Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1849-10-18

Bl.f>,hND BILIOUS, INTERMITTENT NJ
RtMlTfENr FENERs. BY DIR. NORTON,
Of Ntfgiaia.
To the Editor oflhe American Farmer.
Mr.. Editor In the general excitement IN The sub
jet II agriculture. | ferl d sifous II contribute something
Ia the good cause but fear, that any space, which |
could reasonably claim IN your columns. may be too shor.
10 d. justice 70 my owu views. On the subject have
chosen. shall, however, be cnnionted, III can say
enough to excite othe 5 to an Investigations f their correct
Iess.
have long thought hat pu,rid water was the cause
at rust IN wheat. hnag IL tobacco. and bilious ievers In
the human system. Moisture is absolutely necessary IL
10 tile life If plants, aud they flourish or fil. proper ion
ally 10 the mode and quantity Of its a~dminlsinlion.-
When The rain falls gently and Just enough 10 cumbnc
with. aBd be absorbed by The earth, they Il iutlsh when
il falls into excess and sufct stalurates the soil, IN hot
weather, The REDUNDANT pr In must nect ssanly stag
nate and becomes putrid. l. tlcn is change IN chara
BITS no lnng"t the suitable mrnstrum Tor The food Il
plants, but couye3s Ia thrm noisan with all then nuiri
Inent. This IS the leading ldea. the foundation Of thu
ihenIy, which advocate.
Every experienced and ohservani farmer must have
noticed. that tic vegetable dlsea ses indicated above, pre-
val chiefly durng, " SON alter excessive rams. This
ohservaton has led suine to conclude. thai they are
caused by an exnhefant supply Of sap. rcnderinug the de
lcate vegetable vessels tnrgid. and causing them to burst.
from roPleu9n. Oilers have supposed hat very wei
seasons being peculiarly adapted to The growth If fun
gi-not only of hose which grow in the ground, but al
So ii such parasitcal fungi, as draw ihfir susterance from
"laer plants these DISEASES are nothing mare than the
rafases Of these Cryptosamla, ON more valuable yesetl.
bles.
Were the first of these npiniuns correct, we might ox
pect plants growing In @irter-ufien changed To keep ii
fresh-wnh nothing nut a bat Of cotton 10 support them,
san 10 he overcome with repletiun, by such en- eXuhe-
rant supply oil sap. They, however. grow with very
peculiar luxuriance. even at an age when their vessels
might be supposed 10 he particularly tender, and litI
able 10 bear dISienslan, il duly supplied with fresh wa.
Ter. Greenhouse pIant', too, fl 'dfish, in proportion +,
The frequency "f the sufrly If fresh WAFER. care being
used Ia keep the haiss IN the bottoms Of the p,ls open
Ia anurd free vent 10 the old waler. previously supplied
From want OF atlen III 10 keeping these open. the accu
nulaied water frequently becomes sour. sickening anC
ofien killing the plants. lis acknowledged to be mort
difficult 10 ~dispIOve the opinion, that these diseases ar,
eau ed by iunsL Neither is II practically important t
seite lhis piinl; as the same management. best calcula
ted &" obvIaie puiridlty Of wafer in The soil, would alS
be preferred TO prevent fungi. l. is believed that flung
and anllnaicules are intimately associated with, and an
probably the agent, in all pntrefaciion, vegetable aud an
ilnai' lhe mode OF heir generation is unknown-possi
MY nature has provided the semna Of nne OF the other
IN al des'rucuhle substances. to be developed, when then
action is required. The agency Of fungi, on dead vcget
able tnalte5, Is often before our eyes. II is here the,
seem TO be performing their appropriate functions. Whei
find Them or the living, | generally conclude that II j.
only on The paris dying or killed by some other cause
mat tNey are operating and on trees and the larger vrg
eiahles, seldon fail to find that cause To be insects il
sotne shape. conclude That fungi were int ndpd to de
h''oy dead and not living vegetable matter. l. shoulc
inrher be remarked that very minute insects are fire.
qnenlly mistaken for fungi. The small dow nv spl,ls 81
oi'en seen IN wet weather, on Briza and other grasses
very much resembling The larger dpwny sphides. whcl
in'es' the reots and other parts Of neglected appl n-trees
IS very commonly thought to be mildew. Real mtlde,
as before remarked, | have not found, except on dead va
eetaiion. Its mission seems u be to decompose, whe
dead-nat 10 XII. Parasiical plants, dfa wing their nu
triton from other living plants, flourish only in propo,
ton u The ylgonf of their adopted mothers. When III
living juices fail, on which they snbsist they die
may be said. that all this is mere surnise and opinio,
imay csndidly admit this, and still maintain that i is n
;,anal and plausible. This is all thai can he asked
matters inscruisbie by the powers Of human p-rcertiu
Agsin--were fungi the cause OF the vegetable ii e,se,
Question, we might expect 10 see the same kind Of fun,