JSo. 2. 



Hickliag^s Prolific Wheat — Fruit Trees. 



69 



For the Farmers' Cabinet. 

 Hlckliug'a Prolific WUeat. 



An aa^ricultural friend has presented us 

 with a sample of a new variety of grain, 

 greatly celebrated in England, under the 

 name of Hickling's Prolijic Wheat. The 

 seed was originally imported in 1837, by our 

 respected and public-spirited fellow-citizen, 

 James Ronaldson. It was sown late in the 

 autumn of the year mentioned, and retaining 

 the habits of its native country, where the 

 harvest is nearly two months afler ours in the 

 middle States, did not begin to head before 

 the commencement of the memorable hot 

 spell by which we were visited in the sum- 

 mer of 1838. The consequence was a very 

 poor crop, the straw and head appearing dried 

 up. The product was, however, sown agam 

 in the autumn, and although the ground was 

 by no means strong, the result has been a 

 very fine crop, the quantity of which cannot 

 be ascertained until it is threshed out. What 

 is highly interesting, the grain seems to have 

 become almost acclimated, and though last 

 year, nearly a fortnight later, was this season 

 ready for the scythe only about three or four 

 days after the common red bearded wheat of 

 the country. It has never, as yet, received 

 the least injury from the ily, or any disease 

 to which wheat is subject. 



We find the following notice of the origin 

 and characteristics of Hickling's Prolific 

 Wheat in the Edinburgh Quarterly Journal 

 of Agriculture, vol. vii., page 471. 



" Mr. Samuel Hickling, of Cawston, near 

 Aylesham, in Norfolk, (England) observed in 

 1830, three heads of wheat, remarkable from 

 the rest, apparently from one root, which he 

 plucked and rubbed out, and found to contain 

 two hundred and ninety-three kernels. Hav 

 ing preserved and sown them and their pro- 

 duce for four successive years, the seed in 

 the fourth year covered eighteen acres of 

 ground, and the return was six and a half 

 quarters per imperial acre, (about sixty bush- 

 els.) Hence the name of Hiclding's Prolific 

 Wheat. 



" The properties of this wheat are, — straw 

 long, stout at the bottom, and tapering to the 

 liead ; head short, thick, close and heavy ; 

 kernels four in the row across the ear, and 

 red in color, with the chaff white ; in sample 

 the wheat is short, plump, thin-skinned, and 

 looks as if it would flour well ; color, dark 

 orange-red. It has been tried for two reasons 

 in Scotland, where it is said to have produced 

 nine quarters per Scotch acre." G. E. 



[The enterprising gentleman from whom 

 we received the above communication has 

 left with us a sample of the wheat therein de- 

 scribed, which can be seen at our ofiice. He 



has some ten or fifteen bushels, which he 

 liberally offers to furnish any farmer who has 

 land properly prepared for wheat; he will 

 furnish the seed, guarantee a common crop, 

 and pay the market price for the same when 

 harvested. 



From the appearance of this wheat in the 

 head and kernel, we are of the opinion that it 

 is a very valuable variety, and its introduc- 

 tion will prove a lasting benefit to the grain 

 growing mterests. 



We hope some of the farmers will embrace 

 the above liberal offer. If so, they can ob- 

 tain any desirable information on the subject 

 on application to the Agricultural Warehouse, 

 No. 87 N. Second street, Philadelphia.] 



September 'J, 1839. 



For the Farmers' Cabinet. 

 Fruit Trees. 



Shame be to him who planteth not fruit trees. 



Those who love good fruit should annually 

 devote a small portion of their time to pro- 

 ducing and perpetuating the trees that produce 

 it. The apathy of many to this very inter- 

 esting subject can scarcely be accounted for 

 on any other principle than that of excessive 

 laziness or extreme stupidity. Where the 

 male portion of a family can't muster courage 

 or industry enough to give reasonable atten- 

 tion to this important matter, it is hoped the 

 females will look to it, and then the trees 

 will soon begin to blossom and bring forth 

 fruit, for I have seldom seen an intelligent, 

 active female undertake any thing useful, 

 without the fruits of her labors soon becoming 

 apparent. I saw the present season a number 

 of flourishing young fruit trees which were 

 engrafted by the wife of the " good man" of 

 the farm, reflecting great credit on her for 

 her industry, perseverance, and skill as a cul- 

 tivator of fruit trees. 



The stones of peaches and plumbs, and the 

 seeds of apples or other fruits should be 

 planted either in drills, or in the places they 

 are designed permanently to occupy before 

 they become dry ; they vegetate better and 

 more certainly than when kept over winter to 

 be planted in the sprmg. The right season 

 to plant the stones or seeds is when the fruit 

 is ripe, and it will be found they will more 

 certainly vegetate and acquire a larger growth 

 the first season. 



Plant a few stocks each year, be careful to 

 engraft or inoculate them when of proper size 

 with the best varieties, protect them from the 

 cows and horses till they grow out of their 

 reach, and you will not have to complain of a 

 lack of good Fruit. 



