THE FARMERS' CABINET, 



AND 



AMERICAN HERD-BOOK, 



DEVOTED TO 



AGRICULTURE, HORTICULTURE, AND RURAL AND DOMESTIC AFFAIRS. 



" The Productions of the Earth will always be in proportion to the culture bestowed upon it." 



Vol. v.— No. 7.] 



2d mo. (February,) 15th, 1811. 



[Whole No. 73. 



Ki3IBER & SHARPLESS, 



PROPRIETORS AND PUBLISHERS, 



No. 50 North Fourth Street, 



PfllLADELPHIA. 

 Price one dollar per year. — For conditions see last page. 



For the Farmers' Cabinet. 



Blight on Wheat. 



Mr. Editor, — As there is a laudable in- 

 quiry ^s to the cause and nature of blight on 

 small grains, and quite a variety of opinions, 

 it will be difficult to form correct results, ex- 

 cept by close observation of facts. I there- 

 fore state some relative to my own grain, that 

 came under my observation the past season. 

 And first, as to the nature and cultivation of 

 the soil, as I think this ought always to be 

 noticed, where results are expected to aid 

 inquiries into the nature and cause of effects. 

 My farm is mostly level, except some gentle 

 undulations, where it declines towards Cedar 

 Brook. The soil is generally a dark-brown 

 loam, five to eight inches deep, resting on a 

 tenacious sub-soil, one to three feet deep, 

 easily penetrated by a spade, under which is 

 a coarse, loose gravel. That part which de- 

 clines towards the brook, may, therefore, be 

 termed a gravelly loam. My winter wheat, 

 and rye, were both badly injured by rust, or 

 blight; but the facts I propose to notice relate 

 to Siberian spring wheat, the kind I have 

 heretofore found the least liable to blight. 

 I had two small pieces, of about two and a 

 half acres each ; one was in an old orchard, 

 the trees thinned out, descending towards the 

 brook. The year before, it received about one 

 hundred loads of muck, spread and ploughed 

 under deep, and harrowed, and then about 

 fifty loads of good barnyard manure, spread 

 on the field, and also harrowed in. Part was 

 planted with potatoes, the ground first fur- 

 rowed, the seed dropped, and covered by two 

 back furrows, in the form of a ridge. The 

 other part was back furrowed, the ridges a 

 little flatted with a rake, to clear off small 

 stones, &c., then planted with ruta baga. 

 The turnips were very good ; the potatoes a 

 fair crop. This piece was early ploughed 

 last spring; well harrowed ; the wheat brined 

 and limed, and sowed about a bushel and a 

 Cab— Vol. V.— No. 7. 



peck to the acre. The other piece was a 

 deep loam ; ploughed the year before nearly 

 ten inches deep, and thoroughly harrowed ; 

 then about sixty loads of fine manure spread 

 on the whole, and again well harrowed. 

 About two acres were planted with Swedish 

 turnips; the remainder a patch of corn ami 

 potatoes ; all very fine. Last spring it was 

 prepared like the other field, except that a 

 part had slacked lime spread, at the rate of 

 one hundred bushels per acre; harrowed and 

 sowed in like manner. Both pieces came up 

 well ; looked promising until about the 1st of 

 May, when I perceived the grain at a stand : 

 on examining it, I found the larvee of the fly 

 were very thick. It however soon tillered, 

 and by June appeared again promising. The 

 latter part of June it began to head ; and part 

 indicated a large crop. July the 3d I exa- 

 mined it particularly ; the most forward was 

 in the milk ; the straw bright and healthy, so 

 far as I observed. The next day, about three 

 o'clock P. M., we had a sudden heavy gust 

 of wind, accompanied with lightning, rain, 

 and some little hail. It cleared away before 

 sunset; the Sabbath following was a delight- 

 ful, clear day, and so was the succeeding day. 

 On Monday, about ten o'clock A. M., I vi- 

 sited one of the fields, apprehending that some 

 of the largest grain might be lodged ; antici- 

 pating no other damage from the shower. 

 But, to my astonishment, I found it covered 

 with rust, or blight, rustling in the wind like 

 dry leaves, and the straw appeared perfectly 

 dead. I hastened to the other field, and, if 

 possible, found it still worse. We cut it soon 

 after, and shall not get more than a third of 

 a crop of shrivelled grain. On close exami- 

 nation, I perceived not the least effect on the 

 wheat, where the lime was spread, but the 

 clover appeared more rank, as it was seeded 

 down. I have, for a kv^ years past, noticed 

 with care the progress of insects, and blight, 

 upon grain, but never before witnessed so 

 sudden a transition from health to death in 

 grain. I hope some of your scientific corre- 

 spondents will express their views on the 

 subject, and hereafter follow it up by close 

 observation. 



It is worthy of notice, that, at the same 

 time, the outer edges, and many whole leaves, 

 on all my young pear trees, were blighted, 



C209) 



