Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1854-09-29

its attention, feel sure that paper which hns NJ
favor!es, and never allows my considerations of ex-
pcdiency to divert it from its clos" guardianship o
public principles, will hasten to the defence, and the
Sentinel may look out for part "i tho fire, hitherto
directed against Mr.. Hunter.
| -. -
| [roR THE ESQuiRER.l
MINUTES OF AGRICULTURAL FACTS AND
OBSERVATIONS,
Collected and nOird by lie Aer'cmNural Commissioner
and ordered 10 6s Pubi'shrd byMr E.recn:irc Cam
n'ttee of the Virginia STATE agricultural Society,"
| ContuuedI
| SMUT ~ WHEAT ASp REMEpIEs.-DASGER OF BRINE
AS 4 STEEP.
IL. The disease of wheat called smvt is u mystery,
in respect to its origin Ur causc, md also the manner
OF prevention. Among the difficulties OF treating the
subject some arise from the Que disease. here under
stood, being called by different NAMES, and also from
the name smut being applied tn very different dis
eases of wheat. Hence, many old farmers 10 no yet
know what is smut The disease ] refer to, if exist
ing, is easily in the field when when; IL rpcmng.
Most gcncral", but not universally, II one head nj
| wheat is diseased, every head and grain from the
! same rnnt TX completely smnltrl. The heads appear
dmgy, aud still darker when wet with rain. The skin
OF each grain whole, aud h" grain full, but turgd
and misshnpcd, and very dark. II ~ easily mashed
between the fingers, and ins;ca of white four the
skin is filled and distcndtd with loose black dust,
having disagrecablu odJ.. snnotEing like that OF
putrd salt fish. The smu:tcd grains of wheat, "r
smut-balls,' when broken i'll the thrnshing Of the
wheat spread the dust the sound grains and i'll
ure them for making Hour, in proportion To the cH-
| tent of the contamination.
Certain opinions i'll regard TO this disease have lnn,
been generally received true ana have been taught
i'll numerous publications, and for many year., mostly
without beng denied Or questioned by any opp"srr.
Most of these doctrines, are generally correct Bat In
nearly all the general rules, there sometimes found
in practice, remarkable and unacr"untahlc eXcep-
tons; and which exceptions, less than The general
| rules il s very important should be known aud un-
| dcrs;n0d. For the want OF such knowledge" great
| losses in wheat crop, occur every year.
The opinions referred a. ana which nave long been
held by intelligent farmers, and writer's are the fol-
| lowing:
Smut is infections by contagion. Tie smut dust
being sprinkled upon grains Of wheat, VI crop be-
| fore entirely freq from smut will communicate the
disease and cause good and clean seed, 80 contami-
| natcd, TO produce smuttcd crop. Oi course when
but few smuttld hcads first appear Oh ii farm pre-
vously exempt, the bursting OF the sEut-bals, and
their detng the otherwise good seed, will Undue. tho
disease 20 increase from year y"ar, unless clean
seed be procured from abiuid, or the fuul sccd be-
purified The smut dust may be washed OF, or II Vi
tality destroyed, by various processes ol washing,
sleeping sprinkiing. Among the sails m"ai aI'-
proved and recommended, !or these purposes, a:r
common snl:, (nurinte Of soda,l Glaubcrs sat su!.
phae of soda) and hlue-3tonc, lsuphate OF copp r.
The most common steep hts been n saturated suiu.
tion of common sa tor hr;nc,l and for many years
1t has been repeated i'll numerous publications., and
rarely contradcted that sleeping wheat in this .ulu-
tlon WAS safe and cfectual remedy
The other opinions generally correct Blu,
steeping IN brine maintnn il, without exception, in
furious 10 the termination o! the seed. Yet many
have advised this sleeping for long az "a hours;
and many have 80 practsed, and did no, know the
damage for want OF proper observation and cvnpar-
ison. The editor ot the American Farmer tng this
month iSeplcnbcr, lSIl,J repeats the rcconmcnie-
ton o. washing seed wheat i'll saturated brine. jnri
,tt IN fil,rDt NJ, IL
Besides, the soaking i'll tend to facilitate the earlier
vegetation OF the seed. This supposed brlelit, ana
also the safr,y nt bruimr seed wheat, will be-
dictcd by ~ thr obscrvatons 10 be stated be-
low.
In 1876, asccrtaned By large practice an'i Joss,
that the stepping of wheat ~ hours injurious, and
iby experiment. s.lll more for IL aaL ~ hours,
which still within the maximum of time recon-
mendcd in books, M least deemed safe. " = then
observations that head published in the FnlGa
crs' Register, lvo ill.,, p. h92,) but they Eayc rQt
recent losses. rhi. yrnr Mr.. VIM. II. Harrison. OF
Amelia who had brined his seed wheat, estimated ms
loss of crop thereby incurred rs not less than ooo
bushels. This, md reports OF other like !ossc, nave
induced me to offer here abstract OF the ooserra-
tons formerly published, aud also later expert
ments and facs on different branches Of this general
subject.
A. About 90 or ~ years ago, first observed heads
of s,nuttcd wheat spruk!rt throughout my crop
The seed (part Of that CROP for the next autumn SOW
iug was washed first in fresh water and then Mccpc!
in saturated brine The time "t remaining IN brine was
not noted, and is not now remembered Bu;, tH'i''
supposing it altogether .si" Is probable tha' Inc
times varied according to convenience. As no cXper-
imcpt or comparison was made, no damage 10 the
termination was observed or suspected. The brIncd
wheat was well busted with quick lime, Gs usual For
want Of lime, few acres were sown With seed rom
the same bulk of slightly infected wheat. The crop
WAS entirely clear of smut, $50 far obscrvcd,l nnd
equally clear both from the few bushcls OF scGd sown
dry and unprepared and tla, b"th brined and lined
for the great body of the crop
49, In 1876, smut having again appeared III the
preceding crop, Lrning and Inning was again resort
ed 10 with confidence. md without any suspicion OF
danger was further encouraged 10 steep longer,
by learning previously from Mr.. a. Is. Spooncr, hear
Petersburg that he every yrHr s'ceprd us s'eu -
hours in saturated brine, aud lid no fear extending
the time to "a hours. Mr.. Sl'"oncr, on small and
highly manurcd farm, mndr very heavy crops oi
wheat. But probably he hn1 not observed closely
enough detect any injury to gcrminaon; and h"'-
Wy seeding on rich aud might hide the actual loss "i
an eighth or more of the seed aown. Ny seed for the
first weeks sowing wass stccpcd lshours. lhc wheat
came I'D 80 thin that together with the continuation
of the experiments to follow was convinced Of The
danger and injury to termination, and subsequently
avoided the hazard Of long sleeping The result Oh
the next crop, to smut, wns not noted and 10 not
now remember il. But, rs did not lusc any of my
previous confidence in the brining rs Il preventive,
presume il was then Of satisfactory effect.
Al. EXrrRIMrSTs.-Thc same seeding fine, and
OH September 3lth, the DAY "m which seeding was h"
rum took handful of the seed wheat, and rcstrv-
;nr half dry the other hnlt put in glass Of sa
turutcd brine, and suffered to remain twenty-five"
hours; then taken out, drained, and while wet sprn-
klcd with as much quick-linc as would rlick t" the
grains One hundred OF thcsc gralls were placed on
wet cotton floating on hall pint oi winter III gnss
the water fresh and pure. except for the small re-
mains of salt and lime adhcrinS 10 the grams. Some
hundreds of the dry grans (no; stepped, or previous
" wetted were at the same time plnccd on Ike wet
cotton floating in aMo.hC glass. The remaining
| opn n1an rho dry III
rows, side by sidr aud equally covered about All inch
deep.
REsuLrs.-1ho earth was then unusually dry
Yet the seeds sown dry came NJ about twchty-i"ur
hours earlier than those which had been stepped. 4
like result clsurd, and about much difference in the
times of first sproutinr ot the respective quantities
of seed in the glasses.
As the .prou;ins was so evidently rctarGrd by the
sleeping, the doubt arose whether In" terminating
mower was not also m,UkrRr,i and d0wagtd, and III
many seeds destroyed. These imperfect experiments
could not fully bear on this question: rs to the sown
seeds. AS they had not been counted the failures to
sprout could not bc known. Oi the one hundred
stepped seeds floating cotton, new sprouts
tinued to show for sixteen days. after so placing the
seeds, at which time nineteen still remained not
sprouted However, perhaps some OF 'hesc seeds
might have sprorcd if observed longer n that they
were prevented from sprouting hy being kept too
"a much and apcrtrct Llode ottrying the gorn
nation of seeds, is 10 place them Oh cotton cloth t,d
cd to four or thick and covered ny the like
placed upcu or pervlous support, and all kep,
moist by pouring water un rs often as needed. Tho
superfuous wafer, dripping Of, can do IL" hnrm.)
is. In lS45, there lad been observed a very few
heads of smut i'll my crop ~ whea!-wh!cf, accord
in. to MY then views, made it necessary 10 again
cor, to tile remc,y tnru deemed cIcctuGl fnr ,s OH
icc., but dan. 1rou7 ,s 2-inpation To lessen the
risk the wheat fait"- brin,; rs, wished in fresh
teri was ~, permitted 20 remain longer III brine than
to stir i, thoroughly, aud skim OF the floating in,:-
rites and then tn steep while the operator lird and
stirred and spread the last preceding washed wheat
The time of sleeping rarely exceeded half I'M hour
Yet, in the growth of the crop, and by comparison
with small portions not stepped (and sown dry,l it
Most Of the following minutes or 'smut il subsance