WHEAT. 



some peculiar species of wheat. Tiie 

 first is a coinpoiinil ear, priKlnced l)y 

 very luxuriant vegetation, and is com- 

 mon ill Egypt. The second i.s tiie 

 spelter wheat, of which the chafl" is 

 so strongly attached to the grain as to 

 be separated only hy passing through 

 a mill. It is an inferior variety, but 

 grows in less fertile soils. The tliird 

 is the Polish wheat, with very long 

 chaff and hard grains. The fourth is 

 a variety which only ripens one seed 

 in each spikelet, and is not much cul- 

 tivated. The fifth is common soft- 

 bearded wheat. If the awns of this 

 kind are obliterated, it forms our 

 common soft wheat. The existence 

 of awns seems not to affect the na- 

 ture of the wheat, and they differ so 

 much in length that the varieties of 

 smooth-eared and bearded wheats run 

 insensibly into each oilier. 



"The hard wheats contain much 

 more gluten, a tough, viscid substance, 

 which is very nutritious, and which, 

 containing a portion of nitrogen, read- 

 ily promotes that fermentation, or ri- 

 sing, as it is called, of the dough, 

 ■which is essential to good, light bread 

 The soft wheats contain tlie greatest 

 quantity of starch, which fits them 

 for the vinous fermentation, hy its 

 conversion into sugar and alcohol ; 

 for browing or distijiing, therefore, 

 the soft wheats are the best." 



VARIETIES OF WIIE.4T. 



White Flint. — This is one of the 

 most valuable kinds in tlie Northern 

 States. The heads are not long, but 

 well tilled, with thirty to forty grains ; 

 the kernel is white and flinty, large, 

 and with thin bran. They are firm- 

 ly attached to the chaff, and do not 

 shell out except when very ripe. Tlie 

 heads are rather drooping, with few 

 awns, the straw medium length, and 

 very white and strong. The flour is 

 veiy superior : the perfect wheat 

 weighs from 63 to 67 pounds the 

 bushel. 



Harmon's White Flint. — A variety 

 improved from tlie above, in which 

 the berry is larger, bran very thin, 

 and the flour equally good, if net su- 

 perior : weighs 64 pounds the bush- 

 852 



el. This and the above are little in- 

 jured by the Hessian fly, and will 

 stand a good deal of wet weather 

 vvitlioul injury. 



Wluie rrnrcncc. — Heads middling 

 and bald; ctiaff bluish ; berry large 

 and white; bran thin; flour good. It 

 is early, but the straw is small, long, 

 and soft, and very liable to fall. 



Old Red Chuff. — An old and favour- 

 ite kind, but now liable to rust and 

 the fly. Red chaff, bald ; long straw ; 

 berry white, large, weighing 62 pounds 

 thebuslird; bran thin ; superior flour. 



Kentucky White - bearded, Canada 

 Flint. — White chaff, bearded ; heads 

 short and heavy, well filled ; shells 

 readily ; berries round, short, and 

 white ; weighs 60 to 65 pounds the 

 bushel ; flour very good, but not equal 

 to the white flint. It tillers little ; the 

 straw is strong, but liable to injury 

 from insects. 



Indiana Wheat. — White chaff, bald ; 

 berry uhite and large ; bran thin ; the 

 berry not as flinty as the white flint, 

 some of the best quality weighing six- 

 ty-four pounds to the bushel, produ- 

 cing flour of superior quality and 

 quantity ; straw is larger and longer 

 than the white flint ; shells easily, so 

 that there is considerable loss if it re- 

 mains in the field till fully ripe. In- 

 sects have attacked it more than the 

 flint, and it is more liable to be win- 

 ter-killed. 



A variety of white wheat is much 

 esteemed in western New -York, 

 which resembles an improved Indi- 

 ana. It is nailed Scotch ichcat. 



Virginia White May. — It has a white 

 chaff, bald, much resemblingthe white 

 flint in its growth and straw ; the 

 heads are more clumped ; the berry 

 standing out more, and shells easier. 

 The berry is white, with a very hard 

 and flinty appearance, weighing from 

 63 to 66 pounds to the bushel ; bran 

 of a medium thickness, producing 

 flour of a good quality. Its early ma- 

 turity makes it valuable. 



Wheatland Red. — This is a new va- 

 riety which originated with General 

 Harmon, from the Virginia May. It 

 has a red chaff, bald ; heads of medium 

 length, and well filled with a red ber- 



