_Of_ SMUTTINESS.
Smuttiness is when the Grains of Wheat instead of Flour, are full of
a black, stinking Powder: ’Tis a Disease of Wheat, which I don’t 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. 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 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[149] be, there are but Two Remedies proposed; and
those are Brining, and Change of Seed.
[149] The largest grained, plump, fat Wheat, is more liable to
Smuttiness, than small-grained thin Wheat.
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-load of Wheat was sunk near
_Bristol_ in Autumn, and afterwards at Ebbs all taken up, after it had
been soaked in Sea-water; 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 bought at a low Price by many Farmers, and
all of it sown in different Places. At the following Harvest, all the
Wheat in _England_ happened to be smutty, except the Produce of this
brined Seed, and that was all clean from Smuttiness. This Accident has
been sufficient to justify the Practice of Brining ever since in all
the adjacent Parts, and in most Places in _England_.
I knew Two Farmers, whose Farms lay intermixed; they bought the same
Seed together, from a very good Change of Land, and parted every Load
betwixt them in the Field. The oldest Farmer believed Brining to be but
a Fancy, and sowed his Seed unbrined; the other brined all his Part of
Seed, and had not a smutty Ear in his Crop; but the old Farmer’s Crop
was very smutty.
Wheat for Drilling must have no other Brine, than what is made of pure
Salt; for if there be any Brine of Meat amongst it[150], the Grease
will not suffer the Wheat to be dry enough to be drilled.
[150] Urine also makes the Wheat so greasy, that it will not be dry
time enough to be drilled.
If Seed-wheat be soaked in Urine, it will not grow; or if only
sprinkled with it, it will most of it die, unless planted presently.
The most expeditious Way of brining Wheat for the Drill, is to make
a very strong Brine; and when the Wheat is laid on an Heap, sprinkle
or lave it therewith; then turn it with a Shovel, and lave on more
Brine; turn it again with a Shovel, until, by many Repetitions of
this, the Wheat be all equally wet. Next, sift on Quick-lime through
a Sieve; turn the Wheat with a Shovel, and sift on more Lime; repeat
this Sifting and Turning many times, which will make it dry enough to
be drilled immediately; and this has been found sufficient to preserve
uninfected Wheat from the Smut in a bad Year, the Seed being changed.
To dry it, we use[151] Quick-lime (that is, unslacked), which, beaten
to Powder, and sifted thereon, confines the Brine to the Surfaces of
the Grains, and suffers none of it to be exhaled by the Air: But when
Lime has been long slacked, and is grown weak, ’tis unfit for this
Purpose.
[151] But if this doth not afford Powder enough, the Pieces must be
slacked immediately before using; for if the Lime lie long after it
is slacked (especially that made of Chalk), it will become weak, and
lose most of its drying Quality.
Some Farmers use only to boil the strongest Quick-lime in Water, with
which, instead of Brine, they sprinkle their Wheat, affirming it to
be as effectual as that for preventing the Smut: But this not being
within the Compass of my own Experience, I am doubtful of it; yet I
wish it may be found effectual, because it would save Trouble to the
Sower, and more to the Driller.
Smutty Seed-wheat, tho’ brined, will produce a smutty Crop, unless the
Year prove very favourable.
For ’tis to be known, that favourable Years will cure the Smut, as
unkind ones will cause it: Else, before Brining was used, and the bad
Years had caused all the Wheat in _England_ to be smutty, they must
have brought their Seed from Foreign Countries, or never have had any
clean Wheat: Therefore ’tis certain, that kind Years will cure the
Smut: ’Tis therefore to prevent the Injury of a bad Year, that we plant
clean Seed, and well brined.
But of the Two Remedies against Smuttiness, a proper Change of Seed
some think the most certain.
A very worthy Gentleman assures me, that since he has found out a Place
that affords a Change of Seed proper to his Land, which is for these
Ten Years past, he never had a Smutty Ear in any of his Crops (and he
never brines nor limes it), tho’ all other Wheat have been often smutty
throughout his Neighbourhood every wet Year, tho’ brined and limed. He
says, the Person who furnishes him with this Seed, is very curious in
changing his Seed also every Year.
This gives a Suspicion, that our drowned Wheat at _Bristol_ might
possibly be Foreign; and then might not have been smutty the next Year,
tho’ it had not been soaked in the Sea-water.
The Wheat sown by the Two Farmers aforementioned might be from a good
Change of Land, but the Seed not changed the precedent Year; and then
it might be no more infected, than what the Brine and Lime did cure.
To know what Changes are best to prevent Smuttiness of Wheat, we must
consult the most Experienced; and they tell us, that the strong Clay
Land is best to be sent to for Seed-wheat, whatever Sort of Land it be
to be sowed upon; a White-clay is a good Change for a Red-clay, and a
Red for a White. That from any strong Land is better than from a light
Land; and the old Rhyme is, that Sand is a Change for no Land. But from
whatever Land the Seed be taken, if it was not changed the preceding
Year, it may possibly be infected; and then there may be Danger, tho’
we have it immediately from never so proper a Soil.
The strongest Objection that has been yet made against constant annual
Crops of Wheat, is, that those Grains of the precedent Crop which
happen to shed, and grow in the following Crop, will be in Danger of
Smuttiness, for want of changing those individual Seeds.
All I can say in Answer is, that during these Five Years, which is all
the time I have had these annual Crops, this objected Inconvenience
never has happened to me, even when a precedent Crop has been smutty.
The Reason I take to be, that a Crop very early planted is not so apt
to be smutty; and if it be not planted early, the Grains that are shed
grow, and are killed before, or at the time of planting the next Crop.
This saves a Crop following a smutty one (which is always occasioned by
bad Seed, or bad Ordering); and when the former Crop was planted with
good Seed well ordered, the shattered Grains of that may produce clean
Wheat the Second Year; and ’tis very unlikely, that any Breed of these
Grains should remain to grow in the Crop the Third Year.