Edwardsville spectator. [volume] (Edwardsville, Ill.) 1819-1826, 1821-08-21
AGRICUATENAA.
rnoa Tue TRENTON TRrE AMERICAN,
e SMUTTY WHEAT.

Mr.. Wilson-The Smut in Wheat is
SO fatal an injury to the crop, and seems
to be All increasing one, that every sug-
gestion Of a remedy is worthy of atten-
tion-you may therefore render an ac-
ceptabIe service to some of your agrl-
cultural readers by publishing the fol-
lowing communication on the subject,
taken from the Annual Register of 1889.
] have heard a very experienced farmer
say, that some years ago, Ee used the
process here recommended, with the
same successful result, but without any
knowledge of the publication in the Re-
gister. s
"It is agreed, on all.hands, that the
greatest misfortune which can possibly
happen to a crop of wheat, is that Of its
turning black or smuttty; and, as the
real cause ofsuch blackness q fear bath
not yet been found out, the remedy
against it hath not been generally and
constantly made use Of. The cause as
signed by all, or most Of the writer's on
agriculture, is, that at certain seasons a
dense glutenous vapor descends, between
the setting and rising Of the sun, upon
the ears of corn, and so binds up the
valves, Commonly called the chaE in
which the growing corn is developed,
that vegetation is thereby obstructed, be-
cause, in such circumstances, it cannot
imbibe those nitrous particles Of the air,
which tend to its maturation, and Of con-
sequence it becomes mere rotten heap
of putrefactiori. From this method OF
reasoning we observe the English far
mers, frequently in summers morning
hauling rope extended by two persons,
along and through the corn-feids, to
shake off this condensed air or dew but
/ humbIy apprehend, from the following
reasons, that they are much mistaken as
to the real cause Of that disleinper.
6 Ii being a difficult matter, some time
ago, TO procure good clean seed wheat,
in that part ot the country where occu-
ply farn,I prevailed upon friend to
obtain for me three barrels of the red
lammas wheat from England--when
had it home, it carried the appearance OF
as fine grain, and as clean and clear of
dirt and smut, as ever sprung from the
earth; but upon my casting a few bushels
Of it into my vessel of pickle, | found
that at leasi a sixth part Of it swan at
top; and Notwithstanding the frequcnt
stirring Of it, l could not force tito sub
side thercupon skinned it off, but to
my great astonishment il had the appear
ance of as plump and round grain as
that which fell TO the bottom--I spread
it upon a table and examined it more
minuteiy, and could not perceive the
least defect in il; but upon opening it
withmy penkniic,I found it was con-
caved, or made hollow on one side Of
the grain, and not in the centre, which I
apprehend was occasioned by some ani-
malcule imperccptible to the naked eye
.-whercupon, for experiments sake,
sowcd the whole of what skinned off
on one part Of my fallows BY itself; and
sowed what subsidized on another part;
and the consequence Of that experiment
was, that the greatest share OF that swim
ming corn, at the ensuing season pro.
duccd a smutty crop; and I had not .
single smutty head on the part Of the
Geld where the subsiding corn was sow-
ed. But not being satisfied with what
then appeared, / examined more strictly
that smutty crop, and found not only
there, but in my neighbours fields, which
I also examined, that where two or more
stamina Or stalks were produced from
one grain Of corn (Which discovered by
tracing them downward to the root they
were al smutty and the different sound
stamina proceeding from one and the
same root, were all sound from whence
it may reasonably be inferred, that vegc-
tation is principally produced, and plants
are sustained and grow by the roots or
Abres collecting their nutritive juices
from the moist earth, which are carried
up through the perpendicular tubes by
The power Of attraction but BY the loss
Of one part Of the grain SO MANNED, and
consequently by pr0portionablc def
cheney in the roots or fbres, they exert
only so much strength as to throw out
the stalks and heads, but cannot collect
sufficient nutriment to complete or ma
turate the different ears Of corn; and it
may likewise be reasonably supposed
that those ani,nalcule whichtook up their
Judgement in the single grain, are,in vege-
tstion communicated upwards through