l^Oi\. Jigricultural Intelligence — England. 123 



ance of luxuriance ; it impoveriflies the foil, brin-^a on premature debi- 

 lity, and fo con^pletely exhaufts the plant before the fiery day of trial 

 (furnmer) arrives, that it generally produces a feeble 'leni, benring a 

 lliort, upright, and badly filled ear. It prefents (as 1 farm, I love to 

 moralize) no unapt emblem of a young, improvident fpendthrift, who 

 walks that fubftance and thofc powers in the prime, which ouglit to 

 be carefully rcferved for the fupport and folace of the autumn of life. 

 1 love to fee my wheat gather and thicken in the fpring, employing, if 

 I may be allowed to purfue the allufion, the refources which are to 

 nourilh and fupport it, with prudent economy ; not diflipating in a 

 few months, what ought to be wifely hufbanded for many. Hence the 

 ftem generally grows vigorous and healthy ; and the long ear, bending 

 with its precious weight, gives promife, which it feldom difappolnts, of 

 a plenteous produce of heavy grain. There is another misfortune fre- 

 <juently attending this premature luxuriance. It is an old proverb, 

 ' An ill weed grows with fpeed ;' — in this inllance truly verified. The 

 molt mifchievous ^Lveedy enemy to wheat, on thefe light foils is, in the 

 provincial diale6l of the country, called * red nveedy * the wild poppy. 

 This * grows with its growth, and ftrengthens with its ftrength ; ' and, 

 from an early and rapid progrefs, bidding defiance to any future feverity 

 of weather, frequently acquires, and maintains fuch an afcendancy, as 

 completely to choke and ruin the crop. And the misfortune is, that It 

 is almoft impoflible to deltroy, or even to check this pernicious weed ; 

 for tillage, by increafing pulverization, liberates from the clod thefe di- 

 minutive feeds with which the land has been impregnated for centuries, 

 and thus only increafes the evil. Winter tares are equally luxuriant as 

 the wheat ; but here the fame objcdlions do not apply. Tares are prin- 

 cipally defigned to furnifh green food in the early part of the furnmer ; 

 are cut before the weeds (many of which are eaten with equal avidity by 

 the cattle) begin to Ihed their feed, and therefore their prefent appear- 

 ance is matter of exultation. — Artificial graffes have alfo produced a full 

 plant, healthy and forward. 



The turnip crop is certainly, and more efpecially upon the ftrong wheat 

 foils, extremely defective, and the price in the early part of the winter 

 was high ; but the mild and open quarter which fucceeded the harvett, 

 has enabled the (heep matter to make a longer referve of them than 

 ufual ; the demand has, at prefent, confiderably decreafed, and the 

 price is confequently reduced ; though, in many inflances, they are al- 

 ready beginning to decay, and a change of weather may again bring 

 .them into demand. The value of corn certainly continues much too 

 low to allow the farmer an equitable profit. Barley of the laft harvell 

 i? a produdive crop ; but of the wheat 1 entertain a very different opinion : 

 1 know many inftances where the produce per acre has not exceeded, 

 fome, where it has not reached one quarter and a half, and where the 

 weight has not been more than 49 lib. per bufhel Winchelter. I do 

 iiot think I average the common crop too high, when 1 ftatc it at two 

 <juarters and a half per acre, and the weight at 59 lib. per bufliel. 



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