344 



THE GENESEE FARMER. 



we are asked, then, to state the best preventive of 

 disease of the respiratory organs in stabled horses, 

 we have merely to advise the admission of cool, pro- 

 per breathing air before and below the horse's nose, 

 and the exit of heated impure air by an aperture 

 placed at a higher level. Every horse and every man 

 is continually exhaling a poisoneous gas, and common 

 sense itself would indicate the importance of getting 

 rid of this in the speediest manner possible. — JYorth 

 British Asrricullurist. 



WHEAT-GROWING IN MASSACHUSETTS. 



Some twenty-five years ago, it was well known that 

 wheat could not be raised in Massachusetts, except 

 in a few favored spots on Connecticut river. The 

 reason was the land was too old ; that wheat could 

 only be raised profitably on new lands. Yet wheat 

 has always been raised in the "old countries," in En- 

 gland, in Italy, in German}', in Russia, in as broad a 

 range of latitude as our whole country, from New 

 Orleans to Pembina in 49 ® . 



But since the establishment of Agricultural So- 

 cieties and the increased circulation of farming news- 

 papers, in consequence of which it is no longer held 

 as treason, or even as a high misdemeanor, to suggest 

 new hints or express new ideas upon the business of 

 farming, it has been really suggested that wheat might 

 be raised on our soil, and the experiment, bold as it 

 may seem, has been tried. The result of the experi- 

 ment is, we believe, that wheat, though not con- 

 sidered so certain or so profitable a crop as corn, 

 mav, notwithstanding, be raised to advantage in the 

 State. 



We believe it is a fact, and rather a singular one, of 

 which we shall presently suggest the cause, that in 

 no part of our extended country, with all its varia- 

 tion of climate and diversity of soil, have so good 

 crops of wheat been raised as England. From 

 Maine west to Iowa, and from Yirginia north to Mi- 

 chigan, we think there has been no tract of country 

 that has produced on the average as much wheat in 

 quantity, as in some of the wheat counties in En- 

 gland, Kent for instance. In Mr. Colman's book on 

 European Agriculture, though he says that in some 

 statistical works 26 bushels have been put down as 

 the average, and though there are persons M'ho in- 

 sist that it should be put lower, yet he could never 

 find the farmer who would allow his own yield to 

 be at the low rate. He says that under good culti- 

 vation he has rarely known it less than 32 bushels. 

 He has found it 40, — and is informed on the very 

 best authority that the yield is often from 5G to 64. 

 Indeed, he reports instances greatly exceeding that, 

 where it appeared that 38 and 40 bushels were se- 

 verally raised by Mr. Barclay, M. P., and a Ken- 

 tish farm laborer represented that about 35 or 40 

 bushels are raised there, as an average crop. We 

 believe our best wheat crops have been in Michigan, 

 and in some parts of Wisconsin, Iowa, and Northern 

 Illinois. But the average in the best of these would 

 not come up to the Kent county standard as we have 

 stated it. In Virginia, it is greatly below it. 



As we have such a variety of climate in the wheat- 

 growing districts, our short-comings must be attribu- 

 ted to one of two causes, soil or seed. There are 



two principal requisites in soil, for wheat. According 

 to the opinion of most farmers, the soil should be ra- 

 ther a stiif, tenacious, clayey soil, and not mellow, 

 light, or loose. We think it should not be too rich 

 also. In a mellow, light, and rich soil, it makes ^traw 

 at the expense of the grain. But the main recpiisite 

 in the soil for ailment of the plant, is phosphate of 

 lime. To this condition or to the seed, or to both, 

 the greater success in England, in wheat-growing, is 

 to be attributed. England is a limestone country, 

 and the farmers use bone manure, which furnishes 

 the phosphate of lime, on their fields. The most of 

 the western wheat-growing lands are in a limestone 

 country, but the soil is too light and mellow, favor- 

 ing straw too much. So much for the soil. Now 

 every farmer knows that there is a great difference 

 in the measure of ditfereut kinds wheat grown on a 

 given number of stalks. In some kinds the kernel 

 or berry is larger and heavier, and in some kinds, 

 there arc a greater number of kernels to an ear, than 

 in other varieties. Let the best kind be selected, 

 that which is of the best quality, and bearing the lar- 

 gest cars, the Kent county wheat, if it may be pro- 

 cured, or some other productive variety, and let it be 

 sown in sufficient quantit}-, (our farmers do not seed 

 so heavy as the English, our rule being ]| to 1^ bus. 

 to the acre, the English 2 to 2 1) on a tenacious, stiff, 

 soil, not too rich, only in good heart, — supplying to 

 the ground those articles which make the constitu- 

 ents of the plant, and if fall sowing, on a northern 

 declivity, early in September ; and we cannot but 

 think the product will be materially increased. 



As to seed, the Siberian wheat is much approved 

 in some of the wheat farms in Iowa. Others use 

 what they call the Ohio white, a bald wheat with 

 white husk. In other parts, the variety known as 

 Club wheat, having the kernel set horizontally on 

 short ears, is preferred, for the reason that it is there 

 considered not liable to the rust, which has greatly 

 shortened the crops of other varieties. The Winter 

 Blue Stem is also raised with success, even on quite 

 light lands, inclining to sand. 



Mr. Colman names several varieties raised in En- 

 gland, and their product in certain fields, as follows : 



Essex Brown, rate 40 bushels 64 lbs. per bushel. 



Surry White, rate 36 bushels 64 " " 



Brown, (called clover,) rate 40 bushels. €3>3 " " 



Snow drop. White, rate .39 bushels 63 " " 



Burwell Brown, rate 45 bushels 63 " " 



Whittiugton White, rate 38 bushels 62 " " 



W. Miles, Esq., raised 48 bus., 42 bus., 2 pecks, 47 

 bus., 3.5 bus., 3 pecks, and 49 bus. 



P. Pusey, 37|, 45|, 47^ bushels. Samples of the 

 whole field. W. L. Kidd, M. D., of Armagh, Ire- 

 laud, obtained at the rate of 50 bus. of 62 lbs. per 

 acre, and there were larger ciops in his neighborhood. 

 The wheat was red wheat. Quality such as to com- 

 mand the highest price. The soil was a stifi" clay re- 

 cumbent on limestone. 



Mr. Colman mentions other products in other coun- 

 ties coming up to these rates. In Gloucestershire, 

 the product on several acres was from 46 to 49 bus. 

 weight froiu 59 to 62^ lbs. In Worcestershire, in a 

 field of 130 acres, the crop was nearly 47 bushels per 

 acre. 



In the Western States much of the wheat is under 

 60 lbs. It is considered the best weight at GO lbs., 



