390 



Blight in Wieat. — Dairy-Maid and Blossom. 



Vol. V. 



the centre hole, and over the outlet of the 

 tunnel, hang small wire grates, the first to 

 prevent the entrance of other insects, and the 

 other to be thrown over to prevent the exit 

 of the bees, or fastened down to keep them 

 at home, in clear, sunshiny days in winter. 

 For feet to the stand, use four or five inch 

 pcrews, screwed in from below far enough to 

 be firm ; and the whole should have two 

 coats of white paint, sometime before it is 

 wanted, that the smell may be dissipated, as 

 it is very offensive to the bees." 



To the Editoi of the Farmers' Cabinet. 

 Blight in Wheat. 



Sir, — I have been much interested with 

 the papers that have appeared in the Cabinet 

 on the cause and remedy of blight, and can- 

 not but think — strange as it may at first ap- 

 pear — that Ck)l. Smith and Mr. Gowen are, 

 in a measure, both right. That a crop of 

 wheat, starved in the first place by the pas- 

 turage of a thick growth of grass a foot in 

 height, and in the next chilled at the root by 

 such a mass of vegetation, particularly in a 

 wet season, must predispose to disease, one 

 would think no one could deny ; while Mr. 

 Gowen's opinion, that the immediate cause is 

 attributable to the sudden changes of the 

 temperature of the atmosphere, either at the 

 time of the ear leaving the envelope or after- 

 wards, is perfectly rational, with the very 

 plain fact before us the present season, when 

 again a general rust has attacked the rye, 

 which was never better grown or more clear 

 of weeds or grass of any kind, and which evil 

 had been foretold by every one who keeps a 

 diary of the weather, one of my entries being, 

 •' A sharp frost — look out for Hessian and all 

 other kinds of flies and blight." Allow me 

 to say in passing, it is believed the general 

 failure of the rye crop is occasioned by its 

 coming so soon into ear in the spring — how 

 would a spring sowing operate on its growth? 

 It would still be an earlier crop than either 

 barley or oats. 



But the purport of this is, to say I have 

 witnessed, in a late visit to a friend and ex- 

 cellent agriculturist, a mode of management 

 which, with regard to the wheat crop, seems 

 to reconcile both parties. There I saw the 

 finest wheat, and the best crops of grass in the 

 country, the former without rust, and the lat- 

 ter a real burden on the ground ; but they are 

 not cultivated in the usual way, the wheat 

 being sown in the autumn without the ac- 

 companiment of grass, but on the first open 

 weather after Christmas timothy seed is sown, 

 and permitted to find its way into the ground 

 by freezing and thawing ; in April the clover- 

 seed is sown, but without harrowing or any 

 extra labour of covering — the result is, a thick 



crop of botli, but so small as, at this season 

 of the year, to be not of the least injury to 

 the wheat, either by shading the soil or keep- 

 ing the crop moist in wet weather, and too 

 insignificant to be of the least consequence 

 in the way of impoverishing the crop by ex- 

 haustion. By these means, my friend secures 

 the advantage of an autumnal growth of grass 

 for his cattle on the removal of his wheat 

 crop, which crop has not been injured either 

 by starvation, shade, or superabundant mois- 

 ture ; the weeds in the stubble being effec- 

 tually cleared away by mowing, as soon as 

 the wheat is harvested — a most admirable 

 mode of management, which I see is prac- 

 tised by many of our best and neatest hus- 

 bandmen, particularly on the farm of Wood- 

 side, near Wilmington, Delaware, where 

 stubble-mowing is practised with the most 

 beneficial results. J. 



June 18, 1841. 



To the Editor of the Farmers' Cabinet. 

 Dairy-Maid and Blossom. 



Your intelligent but very susceptible cor- 

 respondent, Mr. Gowen, has taken much pains 

 and trouble to defend himself against an at- 

 tack which is merely imaginary on his part 

 — much good writing has therefore been 

 thrown away. If he had had his usually dis- 

 criminating powers "on board," he would 

 have perceived that all which he complains 

 of was neutralized by the term it is said ; and 

 if these words had been given in italics, every 

 one would have perceived their bearing, and 

 the tempest would have been allayed. As it 

 is, however, the circumstance is not to be re- 

 gretted, if the result be to bring to the test 

 of actual measurement the lactescent pow- 

 ers of two of the most remarkable animals on 

 record ; and Mr. Gowen must permit me to 

 repeat the dread words at parting — "it is 

 said" (with what truth is another question) 

 "Mr. Canby declines upon principle to ac- 

 cept Mr. Gowen's terms, as they appear to 

 him in the questionable shape of a bet." 



Mr. Gowen's friends consider that he has 

 acted honourably, and with perfect fairness 

 in the business, and no one more heartily 

 concurs in that opinion than does 



Correspondent. 



June 21, 1841. 



A PACK of wool is 240 lbs. This quantity, 

 made into broad-cloth, will employ 58 persons 

 one week, who will earn 19 pounds 8 shil- 

 lings sterling. A pack of long combing wool 

 in fine stuffs, will employ 158 persons one 

 week, who will earn 33 pounds 12 shillings 

 sterling. The same quantity made into stock- 

 ings, will employ 150 persons one week, who 

 will earn 55 pounds sterling. 



