1858. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



416 



soils than on heavier ones, while others put them 

 there, thinking them a more suitable crop than 

 Indian corn or the smaller grains. 



This is not the opinion of the English farmers ; 

 they say that "all the varieties thrive best on 

 strong clay soils, heavy marls, and deep loams of 

 a moist description. In such soils the produce is 

 Bometimes thirty to sixtij bushels per acre, but 

 an average crop on moderate land is about half 

 that quantity." 



A common error with us in the cultivation of 

 the bean, is crowding them too much. They re- 

 quire air, light and heat, to surround them freely, 

 and in order to secure this they should be plant- 

 ed in rows about three feet apart, and the hills 

 in the rows at least two feet apart. Some varie- 

 ties, perhaps, requiring more room even than 

 this, and some considerably less. They will not 

 perfect themselves and yeild a profitable crop, 

 when the leaves next to the stalk die early and 

 drop off, as their loss deprives the plant of a por- 

 tion of its energy to ripen the crop which it has 

 set. 



Another error is, the placing too much seed in 

 a hill. This depends somewhat upon the variety, 

 as the small white bean will permit more seed in 

 the hill, than the dwarf horticultural, or some 

 other varieties. Any person may decide for him- 

 self what is best in this particular by a few years' 

 close observation. 



Many good crops of beans are greatly injured 

 in harvesting them. Few field, are rarely ready 

 for gathering all at the same time. When the 

 leaves begin to lose their green color, and the 

 pods to turn gray, purple, or black, the cultiva- 

 tor should go among them and select such, pull 

 or cut them up, and if there is a clear sun expose 

 them to it for a few hours. A cheap and conve- 

 nient way of curing them then, is, to set birch or 

 other poles in the ground, whose bi-anches have 

 been mainly cut off, but leaving some six or eight 

 inches in length attached to the main stem. Then 

 surround these poles with the beans, laying the 

 roots inside, and continue building up towards 

 the top of the pole as far as is convenient, or lay- 

 ing on as much as the pole will sustain. In this 

 way the beans and plants dry bright and sweet, 

 leaving none of that musty flavor which is almost 

 certain to follow where beans are cured on the 

 ground, or thrown in masses upon walls, or rails 

 put up for the purpose. In the use of poles, beans 

 may be gathered before the vines have lost all 

 their green appearance, and the beans themselves 

 will afford a larger and better ciop than if allowed 

 to ripen upon the standing vines. 



of it, strange to say, is animal, and the other 

 vegetable. The thicker part, which is animal, 

 has quite the appearance of an ordinary caterpil- 

 lar, being about two inches in length — very much 

 indeed like what is familiarly known in north 

 country districts as the heather-worm. The veg- 

 etable part is like a root or stem, some three or 

 four times the length of the animal, but scarcely 

 one-third of the thickness. — Banffshire Journal. 



The Vegetable Caterpillar. — A specimen 

 of this very wonderful caterpillar was presented 

 to the Banff Institution for Science. One half 



For the New EngLand Farmer. 

 SOW WINTER WHEAT. 



While I am sure I am addressing a few of your 

 farming readers upon my favorite farm topic, that 

 have had the wisdom and perseverance to r^se 

 their own bread, I am quite as sure a great ma- 

 jority are yet slumbering, lest they should lose 

 time and money in the attempt to raise wheat. 



Every barrel of flour (which is cash on deliv- 

 ery) must remind the thinking farmer, that this 

 is part and parcel of his own business. The 

 question must naturally arise, — why should I be 

 eating flour that my brother farmer raised two or 

 three thousand miles from this ? I can raise big 

 crops of barley, oats and rye, why not wheat, the 

 most needed crop of all, for my family's wants ? 

 Happy conclusion ! I have long been faltering, 

 have tried "Sorgho" experiments, "mulberry" 

 experiments, and now, lastly, shall I try the 

 great wheat experiment ? Farmers, my word 

 for it, it will bring honey to your hives. 



Do not let the last week in August or the first 

 week in September find you with less than four 

 to six bushels of winter wheat in the ground. 

 (Plenty of expresses in all directions to Boston, 

 and abundance of seed wheat at the Farmer of- 

 fice.) 



Sow early to insure you against winter kill, es- 

 pecially if on clayey, heavy soil. Do you ask a 

 reason for this ? I answer, it gets depth and 

 strength of root, which anchors it fast in its bed ; 

 thawing and freezing will not throw it out. All 

 that is gained in this fall's growth, by early sow- 

 ing, is so much gained for an earlier summer 

 harvest. Rust, your worst enemy, too often 

 catches late spring wheat, always a precarious 

 crop, and makes poor flour in comparison. 



On good tillage land, wheat will do well. Cul- 

 tivate and manure as you would for any grain 

 crop. Lime or ashes are good to cultivate or 

 harrow in. Use a cultivator or very light plow 

 if possible, for covering. Pasture or mowing 

 sod is good. My best crop was on mowing 

 sward. Soak the grain in salt pickle, say twelve 

 hours, and if weevil or insect eggs are deposited 

 in the berry, as with the pea, it may prove of 

 great benefit. Rake the grain in ashes while 

 moist and it comes up very quick. 



I hope to hear through your excellent paper, 

 from those farmers who have not only been peti- 

 tioners, "Give us this day our daily bread," bu; 

 those who have been doers in a work so easy of 

 accomplishment, so needful to their wants, so in- 

 dispensable to every free-holder and farming 

 household in the New England States. 



Mr. Editor, do you believe the soil of New Eng- 

 land lacks any of the vegetable elements neces- 

 sary to produce wheat ? If not, and should there 

 be a general interest felt and adopted by the far- 



