THE GENESEE FARMER. 



245 



aud hauled us they stood in the field. The Leices- 

 ters are all directl}' descended from Bakewell's 

 flock, and the ewes generally produce two lambs 

 each per finnum. Mr. Miller gives them the pref- 

 erence over the Cotswolds, and estimates that he 

 can obtain as much mutton in two years from a 

 certain number of Leicester ewes as he can in three 

 years from tlie same number of Cotswolds. He 

 thinks they consume less grass than the common 

 sheep, and finds an acre of good grass Avill keep 

 ten of liis sheep throughout the sunmier. He gives 

 them nothing but pea straw and turnips in winter. 



In another held, I saw about 100 more sheep, eight 

 of whieli were Cotswolds, the rest Leicesters. Ad- 

 joining it was a ten-acre field just put into Swedes. 

 A little further on was another ten-acre field being 

 pre[)ared for Kolil-Rabi. Mr. Miller has imported 

 100 lbs. of the seed of this plant from Scotland for 

 his own use, and intends to give it a fair trial this 

 season. His method is is to sow it very thinly over 

 the laud liroadcast, and afterward cultivate by 

 hand. His land is in so high a state of cultivation 

 that he finds httle ditliculty in keeping down the 

 weeds, an4 his grain crops never average less than 

 40, and often 50 bushels per acre, and his Swedes 

 1200 bushels per acre. In the midst of a large 

 field of waving barley stands a small barn. Here 

 lie keeps a lot of choice Dorking fowls, imported 

 last year from England. They are splendid birds, 

 and being far removed from the farm-yard or any 

 other building, tliey can easily be kept fine and 

 shady. Some thirty chickens were to be seen run- 

 ning around the place. These chickens are all so 

 mucli alike in color and markings, that they can 

 not be distinguished from each other. Mr. Miller 

 has kept the Dorkings for twenty yeai'S past, and 

 has quite a number at the farm-yard. They are 

 remarkably good layers, and unlike the Asiatic 

 breeds of fowl, do not evince a disposition to spend 

 all summer in vain etiorts to hatch stones and ad- 

 dled eggs. 



Having already written enough for any fanner 

 to read a<t once in this busy season, I will reserve 

 a description of the Short-horns and Galloway cat- 

 tle for another letter. j. mackelcan, je. 



WHEAT OF THE SOUTH. 



Eds. Genesee Farmer: — In the July number 

 of the Farmer^ on page 213, is a communication 

 signed N. S. E"., entitled, "IVheat of the South," 

 in wliicli the writer, after giving his theory of 

 vegetation (by the by, his argument is all theory)^ 

 says: '"Plants, after vegetation has commenced, 

 'require also a certain amount or quantum of lieat : 

 not aiuj certain duration or continuation thereof i'"' 

 and, that we may not misunderstand him, adds: 

 " It is plain that a great heat during a short period^ 

 must produce the same effect on plants, with a less 

 degree of heat during a longer term." And, to 

 make assurance doubly sure, adds: "It is the 

 amount^ not the duration^ that is essential to ma- 

 ture plants." jSTow, if these propositions are 

 unqualifiedly true, then the greater the lieat the 

 more rapid the growth ; and all that we have to 

 do to increase the growth is to increase the heat^ 

 ad ivfinitum, and that one day at 212° (boiling 

 point) would cause vegetation to grow as much as 

 two days at lOG'', and so on, at higher or lower 



degrees of temperature, which is, to say the least, 

 supremely absurd. 



The conclusion at which he arrives is, " that if 

 we want wheat that will ripen earlier^ it sliould 

 come from the Isforthy Now, as there are difier- 

 ent opinions on this important subject, and as the 

 communication of N. S. N. might mislead some, I 

 will give you a chapter on facts — not theory. 



Last fall, a man of my acquaintance, seeing the 

 subject discussed in the agricultural journal con- 

 cluded he would test the matter himself. He went 

 from about sixty miles east of n^orth from Pitts- 

 burg, Pa., to Canada West, and purchased a quan- 

 tity of seed wheat, brought it home, and sowed it 

 at the same time with other native sorts. And 

 now for the result. When the native sorts had 

 shot out and were in bloom, the Canada wheat had 

 not commenced to shoot, aud was full two weeks 

 later than the native varieties ; and now, when the 

 latter is almost ripe, from every appearance the 

 Canada wheat will be two weeks later rii)ening. 

 The distance tlie wheat was brought southward 

 was about two hundred miles. 



This fact^ I claim, is conclusive, and is far more 

 reliable than the theory of N, S. IST. I have ob- 

 served for years that wheat brought from eastern 

 to northwestern Pennsylvania — where the harvest 

 is from two to three weeks later — is earlier than 

 the native varieties, or such as have become accli- 

 mated. It is known that oats brought from Europe 

 to this country will retain their former characteris- 

 tics a year or two, but no longer ; and from this 

 tact, may we not infer that wheat brought from the 

 north or south will retain only for a season or two 

 tlieir former characteristics of late or early ripening? 



N. S. N. further says : "We know that autumn 

 and winter apples become summer and fall fruit 

 further south." But does he not also know that, 

 notwithstanding a warmer climate, summer and 

 fall apples south grow and remain upon the trees 

 longer than autumn and winter apples do north? 



Ptinasntaiciiey, Pel., July 4, ISCO. J. B. C. 



SHOCKING WHEAT IN THE HAEVEST FIELD. 



Bring seventy-five sheaves together and place 

 them in a circle or ring of about fifteen feet in 

 diameter, with tlue butts to the centre. Place a 

 good-sized sheaf in the centre of the enclcsed 

 space, on the ground, and lay down successive 

 slieaves; elevating the heads, at first by laying 

 them across the first sheaf, and so on around this 

 nucleus until a circular bottom is formed sufficient 

 to receive the quantity of sheaves brought together 

 — always taking care to keep the heads of the 

 sheaves duly elevated until the stack is finished. 

 The bottom should be made of ample size, so as to 

 permit the sheaves to have due space. Otherwise, 

 the centre will be too high and cause the sheaves 

 to tumble off, or the whole to assume a leaning 

 position. It is better, therefore to allow full size, 

 and then to draw the stack to an ajjex rather sud- 

 denly in finishing. This is more especially neces- 

 sary when the sheaves are large, for it is difficult 

 otherwise to make the top sufficiently pointed. 



With the foregoing directions faithfully observed, 

 a man with ordinary judgment may rapidly secure 

 his wheat in the field against all ordinary weather, 

 for a month or more. r. ji. conklin. 



