The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1878-09-27

UNION T..
worthy ofta note. Think, though. fro,
?, reading and observation, that the inse(
trouble in general is confined to old land
or wet bottoms, or too early sowing. Cure
good uplands, well prepared at tho prope
time and sowed as above directed.
RUST.
lhis Is the great terror of the when
grower, and one which has baffled the ski
OF agricultural chemists through all tin
past Ii remedy has been discovered i
has not yet reached u.s. If it is ever dis
\ ipasaraa i viii ,hs- Nv ;s,ssA;s.
Tenter into and effect the chafactcr ann
growth of the plant Viewing the subicc
III this light, have gone to considerable cx
pensc of time, money and labor to search out
II possible the cause of the existence of this
terrible destroyer, and though not through
with my Investigations nor thoroughly sat
lshed with their correctness, lay them be-
fore the reader, if for no other reason than
that they may stimulate inquiry on this i'm
portant subject
Take green stalk of wheat into YOUR
mouth and chew it and you will readily per-
celve that there are at least two ingredients
IN 1t with the taste of which. yeu are per-
lectly familiar. wig: sugar and salt, the su.
gar beiaesvsry. perceptible to the taste, the
sals 1areiy 80. BY analysis it will be found
|tlaethe suSaror sweet constituent contains in
,add,tlon a substance called "guten," H.
Eqnfd called ''albumen" and substance called
starch: The snlt principle, when analysed,
produces common salt, little phosphorus.
nltre or saltpetre, and some traces of lime
with the addition of a colorinG matter and
other elements too tedious to mention here
Take blade of wheat on which the rust
has just begun to show itself; place it un-
der the lense of microscope and you will
discover that what appeared to your eyes as
mere brown speck, is really living, or.
ganlzcd growth, vegetable in its character
and OF the fungi or mushroom genus or
race as to its nature. Now how did this
fungi or parasite, if you please, get here
Ii you will carefully remove the fungi and
again examine with the microscope YOU will !
perceive that the external coating of the blade
has been ruptured either by attrition or
abrasion, or some other sufficient cause to
Pr ruducc n brcTEf IT?rc--ucTrvzSTc mcuIpr ,.TIC
that envelopes the blade. Through this
break small portion of this sweet Juice of
which | spoke has cXudcd, and coming in
contact with the carbonic acid of the air,
fermentation was produced, and the product
OF that fermentation was, or is, this brown
fungi that you sec on the blade Of wheat.
Now in short space, say in a few hours
from its appearance on the blade it arrives
at maturity, or the capacity for reproducing
itself. Every breath of air or drop of wa
ter passing over it watts or carries the small
lust-like sporules from blade to blade, and
wherever it finds lodsment its poison is so |
active, that Immediately other ruptures of
The delicate membranes are produced and
new iunSJ till, with favorable conditions of
weather, whole fields are swept over in u
few hours.
What is the cause Of this dreadful dis.
,ase! For an answer we can only present
some data gathered up in the past, and
+ that data should reveal the cause, the
question is in great measure answered.
lS5St lS5 i tJi is got9rjoas that rust is most prev
growth, imbibcs greater quantity of sweet
or sacarinc juice than it is capable OF using
in the development of grain, at the same
time an insufficient quantity Of silicious
matter is produced to form sufficient cx-
tcrnal coating or membrane for the stalk
and blade, the forced growth Of the plant
and the poverty Of the soil in what might
call soluble glass" Ito convey my idea in
more simple language,) not furnishing s,ttrffEr s,ttf-r
,6ciept ,hardness;or toughness to- tho yexters.
las aslsbsses e Rsgysss as i, iss 4 sPpg gptsssas
and across each other. 1t seems to me cy
ident that if some means could be dscov
cred by which the stalk could be made har.
der, viz giving it thicker coat, that the
chance for rust would be in great measure
obviatcd and thus one great draw.b back on
wheat culture removed. | believe it is zen.
orally known that little complaint is made
of rust by farmers who reside in those dis
tricts whose soil is Of that character known
as "calcarious," that is, containing lime,
and yet we know that tho simple appica
ton Of lime to our soils does not always re-
suit in preventing rust. One reason may
be assigned for this The process Of ma
king lime deprvcs it Of salt, which is its