THE GENESEE FARMER. 



205 



from the 130 days. la. 1862, the temperature of 

 the soil reached 43 ® on the 11th, 12th and 13th 

 of January. It then receded for 17 days, after 

 wiiich it gradually increased for five days, reach- 

 ing 46 - OB tlie 4th of February. It ranged from 

 39 to 46 ^ again up to t.lie 11th of March; so that 

 the wheat was constantly growing above ground 

 the whole of the spring; consequently it did not 

 take good or deep root in the soil, and was not 

 likely to produce a heavy or even an average crop. 

 The weather in March is of the utmost, or I may 

 say vital, importance to the wheat plant. As the 

 land becomes dry in March, the roots keep pen- 

 etrating deeper and deeper into the soil to obtain 

 moisture, and by so doing ample provision is made 

 for the plant to extract that nourishment and sup- 

 port which is necessary for its future well-being 

 and development. But on the contrary, if we 

 have much wet in March, accompanied, as it gen- 

 eriilly is, by a high temperature, then the plants 

 grow above ground, and the roots being well sup- 

 plied with moisture on the surface are not induced 

 to penetrate sufficiently into the soil so as to be 

 able, at the required time, to draw that amount of 

 nourishment from the land which alone can enable 

 it to produce a heavy crop. Nor would it be able 

 to do so if the summer afterwards should prove to 

 be more than usually dry and propitious. The 

 amount of rain-fall for March, 18GI, was 2.06 

 inches ; for March, 1862, was 4.29 inches; and for 

 March, 1863, only .63 inchd^. The nejt critical 

 period through which wheat has to pass, iS from 

 the time of its coming into ear to the time when 

 the bldsf^om is fully set. At this time the temper- 

 ature of the air is of more importance than at any 

 other stage of its growth. Extreme heat is not 

 desirable, but a medium temperature, with the least 

 possible daily range: for I have never observed 

 red gum, rust or mildew to any extent, unless 

 til ere had been a difference of from 32 to SS*^ between 

 the mean maximum or heat of the day, and the 

 mean minimum or cold at night ; and it prevails to 

 a greater or less degree, Justin proportion as the 

 range of temperatui'e increases or diminishes. I 

 have known wheat to vary from 49 to 70 days 

 from the time of its coming into ear, to the time 

 it was ready for the sickle, according to the 

 amount of heat, as it requires fi-om 3,000 to 3,500 ® 

 to mature it. In 1860, the wheat wliich came into 

 ear on the 12th of June took 69 days to ripen, and 

 lrl9l ^ of heat, from which we must deduct 562 ^ , 

 For 10 days when the temperature was below 58 ® ; 

 this leaves 3,629 ' for the 59 days, at an average 

 3f 61i® . The greatest heat the soil reached this 

 reason was 64 "^ on the 14th and 15th of July, 

 ifter which time the earth gradually lost its heat, 

 [n 1861, wheat which came into ear on the oth of 

 June took 55 days to ripon, and 3,506 '^ cf heat, 

 Tora which deduct 281 ° for five days when the 

 ;emperafure was below 58 ° ; this leaves 3,325'= 

 "or 5,0 days, at an average of 64^ ® . The greatest 

 leat the soil reached this year was 67 ° on the 

 !Otli of June, and on the 13th and 14th of August. 

 n 1862, wheat which came into ear on the 9th of 

 une, took 3,406=' of heat, and 56 days, at an av- 

 rage of 61^=. The highest temperature of the 

 oil was 64 '^ on the 30th of July, where' it re- 

 lained for seven days. It only reached 64® 

 nc^more this year, viz., on the 29th of August. , 



INDIAN CORN FOE FODDER IN FRANCE. 

 GusTAVus Harmoir, President of the Agricul- 

 tural College of Valenciennes, has been experiment- 

 ing with Indian corn as a soiling crop. The vari- 

 ety used was the " Giant Maize of Caraqua." Mr. 

 Harmoir says : 



The luxurious vegetation to which this plant at- 

 tains defies description. I can not recount my en- 

 thusiasm, but my wonder may be imagined when, 

 after only a few weeks' vegetation, I saw before 

 me stems from three to four yards high, with num- 

 berless large leaves, calling to mind, under the fogs 

 of the north, the hot regions of the tropics. 



The seed was drilled, May 31st, In rows about 3 

 feet apart and 18 inches in the drill. By the 20th 

 of June the plants were over 6 feet high. He 

 commenced cutting a portion of the crop at this 

 time^ and the yield "exceeded 6,000 kilogrammes 

 to the are." This would be at the rate of over 

 260 tuns jjer acre! By the 15th of August the 

 stalks were 14 feet high, and the yield was over 450 

 tuns per acre! 



Mr. Harmoir further says : " For several years 

 I have been enabled to test the eminently nutritive 

 qualities of corn fodder, and its incontestable su- 

 periority to sorgho. The animals consume this 

 food with avidity, and never seem to tire of it."' 



, The Mule. — A correspondent of the Wise&,}mn 

 Farmer suras up the merits of the mule as oompared 

 with the horse, as follows: 



1. He is much more easily and cheaply raised 

 than his cousin, the horse. 2. He eats but little 

 more than half as much when matured. 3. He 

 is satisfied with and thrives upon a coarser and 

 less expensive kind of provender. 4. It costs 

 less to keep him in harness and in shoes. 5. He 

 is proportionately stronger. 6. He i^ very much 

 tougher. '7. ' He is less liable to disease. 8. He 

 has more sense and dooility. 9. He is better 

 adapted to some important kinds of work. 10. He 

 is a true puller, and, when loaded, a quicker travel- 

 ler. 11. Be sells for a better price. 12. He 

 lives more than twice as long. 13.* He is better 

 looking! [No accounting for taste.] 14. In 

 nothing but fieetness is he excelled by the horse. 



Buckwheat as ax Exterminator. — The fol- 

 lowing is "going the rounds," uncredited ; " Buck- 

 wheat, when sown on rich ground, will kill grass 

 effectually. It rau'st be sown as soon as the grnss 

 is plowed. In such case, a inyf croj)s will even ex- 

 terminate quack. Buckwheat seems to be poison 

 toother plants; and it is even known to destroy in- 

 sects. It does this probably by destroying the 

 roots of the grasses and herbs upon which they 

 feed. No insect ever touches buckwheat in the 

 ground." i 



