FARMERS' REGISTER-DIARY-PRIVATE CORRESPONDENCE. 



J)iary of the temperature and state of the. weather 

 in May, observed at Shellhanks, Prince George 

 county, 37 deg. 14 min. JV. Lat. 



Fair or sunshine, f — cloudy, c — i-ain, r. 



EXTKACTS FROM PRIVATE CORREriPONUENCE. 



CHEAT r'RODUCED FROM WHEAT. 



Orange county, iV. C, April SOth, 1834. 



As a slio;ht compensation for the edification I 

 hope to derive li'om your labors, I take the liberty 

 of mentioning a fad whicli may tend to eluci- 

 date a point, on ^vhich 1 observe, you are more 

 than skeptical: I allude to the production of cheat 

 from wheat, or, rather, the degeneration of the 

 latter into the tbrmer under some circumstances. 



Some years ago I had a piece of gi'ass land 

 containing about four acres; about one-half of 

 which was a steep and rich hill side, Avhich was 

 set in red clover and orchard grass; the other half, 

 being the foot of the hill and a moist bottom, v/as 

 in timothy. The whole had been mowed for hay 

 for several years, twice annually, and was perfect- 

 ly free from cheat and tolerably clear of other 

 weeds. Between the grasses there was a trencli 

 around the hill, along which my spring branch 

 was carried for the purpose of irrigating the timo- 

 thy. The clovered part requirin;^ new seeding, I 

 planted the upper part of the hilf in corn, and in 

 autumn laid it down in wheat. Soon afterwards 

 and about the time the w^heat was sprouting, a 

 hasty and hard rain fell Avhich washed a good 

 deal of the soil from the hill side, so as to fill the 

 small ditch at several points and then carried a 



good deal of earth upon the firm sod of the mea-- 

 dow below, which had recently been mowed. 

 Going into it immediately afterwards for the pur- 

 pose of having the obstructions in the water trench 

 removed and other damages rei)aired, I observed 

 that Avith the earth left on the meadow were many 

 grains of wheat. I had no apprehension of evil 

 consequences at the time, and supposed that those 

 seeds would either perish from want of covering, 

 or the Avatering of the meadow daring winter, 

 or Avould be wheat and removed at the next year's 

 mowing. They hoAA'ever, vegetated and grew 

 vigorously, and the next spring every bunch proved 

 to be cAeflif, while not one single head of cheat was 

 discovered among the wheat which remained and 

 greiv on the hill where it A\'as sowed and ploughed 

 in — which yielded a good crop, exceeding 20 

 bushels to the acre, and Avould have been larger, 

 if it had not received injury, lor a short time, from 

 the clover caterpillar. In addition, I have to state 

 that in no part of the meadow was there cheat, 

 except where the earth and seed wheat washed 

 from the hill, Avere deposited. 



To me this phenomenon seems inexplicable, 

 on your hypothesis — but I do not mean to reason^ 

 on it — leaving that to you and "taking on myself 

 the responsibility" for the fact only. Yet, while 

 I dare not affirm that you are in error, I must say 

 that it seems to me imprudent to deny positively 

 the metamorphosis alleged by so many persons 

 upon observations apparently careful and accurate. 

 It is true that generally, "it hath pleased God 

 to give to every seed his own body," and we ex- 

 pect, in the order of nature, when we sow, to 

 reap "after its kind." Nevertheless, we know 

 but litde of substances, and Ave knoAV also that na- 

 ture is constantly Avorking Avonders and producing 

 monsters both in the animal and A^egetable por- 

 tions of her productions. Facts alone can decide, 

 a controversy, and they alone ought therefore to 

 be looked after — and looked to. * * * » 



Sumpter District, S. C. Uth May, 1834. 



The subject of marl is a very important one, for 

 the declining states of the Atlantic section. Is it 

 not probable that it is to be found at the same dis- 

 tance from the sea coast, and the primitive for- 

 mation in the Carolinas ? I should suppose so. 



It is a great pity a good geological, topographi- 

 cal, mineralogical and geographical surv'ej', could 

 not be had of the States. Why could not there 

 be a class at West Point especially organized for 

 this purpose, Avhence Avould issue surA^eyors of the 

 proper kind I W^ith these the States could join their 

 intelligent Aouth, Avho formed into companies, could 

 traverse the country AAnth their instruments, and 

 confer all the benefit Avhich could be required. 



The seasons here huA^e been up to this period, 

 A^ery disastrous to the cro]>s of cotton and corn, 

 both of Avhich look miserable from the cxcessiA'e 

 cold. Corn is selling in Columbia and Camden 

 and the country bcknv, at 87^ to 100 cents per 

 bushel, and Avill be in some districts Avorth 125 to 

 150 cents, before the harvest. In Charleston, the 

 North Carolina corn is to be had at not less than 

 72. It Avould be curious to knoAA^, what part of 

 these 72 cents go to the OTOAver: andAvhether a rail 

 road from Roanolce to Fayetteville, and thence 

 to the Peedee, AA'ould not put a larger portion 

 into his pocket, and open a much more extensive . 



