OF SCOTLAND.

469

hue, much against it in the market, both as to appearanceand real good quality, for the bakers do not find wheat makegood bread when it lias stood too long on the ground.

When the weather is dry and the crop free from succulentweeds, or rank growing clover, the crop of wheat may becarted to the rick-yard in a few days after it is cut down;and indeed if the straw is quite ripe when cut, it may bestacked almost immediately from the sickle. From thestrength of its straw, wheat remains opener in the sheaves,both in the stook and rick, and therefore wins or dries betterin both than either barley or oats, and may therefore be car-ried in earlier than either of these grains. The best criterionto judge of the fitness cither of wheat, or any of the other cul-miferous grains for being carried in, is to examine what arecalled the corn knots or joints of the straw. If these are suc-culent and full of sap, it were dangerous to carry the crop,while in that state; but when these are dried and dead, thecrop may be carried in great safety, even although it may beat the time a little wetted by rain. If, however, the crop, orany part of it, is meant to be threshed early, as for seed orotherwise, it is necessary to allow it to remain in the field tillpretty thoroughly win or dried. When the straw happensto be mixed with succulent weeds of any kind, or with rankgrowing young clover and rye-grass, the patience of the hus-bandman must be exercised till these are decayed and dried;otherwise the crop will be exceedingly apt to heat in therick, when the produce will be materially injured.

§11. Diseases of wheat —Wheat is subject to several dis-eases, particularly smut, blight, mildew, and rust; to all ofwhich it were extremely desirable that adequate cures orpreventives could be applied. In the present state of agri-cultural knowledge, however, very little indeed can be saidto the purpose concerning these diseases; and in a report,®uch as the present, it would swell out this subdivision to aninconvenient size, were an abstract to bo given even of what