90 
THE CULTIVATOR 
eludes with observing, that smut powder is highly infectious, and 
recommends leys of lime, salt-petrc, alum, verdigris, salt, and 
wood ashes. Lord Somerville was of the opinion, that the disease 
was occasioned by an insect. In the course of his researches, by 
using highly magnifying lenses, and by concentating the light of 
the sun on the smut ball, by means of a concave mirror, he disco¬ 
vered that the specks on the ball were real insects, resembling 
wood-lice in shape. lie then conceived, that when the smut pow¬ 
der comes in contact with sound grains, it adheres to them, and 
inoculates them, so as to render the plant incapable of pioducing 
any thing but smut. Linnaeus, Walker, and other naturalists, 
were of the same opinion, that insects caused the smut. Sir H. 
Davy was of opinion, that smut is produced by a small fungus on 
the grain, as the products it affords by chemical analysis are simi¬ 
lar to those afforded by the puff-ball, and thinks that without the 
agency of some organized structure, so complete a change could 
not be effected in the constitution of the grain. Wildenow thought 
that smut proceeded from a fungus, which multiplied so as to oc¬ 
cupy the whole ear. Prevost ascribes it to a microscopic vegeta¬ 
ble of some sort; and Jussieu says, the proximate cause of smut 
may be attributed to infection of the seed, by the dust of the smut 
ball, (Lycoperdon.) Bauer, of Kew, whose remarks on the grain 
worm we quoted in our 2d and 6th numbers, says the smut “is oc¬ 
casioned by a very minute parasitic fungus, of the genus uredo, 
being absorbed by the roots of the germinating wheat grains, and 
propelled by the rising sap, long before the wheat blossoms, into 
the young germen or ovum, where the seeds of the fungi vegetate, 
and rapidly multiply ; thereby preventing not only the fecundation 
of the ovum, but even the development of the parts of fructifica¬ 
tion. In consequence no embryo is produced in an affected ger¬ 
men, which however continues to grow as long as the sound grains 
do, and, when the sound grains arrive at maturity, the affected 
ones are generally larger than, and are easily distinguished from, 
the sound ones, by their darker green colour, and from the ova re¬ 
taining the same shape and form which they had at the time the 
infection took place. 
The preventives of the disease are numerous, and most of them 
within the reach of our farmers. They are generally such as are 
calculated to destroy any noxious qualify adhering to seed grain, 
be it the seeds of minute parasitic plants or of animalcula. Tull 
has related, that the use of salt brine as a pickle was discovered 
by the sowing of wheat steeped in salt water, and which escaped 
smut, when nearly all the wheat in England was affected. A so¬ 
lution of nitre, copperas and potash, in the proportion of eight 
pounds to 100 pints of water; arsenic; a decoction of tobacco, 
hellebore powder and aloes; a mixture of water, wood ashes, alum, 
vitriol and verdigris, boiled for an hour, have been all recommend¬ 
ed with confidence. In Norlolk, England, the salt is dissolved in 
a small quantity of water, just sufficient for the purpose; lime is 
slaked with this solution, and the wheat is dried with it in its hot¬ 
test state, having been previously moistened with pure water. In 
Yorkshire one ounce of white arsenic, finely powdered, is boiled in 
a gallon of water for two hours, and stale urine is added to in¬ 
crease the quantity to two gallons, then the wheat is steeped in the 
liquor and encrusted with quick-lime. In parts of England and Scot¬ 
land, stale urine, free of any mixture, is generally used ; and in a 
practice of forty years, Messrs. Gulleys used this preparation, and 
never had any smut. Mr. Donaldson made sixteen experiments with 
seed impregnated with smut powder, and sowed some without any 
preparation, and the residue steeped in preparations of arsenic, 
vitriol, chamber ley and lime. That sown without preparation was 
one-half and five-sixths (being two parcels) smutty, while that 
steeped in chamber ley and limed had but one smutty ear in forty- 
six. Mr. Bauer expresses a strong conviction, from repeated ex¬ 
periments, that steeping the seed in properly prepared lime-water, 
for at least twelve hours, and then to dry it well in the air before 
sowing it, is the surest way to prevent smut. 
It is the practice of many of our farmers, to steep the seed grain 
in lime-water, and though it does not wholly prevent smut in all ca¬ 
ses, it certainly has a highly salutary effect in lessening the evil. 
Our practice has been, to steep the seed twelve hours in salt pickle, 
and then encrust with quick-lime; and when we have adopted this 
course no smut has been perceptible. Wherever experiments are 
make with steeps, it is well to sow a quart or two of seed without 
any preparation, the better to test the benefits of the steep. We 
hope our farmers will test the efficacy of steeps with their seed grain, 
and particularly those of lime and salt; and if they will make accu¬ 
rate notes, and communicate to us, after the next harvest, the result 
of their experiments, not only in regard to smut, but the grain worm, 
we may hope to make the Cultivator the medium of much useful in¬ 
formation upon these important subjects. 
We repeat the admonition, to use fresh burnt lime, where prac¬ 
ticable. Lime long exposed to the atmosphere loses in a great mea¬ 
sure its causticity ; by absorbing carbonic acid, it is restored to the 
state of lime-stone or chalk, and its alkaline qualities ar completely 
neutralized. 
COMPARATIVE VALUE OF ROOTS FOR FATTENING FARM STOCK. 
The Agricultural Society of Scotland awarded to Andrew How- 
den, in 1832, a premium, for a report of experiments on the compa¬ 
rative advantages of feeding stock with mangel wurzel, turnips and 
potatoes. We abstract the result of the experiment for the Culti¬ 
vator, from the Prize Essays of the Society. 
Mr. Howden, with a view to the experiment, set apart the pro¬ 
ducts of two acres of mangel wurzel, amounting to fifty tons, five 
acres of Swedish turnips, being 140 tons, and two acres of pota¬ 
toes, weighing 29 tons 4 cwt. The experiment was made with 21 
head of cattle, which received, in adddition to the roots, a few dis¬ 
tiller’s grains and a little straw. The following table shows the 
roots appropriated to each lot, and their monthly increase in girth. 
Lot No. 1, from one 
acre of potatoes, i Lot No. 2, from one 
one acre of man-) acre potatoes 2, 
gel wurzel, one) acres Swedish 
acre of Swedish turnips, 
turnips. 
Lot No. 3, from one 
acre mangel wttr- 
zel, 2acres Swe¬ 
dish turnips. 
1831, Nov. 30, 
35 ft. 8 inches, 35 ft. 9 inches, 
35 ft. 8 inches. 
Dec. 30, 
36 “ 6 “ 
36 “ 7 “ 
36 “ 6 
1832, Jan. 30, 
38 “ 2 “ 
38 “ 4 “ 
38 “ 2 “ 
March 1, 
39 “ 7 “ 
39 “ 8 “ 
39 “ 6 “ 
“ 30, 
40 “ 8 “ 
40 “ 10 “ 
40 “ 6 “ 
April 30, 
41 “ 4 “ 
41 “ 7 
41 “ 3 “ 
Twenty-eight tons of Swedish turnips and mangel wurzel with¬ 
drawn and fed to other stock. 
On Uie 30th of Jan. Mr. Howden took a pair of cattle out of each 
lot, and fed No. 1 with potatoes and water, No. 2 he fed with Swe¬ 
dish turnips, and No. 3 with mangel wurzel. The following shows 
their relative increase in girth in three months. 
Lot No. 1. 
Lot No. 2. 
Lot No. 3. 
potatoes. 
Swedish turnips. 
mangel wurzel. 
1832, Jan. 
30,.. 
10 
ft. S inches, 
10 ft. 5 inches, 
10 ft. 4 inches. 
April 
30,.. 
11 
“ 6 “ 
11 “ 3 “ 
11 “ 2 “ 
When the cattle were sold, the purchasers ageed that the lot 
fed on Swedish turnips were from 7 to 10s. a head better than the 
other lots. The average advance upon the original value of each 
was £6 12; and the cost of grain being deducted, there remained 
£120 ($532.80) in return for the eight acres produce consumed. 
This is no bad evidence of the profits of root culture, in the fat¬ 
tening of cattle; and we hope it will help to extend this culture 
among us. 
MANURES. 
Manures are the food of plants. They are to the vegetable what 
grain and hay are to the animal kingdom—the materials which 
give growth and profit. Every vegetable and animal substance is 
susceptible of being converted into the food of plants; and should 
be as carefully husbanded by the farmer, as the food destined to 
sustain and fatten his farm stock. From these considerations we 
have devoted a portion of the Cultivator to this branch of improve¬ 
ment ; and we intend to extend our remarks, occasionally, to the 
various matters which are employed as manures, or which are 
available to our farmers. In doing this we shall avail ourselves of 
the experience of others, together with such hints as our own prac¬ 
tice may suggest. 
Salt .—Much has been said in favor and against the use of 
salt in imparting fertility to lands. In the Farmers’ Series of the 
Library of Useful Knowledge, numerous experiments are cited, in 
many of which the application was of manifest advantage, not on¬ 
ly in imparting fertility, but in destroying noxious insects and noxi- 
