.8 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



SEPTEMBER 4, 1833. 



experience as less liable to blight than the long 

 and thick chaffed variety. 



Mr. Ames, the respected Post Master of Green- 

 field, three years in succession preceding the two 

 last years, raised good crops of wheat, some of 

 which were estimated to be at the rate of thirty 

 bushels to the acre on elevated laud in the Deer- 

 field meadows. His practice was at sowing, to 

 manure the land pretty freely with well rofted 

 barn yard manure spread on the surface and liar- 

 rowed in. 



The premium crop of Col. Wilson, 34 bushels 

 to the acre, has been already mentioned. The 

 crop of Hooker Leavitt, Esq. of Greenfield, for 

 which be last year obtained the premium of the 

 Mass. Society, amounted to 38 bushels 22 qts. on 

 an acre of land, less three rods. The soil was 

 rather sandy and light; and was ameliorated by 

 the intermixture of considerable clay, which he 

 laid upon it. 



I am not able to obtain a satisfactory account of 

 the giving up of the cultivation of wheat in tins 

 part of the country. The Hessian fly has some- 

 times prevailed ; and a few unfortunate years, ad- 

 ded to the superior success of the farmers in their 

 rye crops, and the cheapness of western flour, 

 probably discouraged them. I find however h, the 

 reports "of the Mass. Society, many very success : 

 ful experiments. 



Mr. William Russell, of Middletown, Cam., in 

 1797, speaks of having raised on less than two 

 acres of laud 44 bushels weighing 68 Its to the 

 bushel of winter wheat, without a single blasted 

 ear. 



Mr. Jeremiah Wadsworth of Hartford, in 1798 

 obtained 30 bushels to the acre " a fine plump ber- 

 ry, very sound and good." 



" In 1807, Dr. Payne of Worcester reports to the 

 Mass. Agr. Society, that the crops of wheat in that 

 town average 24 bushels to the acre, which on ac- 

 count of the good quality of the wheat, sold at two 

 dollars per bush. I ; and then adds that any man 

 may raise wheat in that town, who is not disin- 

 clined to the labor. 



Justin Ely, Esq. of West Springfield, in 1816, 

 writes, that "the early Virginia sued wheat, (but 

 not wholly white) has been more productive here 

 than any other, yielding from twenty to forty bush- 

 els to the acre." The same g< ntleman in a com- 

 munication dated in 1817, says that the largest 

 crop of winter wheat was raised in Springfield the 

 past summer, that was perhaps ever raised before 

 in New England. Four acres of land, one of the 

 house lots in Springfield Street, belonging to the 

 Distillery Company produced two hundred bushels 

 of good, clear, beavj wheat. The summer of 1816 

 it will be remembered was the extraordinarily 

 cold summer. 



I might produce other considerable examples of 

 success: but I fear I have already extended my 

 communication too far. These facts are certain- 

 ly remarkable and encouraging. The wheat crop 

 is indeed subject to many enemies, casualties, and 

 dangers; hut these tar from leading us to despair 

 should prompt to more careful and assiduous in- 

 quiries for a security or preventive. That no 

 certain security againsl blight, as far as it depends 

 on the weather can be found is obvious, for what 

 is less a matter of calculation than the weather? — 

 Yet something may lie obtained, and some practi- 

 cal conclusions from what has been stated are ob- 

 vious ; these together with some considerations on 

 the use of lime, and the choice of seed, if your 



patience is not exhausted, will he the subject of a 

 future communication. II. C. 



Meadowbanks, Deaf i hi, Aug. 21, 1S33. 



Prom the Fitchburg Gazette. 

 ■\YIIEAT. 



Tue interest indicated in tin; columns of your 

 Gazette for the Agriculture of our country, em- 

 boldens me to send you a brief detail of my suc- 

 cess in the cultivation of Wheat the present season. 

 By the kindness of a brother, I received about 

 three ye.ars since, one bushel of wheat obtained 

 by him from on beard a ship, which with many 

 others, were unloading in the port of Smyrna car- 

 goes of that valuable grain, the product of the 

 abundant shores of the Black Sea. The appear- 

 ance of the wheat was much in its favor; its flour 

 had been sufficiently tested at Smyrna, but feeling 

 somewhat diffident of its succeeding in this coun- 

 try, I sowed but one peck in the spring of 1S31 — 

 the product at harvest being far inferior to the seed 

 sown. Believing the season to have been unfa- 

 vorable for every kind of wheat, I was induced in 

 the spring of 1832 to sow a part of the product of 

 the previous year, rather than that imported, as it 

 is generally conceded that vegetables as well as 

 animals need acclimating before complete success 

 will he the result. 



The product at harvesting was excellent, both 

 in yield and quantity — the straw being large and 

 stiff, bore up against the peltings of the New Eng- 

 land storms better than my other kind (Oilman). 

 From this product four bushels were sown last 

 April, two and a quarter bushels were sown on 

 the same acre from which 613 bushels of potatoes 

 were harvested last autumn — the other bushel and 

 three pecks were sown on other fields, all with 

 the most complete success. 



The wheat grown on the above mentioned acre 

 was cut on the 14th inst. when the berry or kernel 

 was to the full, like India rubber — in this state of 

 the berry should all English grain be cut (Barley 

 perhaps excepted) as the flour will he whiter and 

 sweeter, with a further advantage, that the grain 

 will not waste so much in the field — the straw like- 

 wise more valuable for fodder. The product from 

 this acre was 53 shock and 5 sheaves, or 800 

 sheaves of large size, as much of the straw (as you 

 will see by the sample I send you) in the field 

 was five feel in height. There a; pears to be four 

 kinds ol wheat, viz. the white, the red, a 

 very little of the bald, aud the dquhle-headed oi 

 pearl (as I shall call it); this last grows very luxu- 

 riantly, some stalks in i,i ig hut little short oi 

 Six feet to the top of the heard. The reapers 

 judged there would bi over 40 bushels to the acre 

 — of the accuracy of this judgment, the flail ami 

 half bushel will soon enable us to determine — 1 

 will add that many of the eats gave from 60 to SC 

 fold, and in some instances where the mother- 

 kernel I'eil in a more propitii us shut tion, branch- 

 ing out in several stalks, 300 fold were counted. 



I need not add, perhaps, that the field was at 

 sowing in a high state of cultivation, made per- 

 fectly clear from weed.- the previous year. 



•Jld Massachusetts cannot lie considered a wheat- 

 grow ing State, as a more clayey and limestone soil 

 is more congenial ; yet, sir, much more might be 

 grown of that valuable grain, giving the farmer 

 greater profit for his labor than ,many other pro- 

 ducts now cultivated ; for as far as experience has 

 tested the fact nine times in ten (the ground being 

 properly prepared,) more bushels of wheat will be 

 grown on the acre, than spring rye, side by side 



— the former always bearing double price of the 

 latter. Let it be understood that a wheat crop 

 should not be attempted on our worn soils, with 

 less than 16 cords of unfermented (or long) animal 

 manure or 12 cords of fermented, (or short,) con- 

 tributed to the previous crop, (it is believed that 

 potatoes are the best for a preparatory crop,) let it 

 be understood likewise that the tilth for wheat 

 must be more fine aud particular than for rye : 

 sowing on 20 bushels of unleached wood ashes 

 to the acre, soon after the wheat is up, will not 

 only make it kernel better, but will check the 

 ravages of the white maggot, which sometimes 

 attacks its root. A further advantage of wheat 

 may he found in its being the most proper for 

 protecting the young and tender grass plants which 

 are designed to give a crop the year following. 



A few words in passing, on the grass called red- 

 top. It is about seven years since I turned my 

 attention to the cultivation, or I might more pro- 

 perly say to the sowing the seed of this valuable 

 grass, in connection with herds-grass, for winter 

 fodder. Having procured one bushel of red top 

 seed, it was mixed with a like quantity of herds- 

 grass or Timothy seed (I sow no clover seed on 

 my mowing lands, as quite sufficient of that seed 

 is carried on with the manure,) and sowed in com- 

 pany with wheat, on one acre. Iu order that it 

 should be sowed evenly, the sower followed the 

 harrow, which was covering the wheat — after 

 which the grass seed was harrowed and rolled in. 

 If parsimony says this is too great a quantity of 

 seed, I answer that I not only get back my money 

 in tall feed, but the following crops of hay are 

 much finer, and of course better quality. 



The first crop from this field was about 2-3 

 clover, 1-3 herds-grass — second year's crop 2-3 

 herds-grass, 1-3 red top — third crop, half of each 

 — fourth crop, 2-3 red top, 1-3 herds-grass — fifth 

 year about 5-6 red top, 1-6 herds-grass — sixth crop 

 almost all the high grass red top, with a thick 

 under crop of white clover, giving a surface for 

 the scythe as even as that of salt marsh. The crop 

 last harvest, notwithstanding the season has not 

 heen an abundant one, was judged to be 5000 lbs. 

 of well cured hay — superior it is believed to any 

 other kind, for the stage-horse, working ox, or any 



other herhiverous animal while performing hard 

 labor. The six crops above mentioned would pro- 

 bably have given an average of 5500 each year, 



el will probably yet be mown with profit several 

 \cars longer. 1 would mention in this place that 

 this field when last planted with potatoes, (the 

 year previous to stocking down with grass) re- 

 ceived 20 cords of strong manure, since which 

 time the result has given a further proof that the 

 American Fanner, in too many instances, sprinkles 

 his manure over too many acres. As far as 1 have 

 had experience in growing red top, I have ob- 

 served that it bears the drought remarkably well, 

 will succeed on poor thin soils, with a further 

 advantage that it waits for the scythe three weeks 

 without materially deteriorating in value. 



If you think the above hasty sketch will in any 



•vay subserve the interest of Agriculture by appear- 

 in the Gazette, you have the permission of 

 Your obedient servant, 



Payson Williams. 



Fitchburg, Aug.21st, 1833. 



Of 



Railroad Speed. The locomotive engine aud 

 cars lately ran the distance (22 miles) from Sara- 

 toga to Schenectady, on the Railway, in 54 min- 

 utes and 33 seconds. 



