found  to  concur  in  the  opinion  that  some 
particular  system  of  management  increases  the  chances  of 
mildew,  and  that  a different  system  has  been  found  less  dangerous, 
it  is  surely  worth  while  to  inquire  whether  these  opinions  have 
any  scientific  basis.  It  is  certainly  no  new  thing  for  agricultural 
chemists  to  discover  that  the  accumulated  experience  of 
generations  has  enabled  farmers  to  arrive  at  conclusions  which 
may  have  been  empirically  formed,  but  which  are,  nevertheless, 
scientifically  sound  and  good.  If  I wanted  an  instance  to  prove 
that  science  may  derive  some  aid  from  the  observations  of 
farmers,  I could  find  it  in  connection  with  this  very  subject. 
It  was  by  farmers  that  the  association  of  the  barberry  with 
mildew  was  suspected.  At  first,  as  is  frequently  the  case, 
scientific  men  derided  the  idea ; later  on,  they  condescended  to 
examine  it  more  closely  ; and  within  the  last  few  years  it  has,  I 
imagine,  been  conclusively  proved  that,  after  all,  the  farmer’s 
instinct  or  his  observation  had  led  to  a right  conclusion,  and 
that  the  barberry-tree  does  play  an  important  part  in  the  life- 
history  of  the  mildew  fungus. 
Having  laid  my  views  as  to  the  possible  benefit  to  be  derived 
from  a collection  of  the  opinions  of  experienced  farmers  on 
this  subject  before  the  Council  of  the  Royal  Agricultural  Society 
of  England,  I was  requested  by  the  Journal  Committee  to 
collect  such  information  as  I could,  and  to  lay  the  result  of  my 
inquiries  before  the  readers  of  this  ‘ Journal.’  In  order  to  carry  out 
this  object,  I drew  up,  with  the  assistance  of  Mr.  H.  M.  Jenkins, 
the  Secretary  to  the  Society,  a Circular  of  Inquiries,  a copy  of 
which  will  be  found  appended  to  this  paper.*  When  I prepared 
this  circular  I was  not  aware  of  the  fact  which  was  afterwards 
brought  under  my  notice,  viz.  that  Arthur  Young  had  in  1S04 
issued  a similar  circular  of  inquiries  on  the  subject  of  mildew. 
As  it  may  be  interesting  to  compare  the  two  sets  of  questions,  I 
have  given  a copy  of  his  queries.!  My  circular  having  been 
widely  distributed  throughout  the  country,  1 have  received  from 
numerous  correspondents  interesting  and  valuable  communi- 
cations in  reply.  I regret,  however,  to  have  to  state  that  a 
large  majority  of  those  who  received  copies  of  the  circular  did 
not  give  any  answer  to  it. 
I am  quite  aware  that  many  of  the  questions  which  I asked 
could  only  be  answered  by  those  who  had  made  careful  observa- 
tions and  kept  a record  of  them  ; in  point  of  fact  they  repre- 
App.  I.,  p.  GG4. 
t App.  III.,  p.  CSS. 
