316 
FOREIGN AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 
uct. There is, however, the possibility of mistake in 
the matter, and we suspend our judgment till further 
light is received on this interesting subject. 
“«I think it a very fit thing,’ says worthy Master 
Gerarde, e to adde in this place a rare observation of 
the transmutation of one species into another in 
plants; which, though it have beene observed in ancient 
times, as by Theophrastus, c De Caus. Plant.,’ lib. 3, c. 
16, whereas among others hee mentioned the change of 
Spelt into Oates, and by Virgil in these wordes— 
1 Grandia saope quibus mandavimus Hordea sulcis, 
Infelix Lolium, et steriles dominantur Avenae 
« c That is— 
* In furrows where good Barley we did sowe 
Nothing but Darnell and poor Oates do growe 
“ ‘ Yet none that I have read have observed that two 
severall graines, perfect in each respect, did grow at 
any time in one eare; the which I saw this yeare 
(1632) in an eare of White Wheat, which was found 
by my very good friend Mr. John Goodyer, a man 
second to none in his industrie and searching of plants, 
nor in his judgement or knowledge of them. This eare 
of Wheat was as large and faire as most are, and about 
the middle thereof grew three or four perfect Oates in 
all respects; which being hard to be found, I hold very 
worthy of setting downe, for some reasons not to be 
insisted on in this place.’ 
“What the good Gerarde’s e reasons not to be insisted 
on’ may have been, we are unable to discover. Per¬ 
haps he was afraid of being laughed at as a dreamer; 
or may be, he dreaded an indictment for heresy. Then, 
it is to be imagined, as now, the doctrine of the trans¬ 
mutation of grain was laughed to scorn; and we have 
numbered ourselves among the scorners. 
“ But are the scorners right ? Are we so very sure 
that one kind of grain has not been formed accidentally 
from another—that no room is left for argument or evi¬ 
dence ? Some years ago we should have said yes; we 
now say no. We now say that we are not so very sure 
about the matter, although we do still hold hard to the 
orthodox faith in the matter of species. What has 
unsettled our belief, and changed us from skeptics into 
doubters, is the extraordinary but certain fact, that in 
orchidaceous plants forms just as different as wheat, 
barley, rye, and oats, have been proved, by the most 
rigorous evidence, to be accidental variations of one 
common form, brought about no one knows how, but 
before our eyes, and rendered permanent by equally 
mysterious agency. Then, says Reason, if these incon¬ 
ceivable changes have been proved to occur among 
orchidaceous plants, why should they not also occur 
among grain plants; for it is not likely that such vaga¬ 
ries will be confined to one little group in the vegetable 
kingdom; it is far more rational to believe them to be 
a part of the general system of the creation. 
“And then arises the puzzling question of—Where 
do the- grain plants come from—what country gave 
them birth—where are they still to be met with in 
their savage haunts? History says nowhere. The 
origin of wheat is wholly unknown; so is that of oats. 
Rye is said to occur wild in some of the Caucasian 
provinces, but that is doubtful; and the barley which 
was found by Col. Chesney in Mesopotamia may have 
been the remains of cultivation. How then can we be 
sure that wheat, rye, oats, and barley, are not all ac¬ 
cidental offsets from some unsuspected species ? 
“ A gentleman who lately travelled in Germany was 
assured, that if oats are sown early, not allowed to 
produce ears for the first year, but compelled by artifi¬ 
cial means to defer their earing till the second, they 
will change to other sorts of grain. A seemingly more 
monstrous proposition never emanated from the father 
of paradox. Nevertheless, there could be no harm in 
putting the statement to the proof. The Marquess of 
Bristol has done so. At his lordship’s request, the 
Rev. Lord Arthur Hervey, in the year 1843, sowed a 
handful of oats, treated them in the manner recom¬ 
mended, by continually stopping the flowering stems, 
and the produce in 1844 has been for the most part 
ears of a very slender barley, having much the appear¬ 
ance of rye, with a little wheat, and some oats; sam¬ 
ples of which are, by favor of Lord Bristol, now before 
us. What is to be inferred from this ? 
“ But, it will be said, has the question been fairly 
tried ? The mode was this:—A handful of oats was 
taken out of a manger, sown in a garden, diligently 
cared for, and finally reaped. As oats do not usually 
consist of a mixture of barley, wheat, and oats, it 
could not be swspected that any error would so arise, 
more especially since the barley that has been raised is 
not exactly barley, for it is longer and thinner—nor 
rye, for it wants the structure of that sort of grain. 
Nevertheless, there is the possibility of error; and 
therefore the experiment will be repeated with every 
precaution, and we hope to be allowed to report the 
result. 
“ In the meanwhile it would be as well if a good many 
persons would try the experiment in different parts of 
the country. The question is, whether by any means 
wheat, oats, barley, and rye, can be made to change 
into each other ? The Germans say that it will happen 
if oats are sown early, and prevented flowering till the 
second year. Gerarde says that he saw it happen to 
some extent, though he did not know how. Is this true 
or not ?” 
Disease in Potatoes. —This disease seems to be as 
destructive in Great Britain, Ireland, France, Germany, 
Holland, and Russia, as in our own country, and is 
attributed to many causes. The remedies suggested 
are—to keep such as are intended for seed deep buried 
in the ground all winter; thoroughly draining and sub¬ 
soiling the land where planted; to pit them in small 
quantities; to select seed for planting not quite ripe, 
and such as have not the slightest appearance of being 
watery; liming the land; obtaining new seed, either 
from planting potato balls, or from some distant country 
where they grow in a healthy state; after digging, 
spread the potatoes in the sun till they become dry and 
unfit for food, then stow them away till required for 
planting; top dressing the plant with nitrate of soda, 
and sulphate of soda and magnesia; selecting such 
tubers for seed as grow near the top of the ground and 
are quite green; to plant the seed whole. 
Show of the Yorkshire Agricultural Society. —This 
took place at Richmond on the 7th of August. The 
exhibition of stock at this large and influential Society 
is usually superior to that of the Royal Agricultural 
Society shows, unless held near Yorkshire. We per¬ 
ceive that Mr. Bates of Kirkleavington took the first 
prize of .£25 ($125) for the best bull of any age with 
his Cleveland Lad 2d, calved March, 1838—sire Short- 
Tail, dam by Matchem. The prize for the best cow of 
any age, £20, was awarded to Mr. Crofton of Holy- 
well, Durham,—Rosey, bred by John Colling—calved 
May, 1839, sire Borderer, dam by Gainford. 
Show of the Highland Agricultural Society of Scot¬ 
land. —This was held at Glasgow, August 14th. The 
exhibition was as usual numerously attended, and a 
greatly increased number of animals on the ground. 
Among other things not common at such places, we 
notice Alpacas, a fine display of Poultry, Butter, 
Cheese, and an Arab stallion of high cast. 
