3-22 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



APRIL, 18, isrJS. 



lulvaiita^'e over l)rino. Olhfrs apply tlio ley ot 

 ashes, hut there is danger of leaving the wheat too 

 long in such a steep. Others insist that tlie sleep 

 should he nearly at scalding heat, hut this is at- 

 tended with danger. 'I here is another disease 

 which goes under the nanne of smut, which seems 

 to he merely the hnrstiiig of the grain llirongh 

 plerhora, like the smut in Indian corn, 

 eftect is never universal or general through the 

 field, it is not of ;.iuch importanee. 1 know no 

 remedy against it. The suint in wheat was at 

 one time rt.atter of great concern ; hut those, who 

 carefully prepare their seed as above directed, may 

 dismiss their apprehensions. 



As to the length of time, during which the seed 

 may he lelt in the steep, various opinions are en- 

 tertained. If it is to he sown immediately upon 

 being taken from the steep, and can he covered as 

 soon as it is sown, there is no risk of its heing 

 swollen even to germination ; hut unless !;o(/i these 

 thivgs can he done, it is not advisahle that it should 

 remain long enough in the steep to be much swol- 

 len. 



Sowing. — The land should be in ns fine tilth 



its semimd or first roots, and sent Up its shoot 

 hearing two leaves into the air; hut as the first 

 joint of the culm rises therewith, and reinauis 

 near the surface, it also throws out roots, and en- 

 tirely supersedes ihose that were first produce<l 

 from the grain. Many persoi;s suppose, that the 

 placing of the seed at irregii'ar depths makes hut 

 As tliis little or no diftereuce to the ultimate strength of 

 the p!ant, or to the crop. This philosophical and | 

 rational observer affirms, that this unnecessary 

 waste of vegetable power, is hurtful and unnatu- 

 ral. Besides this, the young plant must be n.ore 

 liable to accidents from the change's of the weath- 

 er, slugs, ami itisects, during the ascent of the first 

 shoot, and befiire ilie principal roots are formed, 

 than if it started from its luiiural position at once. 

 Soil for wleat.— Rich, heavy loams, contain- 

 ing a considerable uiixture of clay, are most suita- 

 ble to wheat. Wheat has been cullivateil with 

 tolerable success on sandy or siliceous lands ; hut 

 on lands of this description it cannot be repeated 

 (dtener thai: once in five or six years, and the land 

 ought to have been prepared and enriched by the 

 cultivation of preceding manured crops. Lands 



as uossible. The seed should not be sowed deep, strongly calcareous, or abounding in lime, are fa- 



' . . ^ rTii 11 /> .1 . _ ._ 1 :-. I J C II ^tU^^' /•■•ivi.^ 



It should not be sowed upon the furrow. Tlie 

 land should be finely harrowed before sowing ; 

 the seed should be covered by a harrow ; and the 

 land then carefully rolled. With respect to win- 

 ter wheat, deep planting may be less objectionable 

 ns the deeper the roots of the plant fix themselves, 

 tlie less likely are they to be thrown out by the 

 frosts ; but it is not so with summer wheat. The 

 seed requires simply to h« covered with earth ; ami 

 then the more accessible it is to the great agents of 

 vegetation, air, light, and heat, the more vigorous 

 will be its growth. One of the most scientific 



vorable for wheat, and indeed fi>r all other cro( 

 Wherever clover can be made to grow, there 

 wheat luay be cultivated to advantage with proper 

 management. 



Situation and aspect. — The aspect of lands, 

 whether high and airy, or low and confined, is of 

 considerable moment. Various tln^ories have been 

 suggested in regard to the origin of rust and mil- 

 dew in wheat. The prevalent opin on with the 

 French naturalists at the present day is, that they 

 like smut consist of small parasitical plants, de- 

 sig.ied to be nourished upon the wheat plant. — 



and practical farmers in Europe, in an earnest es- vVhatever may be the fiiet, the appearance of these 



say upon the importance of shallow sowing, has 

 illustrated his precepts by plates, showing the con- 

 dition of the plant when sovve.l deeply, or when 

 slightly covered. I subjoin two <if these figiites, 

 which strikingly illustrate his doctrine. 



'. The line (a) represents the surface of the 

 ground. The figure (b) represents a seed lightly 

 covered, and throwing U|. several vigorous shoots 

 immediately from the seed. The figure (c) rep 

 resents a plant springing from nseed hurie.l deeply 

 in the earth." This last plant vegetated though 

 two or three iuches under the surface ; threw out 



diseases bears as near a relation to certain states 

 of the weather at the time the wheat is maturing 

 its seed, as the courses of the tides to the changes 

 of the moon. These diseases usually occur in 

 the (lamp, hot, steaming, foggy weather of July. 

 In low and confined situations, wheat is much 

 oftener blighted than in situations which are ele- 

 vated, and where the air circulates freely. 



Pl,OUGHINQ and PRFPAUATION OF THE LAND. 



If intended to raise wheat on land, for example, 

 that is now in green sward, what should be done.' 

 Let the land be turned over with as much care, 

 and the furrow slice be laid as flat as possible ; 

 and then thoroughly rolled with a heavy roller, 

 until the field is entirely smooth. The inverted 

 sward mu.st not be disturbed ; and in no case 

 brou'dit again to the surface. Let the land be 

 thoroughly reduced by harrowing to a finejiltli ; 

 and the seed be sowed as soon after [iloughiiig as 

 can be conveniently done. Experience and ob- 

 servation este.blish as a general rule in farming, to 

 sow as soon as may be after the land has been 

 stirred. 



Manures for whf.at. — Land amot.g us can 

 seldom be found too rich for wheat ; but the en 

 riching manures may be applied in too great 

 quantities; or in an improper condition ; or at nn 

 improper time. The feeding of plants is as im- 

 perfectly understood as the feeding of animals. — 

 As with animals so with plants, we know that 

 they cannot live without food, and their vigor and 

 fruitfiilness depend much upon the quantity and 

 quality of their food. Hut how it is taken up, ami 

 , by what nteans elaborated and distributed, remains 



as yet, in a great degree, among the deep secreti 

 of nature. 



Manures are of two kinds; (lutrescent, animal 

 or such as are siifiposed to furnish directly thi 

 food of plants ; or active, such as excite either th' 

 organs of the plant to receive, or the powers of tli 

 earth to prepare, this food to he received, or li; 

 themselves educe from the substances, wilh whic! 

 they come in contact, the means of siisleiianc 

 and growth for the vegetables to which they ar 

 applied. The fortner class con^-ists of animal o 

 vegetable substances in a state of putrescence c 

 decay, the latter, of mineral substances capabi 

 by their action of rendering these vegetable an 

 animal substances soluble and receivable. 



I shall go little into any theory of vegetation t 

 of the operation of manures. Many theories hn\ 

 been framed, but no one so deinonsiratively e 

 tablished, that none other can be substituted i 

 its place, after farther inquiries shall have mat 

 us better acquainted with these mysterious b 

 profoundly interesting operations of nature. Fac 

 established by repeated experiments are mainly 

 be relied upon. The application of green at 

 iinfermented manures has always been prejndici 

 to wheat crops. We know that the food of plan 

 cannot be taken up unless it is reduced to extreii 

 fineness or rendered soluble. This is applicat 

 to all plants. If green and unfermented aiiin 

 or putrescent manure be applied tn wheat, it 

 always advisable to plough it in deeply so as r 

 to he reached by the roots of the plant until it h 

 undergone some degree of decomposition, 

 however, the manure be completely ferment 

 and decomposed, it may then be safely applii 

 by being spread on the ground and harrowed 

 It is desirable, however, in general that the ir 

 nure should be applied to the crop which pi 

 cedes the wheat. 



Lime. — The presence of lime in sonic degi 

 in the soil seems essential to the growth ot whe 

 and in a degree to the perlection of any plant, 

 very minute portion of lime is always f'luinl 

 the wheat plant. Some portion of lime likew 

 is found, it is believed, in all soils, excepting ibi 

 composed entirely of decayed vegetable mat 

 like peat, or of pure silex or sand. In the iiii 

 productive soils for wheat, lime is found in t 

 form of a carbonate ; and the permaneBt value 

 a soil for grain crops may be in a degree (let 

 mined by the presence of lime. In Europe I 

 analysis of the best soils gives 25 to 30 percent 

 carbonate of lime. We shall soon be favoi 

 with the analysis of the soils of our own sll 

 from our learned geological surveyor. ■ 



Lime is not however the food of (ilaiits. Iv 

 not a mere srimulus to the plant. The most r 

 sonahle theory is, that it causes the dissolution 

 other substances in the earth ; and pru] arcs th 

 to become the food of plants, or to yield that 6 

 stance, which constitutes their food. As lime 

 self does not constitute the food of plants, f 

 explains why lime alone does not enrich a |i| 

 soil; and why, where it has been applied ill: 

 cess and without the addition of other manure* 

 for a time impoverishes a soil. 



The rules for the application of lime to tliel 

 are of more immediate Importance to the farm 

 than any further discussion of the theory of l(i 

 operation. 



Lime may be applied to soils fcr two olijci 

 The first to make a permanent change in the 

 ture of the soil, as for example, to render ucUj 



