Edwardsville spectator. [volume] (Edwardsville, Ill.) 1819-1826, 1821-06-12
AUTHORITARIAN.


FROM THE PLATTsBURG REPUBLICAN.
The following communication was
originally intended for the Plough Boy;
but on rejecting that few persons IN this
county take that paper, and as my object
in publishing some experiments made
the last spring in Agriculture, is to in
vite others in the country to test their
truth, and improve upon these hints,
have resolved to offer them through the
medium Of the Republican. Having
seen in the Plough Boy communities
ton from gentleman in Berkshire,
Mass. that Wheat soaked in "pretty
strong lye" would prevent smut, / the
tenth of April last, took two bushels of
spring wheat, and put it into I've which
| had boiled down to great strength; and
after sklmming off every thing that float
ed, (and all the oats, hay-seed, chess,
cookie and light wheat floated, } let it re-
main there for about hours-I then
took il out, lined it, sowed it and i'm
mediately narrowed it in. The result
was as might have been expected--not
single grain yegetated; and on the third
day after sowing ! found every kernel l
examined, perfectly rotten. Apprehend-
ing when took the wheat out of the lyt
it was too strong, and that the negotiating
power was destroyed, although the grain
looked perfectly well, and determined ON
making several experiments, l reduced
the I've SO that it would just float to the
surface large potatoe, which before
would rise one bird above. Into this lye
put another bushei of wheat, and lex it
remain there no longer than was neces-
sary to skim off all foul seeds and light
grain, which floated as before, say two
hours, took it out, lined it, and imme-
diately narrowed it in. II yegetated, or
in the language of farmers ii grew lux
uriantly, and the blade was uncommon
ly black. But had some fear that this
last bushel when sowed it would also
fail mel therefore the mex, day put
four bushels Of wheat into as strong
brine as could make, cleansed it as
when in the lye--let it lie in the brine
about two hours, took it out, lined it,
sowed it, and Immediately narrowed 1t
in. In five days it came up, grew well,
but did not look SO black as that which
was soaked in I've. The ground on
which | had first sown the two bushels
which l had lost, then ploughed up
and sowed it with wheat which neither
soaked in I've, brine, or even washed 1t
in water, but which was, however, very
clean. The wheat which was soaked in
-lye, and that which was neither soaked
nor washed grew side by side--and when
harvestcdthere was evidently a difference
in the weight. have threshed the whole
since, and | find that the wheat which
was soaked in I've weighed sixty-three
pounds seven ounces--that which was
soaked in brine weighs sixty-two pounds
eight ounces-and that which was neither
soaked nor washed, weighs SIXTY -one
pounds FIVE ounces.
But this is not all--after the wheat
had handsomely headed out, say or 10
days, went into the field to examine its
promisingness. / went also into two OF
my neighbors' fields of wheat, separated
from mine only by line fence; and
found theirs very smutty, SO much so
that found one head of smut, in num-
Der of different places TO thirty heads Of
wheat--and like proportion in my own
which was not washed. although 1t grew
side by side of that which had soaked
in I've in which, as also that which l
soaked in brine, could never discover
single head of smut. The natural
question is, how came one piece Of wheat
clear from smut, and the other very
smutty! Many differ as to the answer.
A close attention to the grain while
growing, has carried conviction to my
mind, as to the cause. 1t will be re-
membered tina, the grain, when taken out
of the lye or brine was perfectly clear
no oats, chess, cookie, hayseed, or light
wheat. Whereas that which sowed
dry, although very clean, had, neverthe-
less, many shrunk and shrivelled grains,
l am led to believe that smut originates
from those sickIy grains. There is life
enough in these grains to produce vege-
tation-a blade, stalk, a head-but not
enough blood to produce wheati and
am the more confirmed in this opinion,