Report on Spring-soicn Wheats in 1873. 115 - 



20, MuNGos' Walls Farm, Dunse, N.B. 



(Excluding margins of streams, steep banks., and fences, I can plough 487 acres, 

 but I have some 24 acres of that in pasture, sown off by myself 17 years 

 ago, and 40 acres more have been just laid down, to lie during the cur- 

 rency of a new lease.) 



Soil of all sorts; much of it strong loam, naturally full of springs, but 

 pretty fairly drained by stone and tiles of all dates up to the present time. 

 Such soil must be carefully handled in broken weather ("masterly inaction"). 

 Of light, free soil, we have just enough to make us wish for more. Our climate 

 includes occasional spells of three wet days from N.N.E, 



Rotation. — Oats, turnips and potatoes, wheat and barley ; grass lying 

 mostly two years. 



The area of wheat, following only roots, depends on the autumn being 

 more or less favourable for the removal of these crops. I generally aim 

 at 40 acres — too much of it sown in spring (last season aW) — but that is 

 precarious, and must be given up in favour of barley. 



Last winter being our second wet one, and following a whole year of rain, 

 our land was in an extraordinarily bad state, turning up in solid fiurrows ; 

 but was sown in late spring, having been previously somewhat mellowed by 

 frosts. 



We sowed no wheat until after New Year's Day, 1873 : Golden Creeping 

 wheat was a very unequal crop ; a rough sample, sown January 3rd on land 

 too soft after rain. Nursery red, a small crop, fine quality ; sown February 

 15th on land old ploughed and mellow. " Hunter's," small crop, middling 

 quality, sown March 13th, on lumpy clay, partially mellowed. 



Not having threshed any quantity, I cannot give you the produce ; but it is 

 easy to see the crop must be very small — 32 quarters perhaps. Last year it 

 was under 3 quarters, of very inferior stuff. But neither of these years can be 

 taken as a criterion either of my land or of these varieties of wheat. 



I neither directly manure nor hoe my wheat-crop. The harvest was late 

 and showery, but not destructive. 



ideas of so experienced a man on this subject deserve attention, and they are 

 therefore placed on record here : — 



Saddinyton, 19th November, 1873. 



" You ask my aid in this matter, but unfortunately I have little worth contri- 

 buting this year ; the crops on my experimental plot having been rendered almost 

 useless by slugs and by the manure condition of the soil. The task to which you 

 have committed yourself is of great importance, and it would require perhaps 

 a busy lifetime to work it out. I trust, however, you will be able to make a pro- 

 per beginning, and others in time will work tlie problem. If I rightly under- 

 stand your object it is to trace the effects of the time of sowing, the thickness of 

 seeding, and the temperature during the period of growth on the different kinds 

 of soils and varieties of wheat, as well as on different subsoils and exposures on 

 which the land inclines. It is sometimes difficult to distinguish the effects of 

 insects inhabiting the air and those inhabiting the earth from simple climatic effects. 

 There is certainly such a thing as disease in the wheat plant, and it is frequently 

 partial in its attacks. But do not let my enumeration of difSculties frighten you. 

 The weather is seldom alike in two successive seasons, or even in two adjoining 

 counties, in the same year. But the credit of overcoming the obstacles will be the 

 greater. 



" I am not aware of anything very remarkable in the wheat-crop of this county 

 last season. Our autumn and winter proved wet, but early it was dry. Ulti- 

 mately a good deal of land was seeded with wheat in spring, which ripened un- 

 usually slowly, proving here a pretty good crop, the seed being the winter 

 varieties in common use. 



"PaTKICK SmBREFF." 



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