238 



THE GENESEE FAEMER. 



Soules, and for some years tliis was all that could 



be desired. 



We present a cut of the Canadian Blue btem 

 wheat (Fig. 5), alluded to in our account of a recent 

 visit to the farm of James O. Sheldon, Esq., near 

 Geneva, N. Y. It is the best crop of wheat we 

 have se'en this year. We sowed twenty acres of 

 this wheat, ten years ago, with seed obtained from 

 Canada. It weighed G4 lbs. to the bushel, and was 

 <;aid to yield large crops. With us it did not do 

 well, probably owing to the fact that the land was 

 not in good condition. It produced only 15 bush- 

 els per acre. We judge that it is best adapted for 

 strong, rich land, and where the midge is not apt to 

 be troublesome. 



The comparatively good wheat crops the past 

 two years will induce the formers in this vicinity 

 to sow largely this fall. This is well. But the 

 lessson we have so dearly learned should not be 

 forgotten. Three years ago, when many urged the 

 farmers of Western New York to turn their atten- 

 tion to other crops, we advised them not to aban- 

 don their eflorts to raise wheat. Now these same 

 persons are foremost advocates for growing wheat 

 again, while we think the danger now lies in their 

 rushing into it too extensively, and without due 

 preparation of the land. Sow only as much land 

 as can be thoroughly prepared. It should be born^ 

 in mind that jf the midge destroys five bushels per 

 acre, it can be better spared from a crop which 

 would, uninjured, yield 30 bushels per acre, than 

 from a crop which would produce, if it escaped, 

 only 15 bushels per acre. In the latter case the 

 midge would destroy half as much as they leave, 

 while in the former they would destroy only one- 

 fifth. The same argument holds true in regard to 

 all casualties to which wheat is exposed, and it is 

 a strong reason in favor of high farming. 



THE WHEAT MIDGE. 



Eds Co. Gent.— In your issue of June 21, I see 

 the following note from J. Johnston, under date 

 of June 11 : " The wheat nudge is very numerous 

 and m^pared to deposit the nits. They ai-e all of 

 seven day earlier tlian last year." In the same 

 nmu er on page 394, Olcott's Yale Lecture Report 

 on tie cultivation of the cereals, by Joseph Iar- 

 ms w e read : '' If we could get wheat mto blooni 

 Sn' days earlier, we could escape that terrible msect 



^^The ktter Sems to have been. the prevailing sen- 

 timent relative to the means of saving the wheat 

 crop from insect depredations. But I have doubted 

 its correctness. Insects which destroy our truits 

 or grains have a wonderful instinct as to the tune 

 their work is to be done. , , . i f 



I have in my orchard several different kmds of 



apple trees; among them is the Kor them Spy, a; 

 tree which is some eight or ten days later m put- , 

 tin"' forth its leaves than any other in my collection. 

 Now I have observed that the apple-tree worm 

 hatches just about as many days later on this tree 

 as it is later than the others in putting torth its 

 leaves Nature thus provides against starvation, 

 by withholding from life until food is provided to 

 sustain that life. , . , . ^ , 



So with the striped bugs which mfest our vines. 

 Their appearance is earlier or later, as an early or 

 later season has prepared their appropriate tood. 



A simiUv law governs in the production ot all 

 our insect tribes. They have their appointed com- 

 missions to fulfil, and they will be sure to come at 

 the li'-ht time to do their work. If we clieat them 

 once or twice by stealing the march on them, they 

 will be sure to wake ui) early enough tor us nexl 

 time, and perchance tliey will come down upon ui 

 with double fury for their previous loss. 



Is it not so with tlie midge? lor several year; 

 Mr Johnston, and some others, perhaps abou 

 Geneva, have been trying to cheat the inidge b; 

 producing earlier kinds of wheat. And what i 

 die result? Why, this year "the mulge appear 

 full seven days earlier than last year. And i 



they can get a grain ten days earlier than an 

 wliich they can now raise, they will mid this msec 

 wake to life early enough to do his work m its ai 

 pointed time. 1 am contident, Messrs. Editors, -thi 

 some other plan must be adopted to save the whes 

 croij from ihe midge than that proposed by M 

 llARias in his New-Haven lecture. ^^ luit that pla 

 is it is not the object of this paper to suggest.—, 

 W. Raymond, Olinton, K F., June 2'd.-Counti 

 Gentleman. 



Remarks.— It is doubtless true, as Mr. Ratmoi 



remarks, that the appearance of insects "is earli 



or later, as an early or later season has prepar 



their appropriate food." If the "season" is ear 



the insects will l)e hatched out early ; and if it 



late, the insects will be late also. The same can; 



which give us an early season would also advai 



the appearance of the insects. But this does i 



affect our statement that if we could get wh 



which came into bloom ten days earlier than 1 



"season" wotdd naturally produce it, we shoi 



escape the midge. The midge would make its i 



pearance in season; but the wheat would be ' 



days ahead of the season, and consequently 



days ahead of the midge afc 



The fact that the midge appeared at Geneva 1 

 year "full seven days earlier than last year," is( 

 not to Mr. Johnston's eftbrts to get early kinds 

 wheat, but to the fact that our season this year i 

 much earlier than last. The weather during 

 month of May this year was, on the average, nes 

 six degrees (5.Y°,) hotter than in any May dur 

 the previous twenty-three years;* and the aver 



Tsee " Notes on the Weather," in the July number of the « 

 eaee Farmer, page 222. 



S 



