TRI 



OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY. 



TRI 



709 



sent oft laterally, and they will render the crop fuller on the 

 land. But where the soils are very stiff and adhesive, the 

 growth of the crops may be checked and retarded by the 

 practice, and of course the shoots thus caused become weak, 

 affording only small ears and light grain. Some farmers 

 contend that much advantage is derived from turning sheep 

 upon crops where danger is apprehended from worms, slugs, 

 and other insects ; in order that by keeping them constantly 

 in motion, such animals may either be wholly destroyed, or 

 so fixed in the surface-mould as to cause their more gradual 

 death. There is a great variety of these animals, which are 

 supposed to be injurious to Wheat as well as other crops, 

 and for the destruction of which, lime, soot, and other saline 

 matters, have been had recourse to with supposed advantage. 

 The weeds most injurious to Wheat-crops where they have 

 been sown upon lands in an imperfect state of preparation, are 

 Charlock on the light calcareous soils ; the Corn-poppy on 

 those of the chalky kind, which are also infested by Cockle, 

 White-darnel, Packneedle, and Couch ; and Colt's-foot on 

 the heavy kinds of soil. Dibbling. The instrument employed 

 in this operation is called a pair of Dibbl ing-Irons: it con- 

 sists of three parts, two irons for making the set-holes, and 

 a connecting bar, which, for the purpose it serves, may be 

 called the foot-bar. Each of the irons is about a yard long, 

 with a handle like that of a spade. The shaft is about half 

 an inch thick ; the bottom part, with which the holes are 

 made, is much like a plumber's soldering-iron, but smaller 

 and more pointed. The foot-bar rests above the bottom parts 

 with which the holes are made, and keeps them at the dis- 

 tance of five inches. When united, they form one compact 

 instrument, and yet so loose as to allow each iron to be turned 

 round with a quick motion of the hand at each step. The 

 twist thus given to the irons, on taking them up from the 

 set-holes, prevents the soil adhering to the instrument. The 

 ground designed to be dibbled is first prepared as for broad- 

 cast. The man stretches a line where it may be convenient 

 to begin, and then proceeds to make the holes, with one foot 

 on the bar, advancing by steps of three inches, till he arrives 

 at the end of the line, which he removes five inches, and 

 then proceeds as before. This being- done with exactness, 

 will at length divide the whole field into neat squares of five 

 inches by three. Two children follow the man, dropping 

 three or four seeds into each hole. In the evening the seed 

 is covered by using a garden rake or bush-harrow. The 

 advantages of dibbling are stated to be, a saving of two- 

 thirds of the seed required for broadcast ; a greater product 

 of grain, and of better quality; less unnecessary straw, by 

 which the land is impoverished ; the roots striking deeper into 

 the ground, are not liable to be heaved out by the frost ; the 

 stems being at regular distances, they are less liable to be 

 laid by heavy rain? ; and, lastly, as affording employment to 

 the poor. The following method of preparing the seed will 

 generally prevent rust or mildew, and smut ; it also renders 

 the crop more excellent. After washing the seed, and skim- 

 ming off all the light grains, soak it in a strong solution of 

 common salt, or in the drainings from a manure heap, twenty- 

 four hours : then take it out, and dry it, by adding to it, 

 while wet, fallen lime and soot, in equal quantities, stirring 

 the whole till none of the seeds stick together. The seed 

 thus prepared, must be set in twelve or eighteen hours after- 

 wards, or it will not grow. Dibbling appears to be well 

 adapted for mountainous districts, and may be performed for 



about seven shillings per acre. Wheat is known to be ripe 



and ready for the reaper by the straw turning of a yellow 

 colour ; its ears beginning to bend in the neck, and hang 



Kwn ; there being no greenness in the middle of them, and 



the grain becoming hard and plump. When the Wheat-crops 

 are very heavy, with broad luxuriant leaves, men with sickles 

 move regularly through it, and strike off many of them, for 

 lightening the top, as a preservative against their being 

 beaten down by rain. This practice, which is called fagging, 

 should be carefully performed, or much damage may ensue. 

 The Chinese method of preparing seeds before sowing 

 them, though well known, has been hitherto unaccountably 

 neglected in Europe. It has been successfully tried in the 

 following process. Mix together equal parts of the dung of 

 sheep, horses, and cows, and clayey earth ; dilute the whole 

 with water, which has been previously boiled, to kill the 

 insects, and deprive it of its putrifying property. This mix- 

 ture must be poured on the seed-corn while lukewarm, throw- 

 ing a little slaked lime over it, and stirring the grain till a 

 coating of the mixture is formed, and adheres to it. It must 

 then be laid under a large woollen covering, and will swell 

 and begin to germinate at the end of three days. Wheat 

 thus prepared was sown two months and a half after the 

 usual time, on the 22d of December, in one fourth less than 

 the usual quantity ; which appeared above ground in six days, 

 and produced a fine crop in the beginning of August. The 

 seed should be procured, if possible, from more southern 

 countries than that wherein it is intended to be sown. Carrot- 

 seed also has been prepared in a similar manner, with the 

 addition of some soot, and left in a very humid state, wrapped 

 in linen, in some manure that retained a mild heat internally. 

 In six days the grain was ready to germinate, and was then 

 mixed with ten times its quantity of sandy earth, and sowed. 

 The Carrots appeared in ten days, and covered the ground 

 so well that the weeds did not shew themselves. They were 

 thinned two months afterwards, and yielded eleven large 

 cart-loads per acre four months and a half after sowing. 

 Barberry-trees have, during a series of years, overlooked 

 fields of Wheat, without the smallest perceptible evil influence, 

 although they are suspected to be of a noxious quality, and 

 have been themselves blighted and mildewed, whilst the 

 adjoining corn remained unaffected. The Barberry-tree is 

 extremely susceptible of blight, and has been seen covered 

 with mildew, before the corn was much or at all affected ; 

 and it appears probable that the same cause, viz. the atmo- 

 spheric stroke, operate upon both. Produce. The quantity 

 of Wheat produced upon an acre must vary considerably, 

 according to the circumstances of soil and preparation, as 

 well as the state of the season ; for it has been found that 

 in some years the yield is under twenty, while in others it 

 is upwards of thirty bushels per acre, upon the same land, 

 and with the same cultivation. The average return of this 

 crop throughout the kingdom is probably not more than from 

 three to three and a half quarters. It is observed that the. 

 yield of several years varies the proportion which Wheat 

 bears to the straw in a very great degree, but that the average 

 is about twelve bushels of Wheat to each load of straw, 

 weighing llcwt. 2 qrs. 8 Ibs. It has been asserted, and 

 probably with truth, that the straw of autumnal-sown Wheat 

 is more harsh, and less agreeable to cattle, than the straw 

 of that which is sown in the spring. The weight of Wheat 

 by the bushel differs much in different cases ; but in most 

 strong-land districts, it is usually about sixty-two or sixty- 

 three pounds to that quantity. The yield is the greatest 

 at the time of reaping, and becomes successively less and 

 less the longer it is kept, so as ultimately in many cases to 

 prove a disadvantage to the farmer, sometimes to the amount 

 of a shilling per bushel. It may be noticed, that it is neces- 

 sary, with the view of ascertaining the goodness of a sample 

 of Wheat, to determine by the eye, whether the berry be 



