276 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



suitable for your purpose — for the Seba. A cold 

 soil and situation is not adapted to it at all. You 

 must accordingly select a warm, deep and fertile 

 soil, with a southern or south-western exposure, 

 where they may be protected as much as possible 

 from the cold storms and winds of spring so com- 

 mon and severe in this region. 



Plough the ground deep and thorough, harrow 

 well, then plough and harrow again, and thus the 

 soil becomes a fine tilth. Fuirow the rows four feet 

 apart. Manure in the hill, liberally. Put the 

 hills three feet apart. Run no risk in regard to 

 the seed, but plant such as you can rely upon as 

 being new and good, if it can be obtained at any 

 price. If possible, plant that which was raised 

 the previous year, as this bean is rather difficult 

 about coming up well at the best, especially if 

 planted rather early. Old, poor seed of any kind, 

 for planting, is a dear article, even as a gift. 

 Though seemingly cheap at first, in the end it 

 costs much time and labor, and often detracts much 

 from the value of the crop, as the necessity of 

 planting over when it should be up and growing 

 causes a late and diminutive yield even if it comes 

 to maturity at all. Cover the manure thinly with 

 dirt before dropping the seed. Seed liberally, as 

 it is much better to have too many come up than 

 not enough, as they can be easily thinned out. 

 Care should be taken not to cover the seed too 

 deep. Four beans are enough to remain in a hill, 

 but there is no need of being in a hurry about thin- 

 ning them out, as the cut-worm is apt to destroy 

 them while they are young and tender. This 

 worm should be looked after. He commits his 

 depredations in the night, and in the morning his 

 own works of devastation mark the spot where he 

 may be found. Dig him out and punish him ac- 

 cording to his deserts. 



As to the time of planting the Seba, very much 

 depends on the season. I should not recommend 

 planting, in this section, before the first of May, 

 even in the most favorable season. As a general 

 thing the middle of the month is about as early as 

 is advisable. If suffered to remain long in the 

 cold earth the seed will not germinate. Often- 

 times I should plant as late as the 20th of May, in 

 preference to the 1st. After the Seba is well up, 

 and hoed, it should be poled; if this has not been 

 attended to before. I have observed that some 

 farmers use long poles for this bean — say twenty 

 feet in length. What reasons they can give for 

 this, I know not; probably they have some very 

 plausible ones, but I very much doubt whether they 

 are really sound and practical. The extra trouble 

 and expense necessary in obtaining poles of this 

 length is no veiy small item. I must enter my 

 protest against the practice, as I believe it lessens 

 the productiveness of the vines. A pole that 

 stands seven feet out of the ground when stuck is 

 long enough, and far preferable to a twenty-footer, 

 for "good and sufficient reasons." On long poles 

 the vines continue climbing up through the season, 

 and the blossoms are not sufficiently protected by 

 the leaves, but are too much exposed both to the 

 hot sun and the cold east winds, and the conse- 

 quence is a great many of the pods are not ma- 

 tured. Where short poles are used the vines soon 

 reach the tops, and then turn and grow downwards, 

 forming a thick and luxuriant covering for the 

 tender pods and blossoms, which serve as an am- 

 ple protection to them under all circumstances, 



and even saves many of the green beans from be- 

 ing injured by the early autumn frosts. There- 

 fore it is much better policy to use short poles for 

 the Seba than long ones. 



As this bean is rather disinclined to take to the 

 poles of its own accord, it usually becomes neces- 

 sary to tie it up. Do this as soon as the runners 

 are of sufficient length. Handle them very care- 

 fully. The best article for this purpose is rhubarb 

 skin. It is soft and pliable, and does not chafe the 

 vines. J. w. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 BLUE STEM WINTER WHEAT. 



S. W. Cole, Esq.: — We wish to call the atten- 

 tion of your farmers to the subject of Winter 

 Wheat. The kind most favorable to our climate is 

 that known as "Banner" or "Kloss" Wheat — 

 which has been raised with great success for a few 

 years past, till it now promises to furnish bread for 

 our whole State. The average yield last j^ear was 

 30 bushels per acre, and the prospect is for a larger 

 yield the present, as more pains have been taken in 

 the selection and preparing of ground. It is belter 

 to sow during this month, as it gives a belter fall 

 feed for young cattle, though it will</o ivell if sown 

 any time in September. 



We acted as agents for the sale of the wheat 

 last year, and sent it into every county in the 

 State, from all of which we hear favorable reports. 



The harvesting has just commenced, and we 

 shall proljably be able to fill any orders from your 

 section, if applied for in season. 



The price here will probably be two dollars. 

 Very respectfully, John Means & Son. 



Axtgusta, Afe., Aug. 1, 1851. 



Remarks. — Mr. Kloss, as has been lately as- 

 certained, did not originate this wheat, therefore 

 it should not bear his name. And the name Ban- 

 ner was given to it, as Mr. Drew, editor of the 

 Gospel Banner, raised some from seed sent him 

 from the Patent Office, which he distributed. This 

 was improper, to add a local name, which makes 

 confusion. 



For the New England F«rmer. 

 MULTICOLB RYE. 



Mr. Editor: — I would like to have the New 

 England Farmer give some information respecting 

 a new variety of rye called the "Multicok,'" which 

 is mentioned in the Patent Office Report on Agri- 

 culture for 1849 — 50. A writer from Cumberland 

 Co., Virginia says, "A new variety of this grain 

 called the MuUicole, issued originally from the Pa- 

 tent Office, has lately reached my neighborhood 

 from Lynchburg. The crops from which it came 

 were extraordin?iry. It had been sown by a gen- 

 tleman near me on trial — as horse feed. Common 

 rye, from what cause I know not, never prospered 

 in this region, and its culture has rarely been at- 

 tempted." 



Another writer from Mississippi, in the same Re- 

 port, page 153, says: "I have grown the Multicole, 

 and the St. Johns-day rye, or ^Sciglc de St. Jean,^ 

 imported from England and France; neither of 

 these were superior to the common 'up country 

 rye,'" &c. I understand the Multicole rye has 

 been grown with success in Vermont. Can you, 



