2,10 



FARMERS' REGISTER 



should be matters of experiment with us, in a cli- 

 mate wliere our summers are much warmer, as I 

 am fully aware that lands may be too thickly as 

 well as two thinly sown. 



3d. Varieties of wheat in Europe. — Botanists 

 have been much perplexed in endeavoring to de- 

 cide un ilie irue origin of our varieties of wheat. 

 Jt is now ditfioull lo ascertain what is the true tri- 

 iicum saf/uu/n or conunoii wheat. In general the 

 bearded and beardless wheats are divided into two 

 cipecies. The Ibriner are termed triiicwn fiyber- 

 num, or winier wheat, and the latter iriticam as- 

 ttvum, oreuninier wheat. 1 am, however, inclined 

 to think that all the varieties may be included 

 under one species, as there are nodisiinctive marks 

 by which they can be separated. Under triticum 

 hybernum, lor instance, are included several of the 

 earlier and the best varieties of spring wheat, and 

 under triticum (sstivumare included several beard- 

 ed wheats equally hardy, and requiring as long 

 lime to arrive at nialuriiy as our common winter 

 Borts. Indeed, the recent French botanists have 

 now nfcTid all the varieties to triticum sativum. 

 But this is not the place lo settle nice botanical 

 dr^iinciions. 



Spring wheat is seldom cultivated in England 

 as a g<-neral crop. In every instance where I 

 saw it growing, it appeared to me rather inlerior. 



In my last number I alluded to some of the va- 

 rieties of wheat at present cultivated in England. 

 The golden drop, blood red, Uxbridge, Hunter's, 

 Mengosweli's, Whitiington & Hickling's. The 

 three latter, like our okra cotton and rohan potato, 

 have been so recently introduced that they have not 

 yet Ibund their way into general cultivation. I'he 

 specimin^, however, which I saw were very supe- 

 rior, sutliciently so to encouraoe the American larm- 

 er lo impori the seed, which may be ordered 

 hom Lavvson and Sons, Edinburgh, or Lud- 

 dige, in London, or through any merchant at Li- 

 verpool. An order sent in July will be in sutficient 

 lime to enable ttie farmer lo plant the seed in 

 autumn. 



The wheat called Leghorn or Tuscany wheat, 

 was introduced into England i'or the purpose oi 

 procuring straw Ibr the manuiacture ot bonnets, 

 &c.; but it was found not to succeed as well as 

 the common rye, which is now exclusively culti- 

 vated ill the Orkney isiands, and the north of 

 Scotland, (or that purpose. 



In tiie northern parts ot' France, I saw cultivat- 

 ed pretty extensively, a very hardy variety of wheat 

 called JPoulard bleu, and ble, bleu conique. It is 

 partial to rich day soils ; its grains are dark and 

 very hard. An Egyptian v/heat called Ble da Smyr- 

 ■iia was also highly spoken of. There is a variety 

 of wheat brought originally from Morocco that la 

 successfully cultivated in Italy, but does not suc- 

 ceed well in the northern parts of Europe, that 

 might be experimented on in our southern slates. 

 Its spikes are long, loose, nodding lo a side., and 

 awned j grains about half an inch in length — red- 

 dish, transparent, and very hard. It usually goes 

 under the name of Polish wheat, although it is not 

 much cultivated in Poland, — is said to have come 

 originally from Biorocco, and is often called Mo- 

 gadore wheat. 



I find in my journal, descriptions of nearly one 

 hundred varieties of wheat cultivated in Europe, 

 bui doubt whether the transferring them lo your 

 pagas would be of any material benefit to the 



American farmer, who, I /ear, would scarcely im- 

 port them even as an experiment. i?hould the 

 seeds which I brought with me, and distribut- 

 ed through several parts of our souihern country, 

 be successjlilly cultivated, I will endeavor to notice 

 them on some future occasion. 



It would be of great advantage were our agri- 

 cultural societies to imitate the examples of those 

 of Europe, in attaching a museum lo their institu- 

 tions, where not only the diHi;rent grains cultivated 

 might be exhibited, but also the stalks and plants 

 preserved in a dried staie, — the mode of culture 

 and product carefully noted, for the benefit of agri- 

 culturists. I observed at Washington, during- 

 the last summer, a successliil aitempi of this kind 

 by the intelligent superiniendeni of the patent 

 office. 



The English farmer has more to apprehend 

 I mm the constant drizzling rains during harvest 

 time, than from insecis, which are the bane of the 

 American farmer. The so called Hessi.ui Hy, has 

 never been introduced, and the poor Hessian has 

 sins enough to answer Ibr on another score, with- 

 out meriting the charge of conveying this pest to 

 America m liis straw. The insect is not known' 

 in Hessia, and although two specimens were showDj 

 lo nie as liaving been procuied in Sweden, they 

 proved lo be of a difierent and harmless species. 

 I fear we will have lo claim it, along with the op- 

 possum and rattle-snake, as exclusively American. 

 The wheat of our country also sufi'ers materially 

 Irom other insects, which prey upon it, in its 

 ripened state; hence in many pitrts it is necessary 

 that the crop be not only thrashed out, but imme- 

 diately carried to the flower mill. In England, 

 on the contrary, 1 perceived stacks of wheat thai 

 had remained uiithrashed Ibr three and lour years, 

 and in many instances five or six, without any 

 other molestation than that of the Norway ral — 

 that cosmopolite, gregarious, omnivorous pest of 

 all countries. 



Theie ure two of the sciences, however widely 

 removed from each other, and however seldom 

 ilioughtol by the American farmer, that have long 

 appeared to me as inviting greater attention in an 

 agricultural point of view ilian has hitherto been 

 devoted to them, I uiean chemistry and entomology. 

 The former enabling us to analyze our soils, and 

 directing us as lo the best modes lor their improve- 

 ment, and the latter in pointing out to us the habits 

 and characters of those insects that prey upon our 

 fruits and grains, without which we cannot find u 

 remedy against their depredations. 



From the London Gardener's Gazette, Feb. 22, 1840. 

 A PLAN OF GREEN CROPPING. 



Successfully jursued for a number of years by Robert Walls, 

 overseer at Koselle, Ayrsliire, N. B. 



Early in spring we plough and harrow and 

 weed our land for green crop till we have all the 

 weeds off, then roll it to keep in the moisture ; for 

 n dry springs it is very difficult to do so. "We let 

 the land be in that state till we are ready to sow 

 our Swedish turnip, which is generally about the 

 10th of May. We study to have them all sown 

 by the latter end of May, if possible. Immediately 

 before we begin to sow we give it what we call the 

 last furrow, from seven to ten inches deep, as we 



