^ agricultural essays. 



Culture of Wheat. 



The great varieties of wheat which have heretofore been 

 known by different names and properties, appear at present to 

 be classed by the British Agriculturalists under two principal 

 divisions, though each of these admits of several subdivisions. 

 The first is composed of all the varieties of red wheat. The 

 second division comprehends the whole varieties of white wheat; 

 which again may be arranged under two distmct heads, name- 

 ly, thick chaffed and thin chaffed. But as the the thick chaffed 

 wheat has by the British farmers been supposed to be constitu- 

 tionally predisposed to the disease called mildew, it is generally 

 gone out of use. The thin chaffed wheat is said to be a hardy 

 class, and seldom mildewed, unless the weather be particular- 

 ly inimical during the stages of blossoming, filling and ripen- 

 ing, though some of them are rather better qualified to resist 

 that disorder than others. There is no important di- 

 vision of the classes of wheat generally in use in the United 

 States, but that of winter and spring or summer wheat. The 

 varieties which may be said to grow out of these two divisions, 

 respectively, are distinguished rather by their different quali- 

 ties, than by any distinct properties peculiar to their kind. And 

 the different qualities are owing sometimes to diseases, as mil- 

 dew, blight and rust, occasioned by the inevitable effects of un- 

 propitious seasons ; though perhaps oftener from bad culture, 

 such as sowing poor seed, on unsuitable soil, want of manure 

 and proper tillage. Bad seasons may unavoidably injure the 

 quality of wheat, bad culture will inevitably do it. 



In every part of the United States where the climate and sit- 

 uation will admit of this crop, it has been found that winter 

 wheat will grow in almost every dry soil that is sufficiently 

 rich. Very sandy and very gravelly soils are however thought 

 to be the most unsuitable. Dry red loaims with a trifle of clay 

 in them are thought to be the best. It is said that the soil, the 

 analysis of which is mentioned in the essay on the nature and 

 constituent properties of soil, which consisted 5(3 parts sand, 26 

 clay, 12 of vegetable substances, such as compost manure, and 

 six of soluble salts, would produce great wheat, as almost every 

 other crop. It has been found by experience that the time for 

 sowing depends much on previous habit. Thus, if it were 

 sown a number of successive years by the middle of August, 

 and then the time of sowing were changed at once to October, 

 the crop would be lighter on that account. But where wheat 

 has become habituated to be sown late, it does well. The la- 

 ter it is sown the more seed is requisite. A bushel to tlie acre 



