Ift2 



GENESEE FARMER. 



July. 



much more from the attacks of the fly than late 

 sown. Mr. William Garbutt, who has plowed 

 up some 14 acres of wheat and sown the field 

 with oats, in consequence of having the wheat 

 destroyed by the Hessian fly, assures us that his 

 loss is mainly owing to early sowing, at or near 

 the first of September. 



Of the fifty varieties of winter wheat sown by 

 Gen. Harmon, no one has escaped the ravages 

 so well as his Improved White Flint. Mr. Ells- 

 worth, late Commissioner of Patents, in a letter 

 published in the recent Report of his successor, 

 makes the following statement in regard to the 

 reluctance with which insects feed on this varie- 

 ty of wheat: — "A remarkable circumstance oc- 

 curred in my wheat field, where several varieties 

 were sown. The red chafl", bald wheat was at- 

 tacked by the army-worm, and the stalks com- 

 pletely stripped. When the worms reached the 

 white flint wheat, obtained of Gen. Harmon, of 

 Wheatland, N. Y., they stopped, and went around 

 the piece without touching a single stalk!'''' 



Mr. Ellsworth cultivates a large farm near 

 Lafayette, Indiana. 



The fly does not wholly refuse to deposit its 

 eggs on the stems of the most ^m/-like wheat, 

 nor do its larvte omit to draw their nourishment 

 from tin's plant. All that can he said is, that it is 

 less aftected than any other variety of which we 

 have any knowledge 



Our early Southern wheat, particularly a vari- 

 ety known as "xMabama W'heat," has been great- 

 ly injured by mildew. By the aid of a good 

 microscope, the writer of this, and the pupils at- 

 tending the Western New York Agricultural 

 School, have been able to see the spores, or seeds 

 of tins parasite, growing on the leaves of wheat. 



The '■•■Touland Wheat," brought from Eng- 

 land last season by Mr. Fuller, of Cayuga, 

 (some of which he gave Gen. Harmon,) has 

 been nearly destroyed by the fly. 



A beautiful specimen of wheat sent from the 

 province of Leon, in Spain, to Isaiah Townsend, 

 Esq., of Albany, by our Consul at Bilboa, and by 

 him given to Gen. H., has stood the winter well. 

 It is but slightly atfected by insects. Its straw is 

 small, leaves of a medium size, and slightly at- 

 tacked by mildew. 



We have three varieties of Virginia wheat 

 whicli have stood the winter well, are early, and 

 promise good returns. They are the "Orange," 

 "Blue Stem," and "Virginia Red Bald." The 

 .fly has worked but little among these plants. 



Samples received from Leghorn, Germany, 

 and Tuscany, have proved nearly total failures. 

 A specimen from Botany Bay is hardy, has til- 

 lered well, and promises a good crop. 



To prevent mildero and rust, land should be 

 well drained, free from weeds and grass, and not 

 contain an excess of vegetable matter. Char- 

 coal, ashes, salt, and lime, are of great service in j 

 forming firm straw, and thus refusing a nidus j 



for the growth of parasites. There is consider- 

 able danger of loss from rust, owing to the luxu- 

 riance of the stems and leaves of wheat plants, 

 their large size, loose and spongy texture. Of 

 course much will depend on the weather for the 

 next two or three weeks. If this shall be hot, 

 damp, and cloudy, immense injury will be done. 

 To avoid the Hessian fly our best wheat growers 

 regard it as quite early enough to begin their 

 seeding at or after the 16th of September. 

 Western N. Y. Ag. School, June 22. 



Renovation of Soils. 



Dr. D. Lee — Sir: At the last meeting of the 

 j Orange Agricultural Club, a resolution was 

 I adopted requiring the Corresponding Secretary 

 I to send you a copy of a Report on a farm made 

 by a Committee, with the request that you will 

 give your views upon it. In obedience to that 

 resolution I enclose you the following report. — 

 Any communication from you directed to Liber- 

 ty Mills, Orange Co., Virginia, will be thankful- 

 ly received. 



Very respectfully, 



Ebenezer Goss, Cor. Sec'y. 

 Somerset, Va., May 9, 1846. 



REPORT. 



The facts connected with the past and present 

 condition of Farm No. 3 (Mr. Henshaw's,) es- 

 pecially referred to by the committee on farm- 

 ing are of peculiar, and great interest, to all de- 

 pendent on Wheat as a staple crop. 



There is nothing in the appearance of this farm 

 to distinguish it from the Southwestern mountain 

 lands generally, unless it be its comparative ex- 

 emption from puff" or blown land, and its abound- 

 ing more in rich gravelly slopes, and in some 

 parts the greater adhesiveness of the soils. More 

 than 30 years ago, and before the introduction of 

 any improving system, its reputation was deser- 

 vedly high for its especial adaptation to wheat. — 

 About the year 1815, the five shift rotation, or 

 three consecutive crops in grain — two of wheat 

 and one of corn — with two years of clover in- 

 tervening, and the liberal use of gypsum, was 

 commenced. Much of the clover of the first 

 years was mowed for hay and seed. That of the 

 second in some instances closely, and in others 

 partially grazed previous to preparation for wheat. 

 This system was steadily adhered to up to 1835, 

 from which time to 1840 but little gypsum was 

 used. The crops of wheat from the commence- 

 ment of this system progressively improved till 

 1830 in seasons equally favorable, and 14 bush- 

 els to 1 sown was harvested in that year. Since 

 that period the wheat crops have rapidly declined, 

 and with the exception of one year when 8 to 1 

 was made, it is believed they have not received 

 more than from two to four bushels from one of 

 seed. 



Since 1840 no regular rotation has been ob- 



