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XVIII. of a Letter from the Able 
Pluche to Dr. Mortimer, Sec. R. S. concern^ 
ing the Smut of Corn. Dranjlated from the 
French hy T. S. M. D> F. R. S. 
SIR, Raris, 06 f. 24. 1736. N.S. 
I Have lately pafTed fome Months in the Country, 
where I have had the Satisfadion to read in the 
great Book (Nature), which far exceeds all our Li- 
braries; and I made feveral fmall Obfervations, 
among which are the following: 
I. Having with the Alliftance of the Microfcope 
viewed the Smut of Corn, I obferved the S.talks 
were all fpotted and pricked with fmall Burnings : 
Now as the Smut happens after a fine Rain followed 
by a bright Sun-fhine, the Caufe of this Evil is, that 
the Focus of thofe very fmall Drops is juft near them, 
and on the Stalk that fupports them : Wherefore the 
Suns Rays, colleded in this Point, muft there burn ; 
which dries up the Stalk, and prevents the Ear from 
graining. 
The fecond B^emark is on the Corn that grows up 
into Ears, the Grains of which are for the moft part 
full of Meal quite black. Wirh the Mierbfeope I 
faw, all round or above thefe black Grains, fmall 
long Bodies, rolled up, and having each a Pedicle ; 
which I found to be the Flowers, that could not 
reach their due Form, or come forth and ripen ; fo 
that the Grain, being deprived of this Help, could 
not develop its Germ, and produced only a black 
Meal, for want of the unfolding of certain VefleJs. 
Z z 2 The 
