Report  on  Wheat-Mildew. 
083 
Abstract  of  Replies  received  in  Answer  to  Inquiries  as  to  Prevalence  of 
Mildew,  and  the  Conditions  under  which  it  is  Developed — continued. 
i. 
COUN'TT. 
78.  Wilts 
79.  Wilts 
ii. 
Name  and  Address 
of 
Correspondent. 
Attwater, 
J.  G., 
Britford , 
Salisbury. 
III. 
Reply  to  Queries  as 
to  Prevalence  of 
Mildew. 
This  locality 
has,  but  not 
this  farm. 
Carpenter,  J., 
Burcombe, 
Salisbury. 
I do  not  suffer 
so  much  as 
some. 
IV. 
Extracts  from  Replies  to  other  Questions. 
In  1839  I was  on  a farm  when  the 
wheat  and  meadow  grass  were 
much  injured  by  mildew.  The 
wheat  was  grown  after  two 
green  crops  in  succession.  I 
grew  16  crops  of  wheat  on  the 
Cotswolds,  and  never  had  mil- 
dew. When  I entered  the  farm 
I was  told  I should  never  have 
it  if  I kept  the  hedges  clear  of 
barberry-bushes,  which  of  course 
I did;  there  I used  nitrate  of 
soda  and  salt  freely,  and  with 
success.  From  there  I moved 
to  a farm  14  miles  north  of  this, 
and  followed  the  same  course ; 
got  mildew  a bit  the  first  season 
on  oats  and  wheat;  not  much 
the  second  ; tried  again,  wheat 
and  oats  suffered  severely  ; bar- 
ley, the  straw  was  worthless 
and  grain  inferior.  This  was 
1864,  ’65,  ’66,  and  I have  not 
dressed  an  acre  of  corn  with 
nitrate  of  soda  for  fear  since. 
A large,  good,  and  successful 
farmer  told  me  that  on  a strong 
wheat  and  bean  soil  he  tried 
Talavera  with  great  success  the 
first  year;  sowed  all  his  wheat 
field  with  it  the  next  year,  when' 
it  was  so  mildewed  that  he 
never  would  sow  that  sort  again, 
and  he  added,  that  if  he  had,  the 
last  bushel  of  it  he  would  send 
to  the  miller. 
The  following  circumstances  are 
favourable  to  the  production  of 
mildew : A wet  and  sunless 
summer,  a southern  aspect, 
late  sowing,  a thin  plant,  and 
a top-dressing  of  nitrate  of 
soda.  I do  not  fancy  that  one 
sort  of  wheat  is  more  liable 
than  another,  but  many  of  my 
neighbours  declare  that  Square 
Head  is. 
2 y 2 
