Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1858-07-14
Ru.t In oas.--wb.t !. it !

Under this head the Southern Homestead OF
last week makes the following remarks. The
subject is one of great interest to farmers,
| and the Investigations should be prosecuted
until the cause of their new enemy is ascer-
tanned if possible: -&@-
Throughout the whole Southwestern por-
| ton of the Union the oat crop has suffered
| from terrible blight, which from its resem-
blance to the fungous substance that some
| times attacks wheat by that name. has been
| called rust. SO far as we are informed. rust in
| oats has hitherto been unknown. We have
| never heard or read of anything of the kind
| in any section of the country. The fact that
it is thus unusual, opens wide and interest
ing field to the entomologist, as it invites inves-
| tigation in channel. so far as we can ascer-
| tain. heretofore unexplored.
| While in West Tennessee, short time since
we took occasion to examine the blade of the
Dat under a microscope, (kindly furnished us
by the Bailey Troupe,) and were greatly sur
prised with the phenomena which the glass
| revealed Since then, we have followed up
those examinations, by the aid of more pow
erful instruments. at the Medical College in
this city, in company with several scientific
gentlemen, among whom were Drs. Briggs
and Buchanan, of the Medical Faculty.
The cause of all this destruction of the oat
crop is a living worm, too small to be plainly
seen with the naked eye. A single blade or
leaf of the oat sometimes contains hundreds
of them. They lie encased in the tissues of
the leaf or blade where they have been ger
minated, beneath the epidermis or thin D Ill
Gle over the exterior portion of the blade, and
as they progress in development. the skin of
the leaf is raised into curious puffy blisters.
The growth of the worm subsequently, rup-
lures these, and it escapes to feed on the plant.
When first released from their covering, they
are of a beautiful, clear, red color, almost
transparent, but soon begin to change color
and form. getting more Opaque and dark in
appearance until, in the course of tranforma-
ton, they become black bug, with legs and
wings, when they attack the head or grain of
the oats.
Under the microscope, the dust which re-
mains on the leaf closely resembles that on
the wings of butterflies.
How this innumerabe army of infnitesimal
worms originated is yet mystery. 1t is
singular fact, however, that wherever the
greatest quantity of rain has fallen, there the
oat crop has Jared the worst. In our recent
trip through West Tennessee, we saw but a
single field of oats, between the Mississippi and
Tennessee rivers, which was not total fail
ure, or into which it would not be fol y to put
ascythe-blade. That field was near Denmark,
in Madison county, and was sOwn very early.
1t is well-known. that more rain has fallen iii
West Tennessee, this season. than in any other
part of the State hence the extreme wet
weather must have had some agency in the
production of this alinlalcule. 1t is also well
known that moisture and heat will produce
and multiply animal life, millions per hour,
and therein we Judge is the secret of this de-
structiOn of the oat crop. 1t is one of those
cases of natural phenomena which occur only
at a certain stage in the growth of plants, and
under peculiar states of temperature and
weather. 1t may happen next season, or it
may not occur again for many years.