128 Report on Spring-sown Wheats in 1873. 



did not seem so vigorous, and did not promise as good a yield. It stood well, 

 and yielded almost as much as the Talavera. 



April wheat is little grown in this district. It is sometimes used for sowing 

 amongst such winter-sown wheats as fall off or appear thin and delicate in 

 spring. It is frequently attacked by smut, and farmers look out for a " bolder" 

 wheat. The winter of 1872 and early spring of 1873, being so bad for wheat- 

 sowing, caused greater attention to wheats which were supposed to be better 

 adapted to a very late seed-time ; aod April wheat was so much inquired for, 

 that its price rose quite fifty per cent. 



Having well dressed our seed with Down's Farmers' Friend, it was sown on 

 the turnip and mangel break on March 28th and 29th at the rate of two bushels 

 per acre. The soil was in good condition at seed-time. The plant at first was 

 very weak, but it grew rapidly, and the straw got to a good length and stood 

 well. The crop is not yet threshed, but there is promise of quite 32 bushels 

 per acre. 



The wheat first ready for cutting was the Golden Drop; next came the 

 €hidham and April wheat, followed by Hallett's Pedigree, Larney's Stiff Straw, 

 Rivett's, and, last of all. Nursery and Talavera. 



Our wheat harvest commenced August 25th, and the carrying was finished 

 September 27th. It was the most protracted harvest time which we have had 

 for years, and although there was not a great amount of rain to account for 

 this, the humidity of the atmosphere, as evidenced by the wet and dry bulb 

 thermometers, was very considerable iu this district. 



As regards the advisability of sowing what are recognized as winter wheats 

 in spring, rather than the varieties of spring wheat, I am decidedly of opinion 

 that if a good seed-time occurs in early spring, some varieties of winter wheats 

 will yield a better return, both as regards quantity and quality, than the 

 spring wheats ; but when we are precluded from sowing before the middle of 

 March, I prefer the spring varieties, and amongst these the April wheat has 

 few superiors. 



T. Carroll. 



10. Stakcombe, Kingsbeidge, Devon. 



(217 acres, of which 165 are Arable.) 



Soil is light loam on slate — warm and moist. 



Rotation. — "Wheat, green crop, wheat or barley, green crop, followed by 

 barley vsdth seeds. 



Occasionally wheat or oats first, then two green crops to thoroughly prepare 

 the ground for barley, when the seeds are to remain in grass longer than usual. 



The wheat season begins in November, and continues until the middle of 

 February. All wheat is winter sown in this neighbourhood. 



All the fields that were ready to be sown before the 20th of November were 

 got in well ; after that there was great difficulty, and some being put in very 

 wet, came very thin at harvest. 



Much wheat was sown later than i;sual, and this was detrimental to the 

 crop of such a season as 1872. Late-sown wheat generally will not bear 

 artificial manure, except on our best wheat land and on high land near the sea. 



Essex wheat was sown 11th November. Red Dantzic wheat was sown 

 15th November; Nursery on 16th November. I like the Essex wheat, and 

 have kept by it five years. The Red Dantzic is a hardy red wheat, and bears a 

 Ijad harvest better than most sorts, yielding usually a good crop. Nursery 

 yellow wheat is of fine quality, and generally productive, tillering mucli in 

 spring. It is dangerous to manure late-sown wheat, as it produces straw and 



