No. 1. 



Spring Wheat. 



39 



Mr, List is correct, that unhealthy stalks 

 are more likely to be injured by rust than the 

 healthy; too much wet, or too much manure, 

 is likely to make the grain late coming to 

 maturity, and so increase its chance of mil- 

 dew : it also makes the stalk more rough and 

 downy, and so more likely to retain the mil- 

 dew that falls upon it; but it will kill the best 

 of grain if it falls upon it in an immature 

 state. We have been endeavouring to obtain 

 the earliest wheat, in order to escape the 

 rust ; changing seed makes the stalk more 

 'smooth, and so less likely to retain rust; it 

 washes off with the dew before the sun rises ; 

 heavy rains will wash it off at first. 



t Observer. 



P. S. We have yet but little experience in 

 liming, but it is commenced with some spirit 

 in our neighbourhood. 



Newton Townsliip, Cumberland Co., Pa., June 24, 1840 



To the Editor of the Fanners' Cabinet. 

 Spring Wheat. 



Sir, — With all due deference, and without 

 a spice of disparagement, I would ask, why 

 cultivate spring wheat, when you can culti- 

 vate the winter species of that grain 1 Is it 

 less liable to be affected by blight, or more 

 likely to yield larger crops; or rather, is it 

 not more subject to the one and less liable to 

 the other? And when we hear men talk of 

 a very large crop of spring wheat, do they 

 not always mean to speak comparatively? I 

 confess I am at a loss to determine what they 

 consider the gain, and am rather curious to 

 know for what purpose societies are holding 

 out encouragement to a system of cross-crop- 

 ping, by ofi'ering premiums for the best crops 

 of spring wheat, when I cannot but consider 

 that bad must be the best, if we take into ac- 

 count the number of chances to one there are, 

 that the crop will never ripen, and the cer- 

 tainty, after all, of the sample beine- inferior. 

 To be sure, in the event of a general failure 

 of the autumn-sown crop, the cultivation of 

 the spring variety might be resorted to as the 

 means of giving us half a loaf, but as long 

 as a whole one can be obtained, I would never 

 encourage the growing of half loaves. I 

 consider the system something like — to com- 

 pare very small things with large — the north- 

 vi'est passage ! there it is, to be sure, but 

 what is the use of it, now it has been disco- 

 vered ? We find that we can grow spring 

 wheat, but, as a general crop, what is the use 

 of it ? I would look upon it in the light of a 

 necessity, and not as a good to be desired or 

 patronised. It reminds me of the oath which 

 is put into the mouth of the sailor, on cross- 

 ing the line for the first time, and who is con- 

 demned to swear he will never eat brown 

 bread while he can get white ! 



But, seriously, I think, in this country espe- 



cially, the raising of spring wheat ought not 

 to be encouraged by premium, for we are all 

 by far too prone — I believe by nature — to 

 work both ourselves and our lands too fast; 

 our lands are scourged and skinned by being 

 over-cropped, and we do not, therefore, re- 

 quire the stimulus of a premium for the en- 

 couragement of, what I am compelled to call 

 it, cross-cropping. It must be confessed, that 

 a great portion of our wheat crops has been 

 most woefully thinned by blight, in all man- 

 ner of shapes, the present year ; but until it 

 can be shown that the spring crops of that 

 grain have escaped, and will again escape the 

 contagion, I think we are not authorised in 

 encouraging a practice, which is not even 

 permitted in many of the grain-growing dis- 

 tricts in Europe. 



I have heard of some farmers who, as soon 

 as it was ascertained that their hopes of the 

 wheat crops had been prostrated, turned about 

 and immediately prostrated them, by turning 

 them down as manure for their potatoe-crops, 

 preferring rather to put them to that account, 

 than suffer them to remain, an eye-sore on 

 their lands, until harvest; and this I would 

 never hesitate a moment to do, for I should 

 expect to reap a very abundant profit, in the 

 superior quantity and quality of the potatoe 

 crop, when compared with a blighted crop of 

 wheat, besides the consolation of having the 

 opportunity to turn down a mass of corrup- 

 tion, in the state of an animo-vegeto dressing 

 of manure, to the lasting benefit of the land, 

 the crop, and its owner ; and cannot but en- 

 joy, in idea, the pleasure it would be to assist 

 in such a business; first, to roll the crop of 

 green wheat, then, to spread over it a good 

 coat of quick-lime, and turn all down by a 

 good, open, clean furrow, upon the potatoe- 

 sets, planted in every alternate furrow. I 

 vow I should almost like to have the chance 

 to work such a mine ; only to think, too, of 

 the quantity of blight you smother by such a 

 process, and in what splendid condition you 

 would find the land, on turning up the pota- 

 toe crop ; fit for any other that you might 

 wish to plant, even wheat itself, with once 

 ploughing down with a shallow furrow, if 

 thought best. 



Now, only let me bargain for a veto against 

 sowing the spring variety of wheat, and I ask 

 no premium for the mode of management 

 here proposed, and which, under circum- 

 stances, I would strongly recommend and 

 practise too : but, at parting, allow me to say, 

 I should not select for these crops, the Rohan 

 potatoe, the tree-corn, or the audaciously 

 large cabbage, which seems at present to be 

 the order of the day ; and, 'cause why, I may 

 perhaps tell you in my next: till then, I sub- 

 scribe myself your constant reader, but an 

 enemy to Cross-cropping. 



