408 



THE FARMERS' REGISTER. 



was full of leaves, very succulent, usually mildew- 

 ed, and almost ceriainly rusted— of course, a crop 

 of small value. 



At ihiG difficult time or obtaining a email lo' 

 ofwfieat, one of your conuniilee, in a conversaiion 

 with an Knizlidliman vvlio iheu was a very suc- 

 cessful raiser of wfieat on Penn's Manor, fully 

 Slated the difiiculiics as above narrated. He con- 

 eideraiely replied, that lliere appeared lo be two 

 prominent errors in ihe then practice— the ma- 

 nuring so late, and sowing so little seed. 



Ques. What injury by late manuring? 



^ns. Apt to make the straw very succulent 

 and lull of leaves. 



Ques. What quantity of seed ought to be 

 sown 1 



jlns. Increase the quantity till it fully occupies 

 the ground, making the straw fine and but lew 

 leaves. 



This short history of the difficulties, and means 

 made use of to obtain a small lot ol wheat imme- 

 diately after the fly came, your committee thought 

 might be of use in furihet examining the subject. 

 It stiovvs the progress we have made at the pre- 

 sent time in betier culiivation, earlier manuring, 

 earlier sowing, and doubling ilie quantify of seed 

 sown. 



First meajis— The means of prevention— first a 

 good dry, loamy eoi!, well prepared by cultivation, 

 not too recently manured, that by cultivation 

 there may be a good assimilation of manure to 

 soil, the more complete the belter. Cover the 

 seed about two inches deep, either with drill or 

 plough, that it may have a good hold of the soil, 

 and not be tlirown out by winter frosts. 



Second means.— Quantity of seed sown must 

 depend on the judgment of the farmer. The 

 strength ol the soil, the size ol the grains, &c., 

 musi°be taken into consideration. The grains of 

 some wheat are almost as long again as some 

 oihersj and some kinds tiller more than others ; 

 at any rate let the ground be fully occupied that 

 no weeds or trash occupy the ground and fill the 

 void spaces between the wheat, or thin places, 

 which will be full of leaves and sap, and of course, 

 rust. Such thin places, by unequal sowing, were 

 observable in some fields this year, by their dingy 



or rusty appearance ; whereas, the rest of the 

 land sown was bright and good. 



Time of sowing— As early sown wheat pro- 

 duces tlie strongi^st straw and fewest leaves, and 

 not so liable to be laid with wet, nor so apt lo be 

 thrown out of the ground by winter frosts, these 

 reasons recommend it as a preventive to rust. 



At what particular time wheat ought to be 

 sown to escape boih ffy and rust is not easy lo 

 settle, l)ut should the fly cease its depredations, 

 early in Sept., say from the ISih to the 20ih, would 

 be advisible, lor the various reasons assigned 

 above. The late sown wheat sometimes succeeds 

 under particular cultivation and soil; still the 

 chances against it are as ten to one. 



Kind of wheat.— In a former communication 

 your committee recommended the Mediterranean 

 wheal as most sale. Hitherto the ffy has not 

 touched it. It has the same charac'ter at the 

 sDuth, as we see by the Farmer's Kegisier, — 

 being untouched there. This is strongly in its 

 favor, li is also less liable to rust* ihan any kind 

 we are acquainted with. But other kinds may 

 offer, and upon trial be found preferable to the 

 Mediterranean. The Goldenrock, now upon trial, 

 may offer some advantages. It has a strong, 

 short straw, not liable to gel down by wet as some 

 other kinds, and said to be of excellent quality for 

 flouring. 



Means of improvement.— W e see abroad in the 

 land and around us, among the farmers, a more 

 certain means of improvement than any thing 

 your committee can offer. A spirit of inquiry ; a 

 wakelul ambition to meet the difficulties of their 

 1 profession; a desire to obtain the best seeds, to 

 produce the beet quality and greatest quantity of 

 their various products ; this, my friends, is the 

 surest fjundaiion of all permanent improvement. 

 These hitherto dormant lacuhies, if kept aroused 

 and active, will produce results in ten years from 

 this time, that will surprise us all, for we are well 

 persuaded that New Jersey is capable of pro- 

 ducing fourfold what the land now produces. 



* Ttiis season the Mediterranean wheat has rusted 

 in some fields and in some spots in others ; in my 

 own field, the cold, damp, and thin spots, were some- 

 what rusty ; upon the whole a good crop, and quite as 

 free from rust as the white wheat. 



CONTENTS OF THE FARMERS' REGISTER, KG. VIII. VOL. X. 



ORIGINAL COMMUNICATIONS. 



Various kinds of forage crops, 



Report to the Slate Board of Agriculture : 



1. On the Agriculture of Prince George 

 county 



2. The Appomattox lands of Prince George 

 county 



Graded hill-side ditches . - - - 



Cereal plants 



Time of ripening of wheat - - - - 

 Replication to the rejoinder on the doctrine 



of rotations 



Sorrel apparently nourished by inavl - 

 Buffalo clover 



SELECTIONS. 



Winter rye for early spring feed - 



Page 

 372 



383 



389 

 390 

 391 

 394 



399 

 401 

 402 



369 



The wild hogs of the northern parishes of 

 Louisiana ..---- 



White slavery in Great Britain. Employment 

 of females in the English mines 



Risks of mercantile life . - - - 



A dangerous property of wood ashes exposed 

 and some of their other properties examined 



Practice of English farmers in the improve- 

 ment of peaty ground . - - - 



The Ciolon aqueduct for supplying water to 

 the city of New York - - - - 



Abstract of Professor Liebig's report on or- 

 ganic chemistry applied to physiology and 

 pathology 



The Genesee valley 



Forest trees - - - * , o • * 



Report to the New Jersey Agricultural Socie- 

 ty on rust and mildew - - - - 



Page 



371 



375 

 376 



377 



378 

 394 



395 

 403 



405 



407 



