Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1820-05-26
ANTHONY LAWSON.
70. g. ..MR. w. II. PLEASANTS, ONTHE
SMUT IN WHEAT

ON 4 IN lEAi.
10 Dr.. Joaa adams, Secretary of tie 4sricunuraI
Society RichmOHd.
With Il view 10 eXlend the knowledge Of
lime as u valuable remedy for preventing
the smut IN wheat. lie following stale
meni OF It's experimental effects is adj
dressed 10 the society al Richmond for
the improvement OF agriculture.
In the year 1917 my crop tor the first
time, was seriously Injured by this dis.
asier. In order 10 obvlaie future cOuse.
quences of The kind, adopted the com
mon plan Of exchanging seed the ensuing
season. A lew bushels however OF The
defective wheat WAS sowcd principally as
an experiment. The result Was that
reaprd a crop from The changed seed in
1918 clear of injury except very small
portion that appeared i'll one spot, while
Tie product from the diseased wheat VAS
vastly more injured than the preceding
crop.
Finding The expedieni of changing seed
promised bat a doubtful exemption from
The effect, determined in tie fall al 1918
on making an exper' nieni OF The use I'll
lime, i'll order 10 cOunteIacl il. ! had
learned that II had been prAciised 10 great
advantage in Great Britain, and upon
further enquiry, found that Thomas NJ.
Randolph and other gentlemen Of the
county OF AIbemarIe had made tHcided
experiments III favor oi its efficacy.
accordingly measured five bushels Of The
wheat Just mentioned 10 have been great
Nv injured. The proportion of smulty
grains at This Time appeared TO amount to
one tenth, though probably that Was uol
more than halt of what il containedw hen
reaped. soaked il IL or Is hours in
brine, when il Was taken out and immedi
alcIy rolled in Stacked lime, in quantity
sufficient to give the appearance oi entire
whitencss to the whole mass. Owing to
some accidental cause il lay IN this stu
alton several days before it was commits
ted TO the earth by which time il had
| become nearly dry. 1t might probably
! arise from this circumstance, that very
| little Inconvenience 10 The hand was eX
| peTlencPd in sowing il and II The Opin-
| ion be true that the defect is propagaled
| through the mediHm of contagious i'll
! iIuepce contained III the particles OF smut
| IL might also contribute TO the success OF
the experiment, as the lime lay longer in
contact with the surface Of The grain be-
tore il was sowed, aud must have formed
au incruslment less liable to be separated
by falling on the ground IT, tie act OF
seeding. AZ lie approach OF harvest ex'
animation OF the effect was made, and
several ilsDes repeated with minute aiten-
ton. One solitary head only has ever
been found in the ppoduci of The wheat
thus prepared. a land Immediately ad-
Joining The last one TO which The LINED
wheat extended, was sOwed for the SAX,
of making fair experiment with lhe sane
seed unlumed. This was literally ruined
lhe proportion Of defective heads bern;
by the most impartial mode OF esiimai,
that could be devised, exactly as two Il
one sound one. When il is considered
with what facility wheat aud every oihe
kind OF small grain becomes scattered
over the land, II seems quite ~ Teasons
ble 10 c0ncnde that ihe seed OF whic
. the injured head found in the limed inca