556 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



the land is very rich and fertile, it would eeemtliat 

 on such lands more seed would be necessary to 

 seed it properly ; as it is clear that where but one 

 or two stalks shoot from a root, these must be 

 more numerous than when a root produces hall" a 

 dozen. 



Opinions amoncr farmers have been somewhat 

 variant on the subject of chan<ring seed ; but we 

 think unless more pains is taUen to originate and 

 preserve good seed on a farm, than now usually is, 

 there is essential benefit derived from such chan- 

 ges. Wheat is certain to succeed better on lands 

 not naturally adapted to its production, when the 

 seed is brought from a good wheat soil or district. 

 For many years the farmers ol" large sections of 

 the western district of New- York, where the 

 ■wheat crop at that time was apt to fail or smut, 

 found a profit in sending some twenty or forty 

 miles to procure seed from the best grain districts, 

 and the crop from such wheat rarely failed in pro- 

 ducing grain of good quality. There is also a decid- 

 ed advantage secured in bringing seed from lower 

 Jand and a milder climate, to elevated lands, or a 

 cold moist climate. Such a change of seed renders 

 the mountain crop earlier and better than it would 

 be if seed from the same neighborhood was used. 

 Professor Brown has on this sul>ject the I'ollowing 

 remarks, which are undoubtedly correct, as they 

 are founded on the experience of husbandmen in 

 the hiirh and low lands of Scotland : 



" We are convinced that the cultivator of a 

 mountainous district, if lie always used seed from 

 his own crops, would reap later and later harve.«ts, 

 Bo that at last they would wiih difficulty be brought 

 to maturity ; a circumstance easily explained by 

 the comparative shortness of summers in moun- 

 tain districts. If, on the other hnnd, the culiivaior 

 of a flat country, the climnte of which is ni;!d, and 

 the soil dry and light, coniinunlly made use of his 

 own seed, it would head every year sooner, the 

 Btalks would become shorter, and the heads and 

 grain smaller and smaller, and in time there would 

 result but a poor produce. In this last case, the 

 cultivator brings his seed with advantage from a 

 country or district more cold, the soil of which is 

 good and substantial." 



The instances in which benefit has been de- 

 rived, on what are called beech and maple lands, by 

 using seed from oak lands, are so numerous that 

 almost every one must be fiimiliar with them. The 

 advantnges in this case, however we may choose 

 to explain thom, cannot with propriety be disputed. 



As to the time of sowing wheat, it may be re- 

 marked, that very early sown wheat gets more 

 firmly rooted, than later sown, and in consequence 

 is less liable to injury from freezing out. Wheat 

 may be sown so late, as not to germinate until the 

 severity of the winter is past, or the greatest dan- 

 ger from frost is gone by ; but such late sown 

 wheat is far more liable to the attacks of blight or 

 rust than that which ripens early, or which is so 

 far advanced before the close, hot, showery wea- 

 ther, that marks the advent of blight, commence?, 

 as to be safe from injury. On the other hand, 

 late sown wheat is very certain to escape the 

 Hessian fly, which in some parts of the country is 

 the greatest enemy wheat has to encounter. It 

 would eeem, then, that \vhere wheat is liable to 

 winter-kill or blight, early sowing is to be prefer- 

 red ; and that where the fly is prevalent, sowing 

 sijould be delayed as long as posaible. It may be 



added, that some experiments would seem to 

 prove, that in districts where the wheat-worm has 

 been bo (ijtal to spring wheat, very late sowing, 

 by delaying the earing of the wheat until the pe- 

 riod of the worm-fly was passed, would preserve 

 the crop. 



There is more wheat lost to the husbandman 

 from the single cause of winter-killing, or freezing 

 out of the ground in winter or spring, than there 

 is in this country from all othercauses put logeiher. 

 The worst period is in the tnonihs of February 

 or March, v/heii the ground is bare of snow, 

 and thawing mild days are succeeded by sharp 

 freezing nights. This freezing expands the sur- 

 face water, lifts the roots from their place a iiitle at 

 each time, and bv successive freezing and thaw- 

 ing, leaves the plant without any hold upon the 

 soil, and consequently to perish. Heavy soils are 

 more apt to winter-kill grain, than gravelly, or 

 light ones, as these can retain little water. It 

 would seem to be a necessary inli?rence, then, that 

 thorough draining such soils as are apt to winter- 

 kill wheat, would prove a remedy, and theory and 

 fact in this case are found to agree. We have 

 lately had the pleasure of seeing beautiful fields 

 of grain growing on lands, fiom which a lew 

 years since the production of wheal would have 

 been impossible. Thorough draining had removed 

 the water that (brmerly saturated the soil, and by 

 freezing the surface, prevented the lifting out pro- 

 cess that always accompanies the freezing of wet 

 grounds. It is usually the case that such wet 

 grounds contain a large supply of vegetable mat- 

 ter, and draining renders them so productive, that 

 the profit of a single crop not unfreqnently repays 

 all the expense incurred in the improvement, leav- 

 ing the land, which in its former state was nearly 

 worthless, a clear gain to the husbandman. If 

 on conmion farms the means of trench or thorough 

 draining are nut at hand, surface drains made in 

 such a manner as to carry off the water that (iills 

 on the land, should be constructed immediately 

 after the sowing is compleied. By preventing 

 such water remaining in, and consolidating the 

 land, grain is less liable to be thrown out ; and 

 though far less beneficial, or permanent in its ef- 

 fijcts, than thorough draining, surface drains should 

 not be omitted where there is the least danger 

 from excess of water. 



POTATOES FROM THE SEED. 



From the Cultivator. 



Messrs. Gaylord and Tucker — One of your sub- 

 scribers has made inquiry, as to the mode of rais- 

 ing potatoes from seed, lor the purpose of procur- 

 ing varieties : will you accept the Ibllowing as a 

 reply 1 



The saving of seed requires in the first place 

 some little attention : being contained in a cap- 

 sule of pulpy matter, it is necessary that it should 

 be separated therefrom, by washing and drying, 

 in -the same way with cucumbers, melons, and 

 some few other seeds, similarly produced ; and 

 then to be kept free from moisture till the follow- 

 ing spring, or until when wanted, as thus saved it 

 will keep good many years. 



In order to its cultivation, in the month of April 

 prepare a bed, in a portion of the garden that has 



