35 



five acres looks as promising as any wheat I ever 

 saw: the other part of the field is weak, and I think 

 cannot make a full crop, although much better than 

 much I see around me. The Maryland wheat of 

 which 1 wrote you, was sown immediately east of 

 the orchard. So far as the shelter of the orchard 

 extended, it looks pretty well ; beyond that it is quite 

 feeble. Had my 01 chard been on as high land as the 

 wheatfield, I have no doubt it would have sheltered 

 all the wheatfield. 



I have thought it would pay to plant quick grow- 

 ing timber to shelter fields that are exposed to west 

 or northwest. We have no hard blows from due 

 north, or anywhere easterly, to injure crops, but often 

 from the west. It is only three years ago that hall 

 ot the wheat in the State that was exposed to the 

 northwest and west was killed by a hard frost and 

 hard blow on the 8th of March. I feel quite sure 

 that it would pay to have plantations for shelter 

 wherever winter wheat is the staple crop. A top 

 dressing of manure, or even straw, would have a 

 tendency to protect it in such seasons as this has 

 been. This I know. One inch of straw put on after 

 sowing the wheat, would have saved it, I have no 

 doubt; and fine manure would still be better. 

 Where the wheat is sheltered by our rail fences it is 

 safe as far as that shelter extends, though one would 

 not suppose there was much shelter from a rail fence, 

 but it has been enough to protect the wheat on that 

 severe day, the 17th of February." (Country Gen- 

 tleman, vol. 2?>rd.) 



Probably no man was ever more successful in 

 raising wheat, or ever gave the subject a more patient 



