496 



WHE 



WHE 



frosf. But it will often be of ad- 

 vantage to pass a roller over the 

 ground in the following spring, to 

 close the earth about the roots, and 

 prevent the earth from being dried 

 by the spring winds, to too great a 

 dej)th. 



Wheat sown in the spring should 

 be only covered with the harrow, 

 as it has no time to lose, and ought 

 to be up early. For the same rea- 

 son it should be sowed as early as 

 the ground can be got into the right 

 order to receive it. 



If weeds arise in plenty among 

 the wheat, they should be destroy- 

 ed in the spring ; otherwise the 

 crop will he much robbed of its 

 nourishment. This matter has not 

 yet been sutHciently attended to in 

 this country; though in other coun- 

 tries, particularly in Scotland, the 

 people make as much account of 

 weeding their fields of grain, as 

 their gardens. This should by all 

 means be performed before the 

 time when the plants begin to send 

 out their ears ; because, after this, 

 they will be the more in danger of 

 being hurt by people's passing 

 among them. Especialy the wheat 

 ought not to be touched while it is 

 in blossom. As it is m the critical 

 sea-^on of foecundation, it may be 

 very detrimental to the crop. And 

 if the weeds be not taken out be- 

 fore the grain is become large and 

 tall, many of them will be covered 

 and hidden under the plants ; so 

 that only the largest weeds will be 

 pulled out, while the rest are suf- 

 fered to stand and perfect their 

 seeds. For these reasons, Mr. 

 Milhr recommends to farmers a 

 practice among kitchen gardeners, 



I which he says has been found to be 

 of great benefit to crops, and has 

 al?o been a great saving to them in 

 I the operation of destroying weeds, 

 I which is, making use of a small kind 

 I of hoes for cleaning the wheat early 

 I in the spring, before the ground is 

 i covered with the blades of the 

 corn. By this instrument, all the 

 weeds, small and great, will be cut 

 up ; and if it be done in dry wea- 

 ther, will die. He recommends a 

 second hoeing about three weeks 

 after the first, which will subdue 

 those weeds which happen to re- 

 main alive. And at the time of 

 hoeing, he recommends thinning 

 the plants, where they happen to 

 stand too thick, which he thinks 

 will do much to prevent the lodg- 

 ing of the corn, and render it less 

 lialde to be smutty. Whether 

 these hoeings will greatly increase 

 the crop I think there can be no 

 reason to doubt, unless they should 

 cause it to ripen so much later as 

 to expose it to blight. But 1 should 

 not expect it from such a superfi- 

 cial hoeing. 



' Some farmers are apt to think 

 there is no inconvenience in suf- 

 fering sheep to feed on the yoimg 

 plants of winter wheat, in autumn 

 or winter, or even early in the 

 spring. But who can rationally 

 suppose, that the blades with which 

 nature has furnished these plants, 

 arc not of use, to draw in nourish- 

 ment from the air and dews, for the 

 increase of the stalk and the ear? 

 In order to be satisfied of this, the 

 above mentioned writer cut off 

 st'ime plants of wheat alternately, 

 early in the spring, and always 

 found the stalks of these plants 



