The Portland daily press., 1868-09-26
'erms $500 per- anns.ns, d. advance
ore they were attacked. Nature does po, aI-

fore they were attacked. Nature does NOT al
low morbidness TO exist"
These remarks of the learned Doctor remind
us of some quaek advertisements we have seen
in which it is stated that all diseases of the hu-
man body arise from impurities of the blood,
hence the flaming advertisements Of remedies
70 keep the blood in pure state, or purify it
II 1t is bad. We trust the above allusion to
quacks viii not be construed into reflection
upon the good name and fame of this learned
Doc'or' Tor we have too much respect for him
to utter such a slander.
The Doctor further says: "The red rust has
not destroyed our crops; it has merely furnish
ed the eruption thereto. But it ia eopalIv
true, that on vast surfaces the red rust ha a
been the main cause of the destruction of plants
in regard to the formation of the grain" He
produces remarkable case in proof of this
theory.
Part of field of wheat, in which wild oats
had prevented the wheat from growing, was
cut for hay. Immediately the wheat sprung
up healthy and vigorous and developed full
ears and iully grown grain; not particle of
rust was perceptible on this portion of the
field, whilst the surrounding thick and high
wheat was completely covered with IT, The
cause assigned is, that the wheat in the one
instance, did not grow till the time was passsd
in which the influences supervened that pre-
disposed the plants; consequently they be-
came strong and healthy. While the red rust
spores passed over them they were not infect
ed, because the spores did not find favorable
condition of their existence-that is, diseased
sap and weak cells-upon them. This is quite
logical.
Years past we have heard farmers discuss
this subject of rust. The opinion once pre-
vailed among these saoans that rust on wheat
was occasioned by the sap exuding and run
ming over the stalk The stalk would grow
vigorously, and the sap run up freely, when
cold night would put a check upon it, the
stalk would burst open by the pressure of the
sap thus checked in its upward course, and
the sap on the outside OF the stalk would make
it rust But we will not combat this opinion
at this present writing, but leave our readers
to form their own. Perhaps the hints we have
gwen will be Of some slight service.
The M. L. Express speaks in terms of praise
and admiration of the enterprising spirit of
its conutrymen and fellow-subjects across
Ouo dCinC, III IeRaru 10 Ine auVanc6ment OF
agricultural principles. We too, are willing
to give them credit for their spirit and enter
prise in the good work ofcultivating the earth
But we hardly think this journal is justified
in its sweeping assertion that these Australi-
ans far in advance of the farmers of
the United States. True, our far
mers do go in some degree, from first to last,
on the principle of exhaustion OF the soil as
this Journal says, but then we are beginning
to do better, and to recuperate the power of
the soil when it is worn out. The planters of
the South may be compared in progress to
an invading army, leaving everything destroy
ed behind them so far as the land is concern
ed" but the comparison will not hold so far as
the farmers OF New England, the middle
States or the West are concerned They do
not now exhaust one parcel OF land and then
flee to another of virgin soil, but fertilize and
their lands as they become ex-
hausted by crops. 1t may be, and probably is,
true that we do not manure our lands as we
ought, but the subject is attracting more and
more attention every year and new fertilizers
and new modes of restoring exhausted soils
are being developed and adopted.
AGRIcoLA.