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.