298 



PREMATURE DECAY IN WHEAT. 



Art. LXIX.— premature DECAY IN WHEAT. 



[In reply to an inquiry in the Agricultural Gazette, as to the cause of 

 wheat dying away prematurely, Mr. Hewitt Davis offers the following 

 facts, having come within his own observation, as proving to him that 

 lands wiU not bear a very frequent repetition of wheat — he observes : — ] 



Prior to my occvipying* the Spring- Park farm, it was 

 farmed by the wealthy and intelHg-ent owner, and, from 

 want of drainage and trenching-, was then iinsuited to the 

 g'rowth of clover or beans, and he confined his cropping- to 

 roots, oats, rye-g-rass and trefoil, or tares and wheat, fre- 

 quently taking- wheat after the roots. He purchased man- 

 ure largely, and besides, used on the arable land the dung- 

 from a larg-e racing- and hunting- stud, and from 30 to 40 

 brood mares, so that the winter g-rowth of his wheat was 

 always luxuriant : but I noticed that soon after the wheat 

 was in ear it became scrawled or root-fallen, and was laid 

 by wind or lig-ht showers ; the ears filled imperfectly, and 

 the appearances were as described by you. For some 

 time this was ascribed to causes — such as the want of 

 lime, the consequence of spring-hoeing-, the heavy rolling', 

 and the like ; but since I have chang-ed the course of 

 cropping, that is, have introduced beans or peas, and red 

 clover into the rotation, I have not suifered; my wheat 

 stands perfect. I do not hesitate to ascribe the evil to want 

 of streng-th in the straws from too frequent repetition in the 

 crop ; and had I had any doubt before this summer, which 

 I had not, I should have none now ; for a field of wheat of 

 mine this year, on part of which wheat had been taken two 

 years ago, showed the consequence of repeating- this crop 

 too often. Where the wheat was two years ag'o the crop 

 went off, whilst the remainder stood till harvest. In my 

 inspection of land, I frequently find districts where the wheat 

 is more liable to be laid, and I fancy I even trace this evil to 

 the injudicious cropping- then adopted; for it too often 

 occurs that this crop is erroneously considered the only 

 paying- one, and that its frequent return is desirable ; and 

 hence it is taken till the return diminishes, and more is lost 

 by this dependence upon wheat than is imagined. 



Agricultural Gazette, Aug. 29, 1846, 



