Practical essays on agriculture Author:James Adam Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: ESSAY VIII. Of the Enemies to Corn, and the Means of preferring it. MDu Hamel, in his Elements of Agricul ture, has treated this interefring fubjecft much... more » more fully and more accurately than any of our Englim authors : I mall therefore chiefly have rccourfc to him for information on this head. SECTION I. Of the Difeafes of Plants. M U T in corn, and burnt grain, though quite different diftempers, are often confounded, becaufe they are very often found in the fame field, and prevail moft in the fame years: they both attack attack the fame forts of grain, and the mealy fub- ftance is converted by both into a powder, more or lefs black and offenfive to the fmell. They have, however, their diftinguifhing marks, and muft be treated of feparately. The fmut entirely deftroys the germ and fub- ftance of the grain. Not only the ear, but the whole plant is affected by it: and generally the whole of the ears from the fame root. So early as March or April, upon opening the hood which covers the ear, not then above the fixth part of an inch in length and almoft clofe to the roots, this embryo has been found black and difeafed: but perhaps all are not attacked fo early. When the diftempered ear comes out, it looks lank and meagre, and the immediate coverings of the grains are fo thin, that the black powder is feen through them ; it has a foetid fmell, has no confiftency, and occupies the place of the grain. As this powder is eafily blown off by wind, or waftied away by rain ; the hufbandman in houf- ing thefe plants, houfes only the fkeletons of the ears. Any remainder of this powder is eafily taken off byfifting. It has not been found contagious like that of burnt-grain. My very worthy and intelligent friend, Mr. 1, informed me, that an acquaintance of his, L ...« less