Publisher's Synopsis
This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1829 edition. Excerpt: ... CHAPTER XII. OF SMUTTINESS. Smuttinbss is when the grains of wheat, instead of flour, are full of a black, stinking powder; it is a disease of wheat, which I do not know is usual any where but in cold northern countries; for if it had been common in Greece or Italy, there would probably have been some word to express it by in those languages, as well as there is for the blight. I take it to be caused by cold wet summers, and I was confirmed in this, by several plants of wheat, taken up when they were in grass in the spring, and placed in troughs in my chamber window, with some of the roots in water, in exactly the same manner as the mints, marked H H, in Chapter of Roots. These wheat-plants sent up several ears each; but at harvest, every grain was smutty; and I observed, none of the ears ever sent out any blossom; this smuttiness could not be from any moisture that descended upon it, but from the earth, which was always kept very moist, as in the aforesaid mint experiment. The wheat-plants in the field, from whence these were taken, brought very few smutty grains, but brought much larger ears than these. Whatsoever the cause* be, there are but two remedies proposed; and those are brining and change of seeds. Brining of wheat, to cure or prevent smuttiness (as I have been credibly informed) was accidentally discovered about seventy years ago, in the following manner; viz., a ship * The largest grained, plump, fat wheat, is mure liable to smuttiness than small grained, thin wheat. load of wheat was sunk near Bristol in autumn, and afterwards at ebbs all taken up, after it had been soaked in seawater; but it being unfit for making of bread, a farmer sowed some of it in a field, and when it was found to grow very well, the whole cargo was...
