Lewisburg chronicle. [volume] (Lewisburg, Pa.) 1850-1859, 1850-06-26
WEST BRANCH
fG\G}lll(3
/" Rust 4" ON Wheat.

propensity which is shown by many per
sons TO be mys,ihed in regard TO some Of
the mos, simple operations of Nature over
loosing the simple and direct manner in
which she always produces effects, men
frequently appear TO be deluded with the
idea that there must be some hidden and
secret workings in natures labra,ory, not
visible to the vulgar eye, by which she
introduces into being many of her mcs'
trivial productions. Hence, many learned
men attempt 10 explore some indirect and
round about way Of discovering the origin
ofthings and by so doing, ollen'n.es lead
others into error, therefore verifying the
adage of SHE blind leading The blind.' An
instance of this kind ray Jc found in re-
gard TO the cause OF the crust" Of wheat
respecting which, in the m:nd o! an ohser-
wing, practical farmer, there is not shad
ow of doub, or mystery but in the minds
Of nearly all Of those who have written up
on iha, subject, all seems dark and myste.
rious consequently they have fabricated
the most unnatural and irrational hypoihe
ses. Some writers have supposed the rust
70 be "fungus plant" having ''invisblr
seeds, which were carried by the wind
among the standing grain. and coming in
TO contact with the straws and leaves. were
received into their pores, where they took
root, grew, and fed upon the sap; thus
robbing the grain Of its nonrishment'l
Olhcr writers have conjectured that the
"inyisible seeds" were od ged in the ground,
whence having been received into the
mouths Of the small sap vessels. they en-
tered into the circulation with the sap Of
the plan,-;ha, by some Of natures mys-
,erious operations they finally burs, the
external covering Of the stem and leaves
grew upon them as fungus parasite, rob-
bed the plant Of its juices, ard caused the
gram 10 s'shriuk" An nf"last, though not
least" OF all heprepos,erous conjeclures
CO.lCOClSu Ill titc W
this subject, is The ncw supposition, ''tha'
as the wheat plant, when about 10 head.
feet into the earth, TO procure nusriment,C1
il comes into contact with cold clay or II
sour, vet sub-soil, turns back in despair,
and dies THAT Sin accordance with the
laws Of nature, insects, or rust, which Is H.
self fungus, or vegetable insect, comes To-
finish the work Of devastation on The dying
wheat'r Shade of Ceres, deliver US from
such tissues of abSurdiiies IL is mol
enough, it seems. that we must lose cur
wheat crops by rust, sin the na'ural way
but we must have our craniums crammed
Il had almost said cracked, with these rid
iculous conceils Of ruslu Drained writer's
who, it would seem, knew as little Of The
subject about which they wrote, as goat
does of Algebra,
Bu. seriously these fine spun hypo.he-
ses and networks Of mysteries are quite
too absurd TO satisfy the ni,d. IT'S -.
they&are sen, forth ss suppasi;;ona and
conjec,ures only (; but what sensible, p6ac-
teal man, can, for moment, entertain
such preposterous suppositons ard conjec-
tures Who ever discovered a ant Of any
description, fungus, or other. growing Out
ofand feeding upon the living matter Of an
other plant the former suhssing upon
and robbing the latter Of its juices, so as to
prevent it from perieciing lis SEEDS 7 There
may be, and no doubt are, many things
that "my philosophy never dreamed OF.
| may be told Of the "mis,elo' growing
upon the oak, and Of the "lve-tor-eve!,"
"growing upon nohing.' BE il so but,
ask, has any one ever yet discovered !ha,
the mis,!e'oe robs the former Of its juices
No one,I believe will assert that i, does, amy
more than that The "llve-for ever r0bs the
latter.
There is no Parastcal "fungua' growing |
upon the living wheat plan, in the form o!
"rust; - what has been suPpo-ed TO be
'fungus" upon it, is nothing but the crude |
and undiges,ed sap oflhe plant ltse!l,~ hlch,
by the rupture Of the sap vessels, runs out !
and dries on the outside OF the straw and |
leaves. The rupture Of the sap vessels is
caused by too vigorous growth Of The
straw, and consequently a redundancy Of
sap. induced by warm damp growing wea-
ther, early in the season Of spring. l., du.
ring this plethoric state Of The plant. with
its sap vessels disiended 10 their Utmost ca.
Paciiy. and just as the grains begin 10 form
r the head, s~iew days OF. excessively hot
weather come on. the beat sueI!s The sap,
and thus ruPturcs The sap vessels in an i'm.
mense number OF places on Tie straw and
leaves. When the sop frs, runs ou' Of The
vessels, i, is clear and like water;
in a few hours. however, it begins TO
change i,s color to dui! red. in which .
state il is called "red rus, y in the course
Of day or two it usually changes to a