8 



THE FARMERS' REGISTER. 



cation on auoilier page relative to cheat. 1 lie 

 " lieads 01 darnel" enclosed in the leiter, are 

 lho:^e ol common cheat, and the darnel ol the 

 Eno-lish. Ctieal, in England is called smooth 

 iye° in Ameiicn, cheai, chess, and eomeiimes 

 darnel, lis bolanical ivdmc \3 Bromus secalnuts, 

 beloiH'in"' 10 Ihe 3.1 class and "id order ol Lmi.tBas. 

 But iher'e is another species ol biomus or cheat 

 very common in this country, and so nearly re- 

 Bcmbliniz coimnon clH'ai that it is olien mistaken 

 lor it. It is the JJramus mollis of Linr,ffius— soli 

 brome grass of the Enguth. The only material 

 ditleren'ce belweenlhis plant and the true cheat, 

 is the elenuerne^s oT its growth and smallness ol 

 its seed.-^. by which, when together, the two 

 epecies are easily distinguished. The soli brome 

 grass is supposed to s|Miiig Irom degenerated ti- 

 mothy, by the believers in such changes, as it is 

 most usually found in grounds adapted to ti- 

 mothy. 



Darnel, the kind mentioned by Col. Emory, as 

 having first appeared in Kent Island, (in the Chesa- 

 peaUe^'bay) soon after the British encampment on 

 ihat island, of which Col. E. sent a speeimen, is 

 the Lolium temulentum of Linnajus, belonging to 

 the 3d class and 2iJ order of the Linnsjan ar- 

 rangement. It is of the same genus as the cele- 

 brauid and excellent perennial rye grass, and this 

 latter and eisht other species are all called darnel 

 in England.'^ Some farmers in Eiiiiland, and other 

 pans of Europe, still suppose that this darnel oii- 

 ainates Irom degenerated rye and wheat, whence 

 probably he common name of rye grns?. 



By some persons in Virginia, the darnel (loiiom 

 temulentum) is called spelts, ImjI improperly, as 

 there is a sjieeies of wheat, trilicum spella, winch 

 is called s/Jc/i in England; hut no other plant is 

 called by any name resembling it. Spelt is grown 

 in some pans of Germany, on high land, where 

 common wheat will not ripen. It is improperly 

 placed in Ihe genus triiicum, (wheat,) as it has 

 distinct generic characters. It has a stout straw, 

 almost solid, with strong spikes or heads, and 

 rhall adhenng firmly to the grain. The grain 

 is light, yields but little flour, and makes poor 

 bread. 



The tares or vetches of England, are very dis- 

 tinct plants from cheat and darnel. They are the 

 Vicia safi'ua of Linnajus, and in their characters i 

 and habits resemble the common pea. 



"We rejoice that Col. Emory has been al.Ic to | 

 trace the origin of this new pest, (darnel,) as 

 otherwise our wheat would have been degraded 

 by another suspicion of its mutability. It has, 

 however, already suffered in this way, as will 

 have been seen in an article in the 16th number 

 of the Farmer, page 134. The origin of darnel 

 having been traced to Kent Island, iis existence 

 there Is easily accounted lor :— it was doubtless 

 brought there in the horse provender, in the oats ; 

 and as it is a common practice to feed the tailings 

 of wheat to horses, it is very probable that quan- 

 tities of that article were sent over for the use 

 of the British cavalry horses, and thus left on the 

 island where the army encamped. 



We are glad to add the name of so respectable 

 a gentlemaTi as Col. Emory to the list of those 

 who believe in the immutability of wheat, and 

 of every other created thing. Vegetables may 

 be improved in their qualities, may be rendered 

 worthless, and may be hybriiized, by high or 



low cultivation, and by cross impregnation, but 

 their diiiiiictive characiers, their organic structure, 

 must always remain the same — without a shadov? 

 of change. The short fine hair of the leaves 

 can no rnore be taken from cheat nor added to 

 wheat than a teyular ear of corn can be produced 

 u|)on broom corn ; than watermelons can be pro- 

 duced frum pumpkin vines, or any other such 

 irregular operation. 



Prince George County, Fa., Oct. 23, 1832. 

 3Jr. Smith .-—When I sent to you (or examin- 

 ation a head ot' darnel, or what is litre called spelt, 

 I was surfirised to learn frum your answer thai its 

 existence in this country is so limited, as it must 

 be, as it had not before fallen under your observa- 

 tion. It is a subject lor congratulation, that our 

 country generally is yet free Irom the worst pest 

 that attends the cultivation of wheat. As soon 

 as 1 was informed by you that our spelt was the 

 English weed darnel, I immediately attributed its 

 presence here, to the importation of English 

 race-horses, which have been frequently landed 

 at city Point in this county ; and darnel was no 

 doubt brought in their oats and litter, and by that 

 means scattered over our country. By the way, 

 a Spanish thistle lull of burs and sharp thorns, 

 was brought to the same place, and also to -.Pe- 

 tersburg, "^in the tieeces of Merino sheep; and 

 having^ been permitted by negiect to spread, 

 threatens to add another serious and endless an- 

 noyance to our /arming. Though darnel has not 

 been known iiere so long as twenty years, as a 

 considerable injury to wheat, yet the opinion is 

 already prevalent that this i)lant, like cheat, is 

 merely d generated wheat. These eironeous 

 opinions are calculated to repress all vigorous 

 etions to rootout the evil; and il darnel should 

 be allowed to spread throughout the country, it 

 will be impossible to ijet rid of it. By great 

 care, perhaps we may relieve ourselves ol these 

 pests, if the attempt is made without more delay. 

 Nothing will clear land already set with darnel, 

 but carefully pulling every plant out of the crops 

 of wheat, and sowing periecily clean seed. 



D.a-nel is poisonous in a very high degree. I 

 have heard from good aulhonty, of three several 

 cases in this county of persons being made alarm- 

 ingly ill by eating a single meal of bread made 

 ol"wheat coniaining a large proportion of darnel. 

 They were immediately seized with violent sick- 

 ness of the stomach, convulsed limbs, &c. and it 

 was thouuht by those who witnessed the effect, 

 Ihainoihing but the speedy use of active medi- 

 cine, savedihe lives of the persons so affected. 



We larmers are apt to complain of the millers, 

 for the many and strong objections that they 

 make to the condition of our wheat when offered 

 to them for sale,— and we complain with some 

 reason, because such objections are urged irregu- 

 larly, capriciously, and are very much influenced 

 by the demand and price. But if some fixed and 

 ref^ular rule could be adopted, which would im- 

 pose a heavy but unilbrm penally on the farmer 

 for every kind of impurity in his wheal, 1 have 

 no doubt hut it would be ultimately, if not imme- 

 diately, beneficial to every farmer, as well as to 

 the miller, and to the whole region of country m 

 which the rule was adopted, by raising to the 

 hi'Thest grade the character of Us wheat and Hour. 

 Wlien wheat of average quality sells for one dol- 



