THE YEOMAN.

Wairarapa Standard, Volume I, Issue 29, 22 July 1867, Page 3

THE YEOMAN.

It is to he hoped that the present depression in agriculture in this Colony may be occasioned by the low price and .extensive importations of agricultural produce which will not be without bene, ficial results, In Victoria we find

attention is being directed to the more profitable disposal of one staple article of export than is secured by its shipment to England. A Woollen Company has been successfully established in Melbourne : “ The chairman stated that half the shares in this company were sub-scribed fin during one of the most depressed states of the money market ever known in Victoria, and it was confidently hoped that the steal! amount of shares remaining would be readilly placed, Giving to the much improved state of the money market'at present. It was stated that the buildings at Footscny were in a rapid state of progression, and that the mill would soon be one of the most profitable investments in Victoria.”

With these facts before us there is no reason why profitable employment could not, be found here for those who arc said to he in want of it, by the formation of such a company in New Zealand. If we are to he importers rather than exporters of agricultural produce, there is no reason why wo should be importers also of those coarser fabrics, the raw material for which can be obtained at our own doors. We learn from the “Australasian” that

“ The third prize South Australian essay on the diseases of wheat has now been published, end it is certainly short, but very much to the point. The writer, Mr. Ey, says that, after carefully-conducted observations and lengthened examinations, both by microscope and analysis, of soils and straw, he is convinced that the ‘take-all’ is caused by vibriones, or wheat-eels, as they hove been called, lodging in the lower joints of the straw and stopping the circulation of the sap, thus weakening the plant so much that a fungid growth finally overspreads the roots and destroys them. On stripping the sterns of plants showing the early symptoms of disease, the first joint of the straw is found to be black. The dark color first appears under the thin outer skin and advances all through the thickness of the strawas the disease extends. On detaching a portion of the dark skin and placing it under a microscope, it presents the appearance of being covered with a very fine moss, in which are coiled up a number of animal-cules, in form like vibriones, hut shewing no sign of life ; however, within half an hour from the time of adding a drop of water the animalcules began to move about, and very shortly in a lively manner, proving themselves to be true vibriones. The cells in the straw of plants attacked become quickly filled up with the moistlike substance surrounding the animalcules, so that the circulation of sap is soon completely stopped. The habits of the wheateel were studied in Francs some years ago, but it was then only supposed to cause a disease in the grain similar to smut, or. in fact, to be always present in smut. It was proved to be capable of living in a dormant state on or in dry grain for some, years, but to come to life almost immediately after moisture was applied ; and the dressing then recommended was dilute sulphuric acid, as this was found to be immediately fatal. Such has proved to be the case with Mr. Ey, and he says that by steeping seed-wheat, in diluted acid, even in the. proportion of or 400 parts of water to one of acid, all the vibriones will bo destroyed, and the * take-all’ effectually guarded against. This alone will destroy the sporules of all kinds of rust, but lime wiil; so that after being drained from the diluted sulphuric acid, the wheat should be dried in quick-lime, as is commonly done after steeping it, iu other mixtures. No additional information about the different kinds of rust is supplied—in fact there is little more to be learned about them ; bat it will be very important to prove whether Mr. By is right or not with regard to the cause of ‘ take-all, and this can he readily done. If so, the most injurious disease that has yet appeared in the wheat crops of these colonies may be easily prevented, for the nature of the vibrione is well understood ; but it does not take up its habitation in the straw in European countries, as far as is known. However, it may to some extent change its habits in this country ; and even the third of these ranch-condemned essays may show us how effectually to check its destructive progress.