154 



^lASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. 



HAMPDEN. 



Statement of Silas Root. 



"^ViNTER Wheat. — The crop of wlieat presented for consid- 

 eration was grown on one acre and five rods of ground, the soil 

 heavy loam. I thought it too heavy for wheat, but as a matter 

 of experiment, concluded to try one acre. The ground had 

 lain in grass for a long term of years previous to 1858. In 

 June of that year turned under the turf with a double or 

 Michigan plough, and planted it to tobacco, manuring it well 

 in the hill. The next season put on twenty loads of stable 

 manure ; ploughed the land twice, and set with tobacco, after 

 manuring in the hill, getting a large growth of tobacco. The 

 last week in September, ploughed the land and sowed long 

 bearded wheat, the same that I have raised for more than 

 twenty years. I have often sowed other kinds of wheat grown 

 in other States, in the same field side by side, and have never 

 found any that would stand the winter and the blight equal to 

 this. My uniform practice is to sow two bushels of seed to the 

 acre. The growth was very large, and some parts of it were 

 badly lodged. The lodged part was well filled, but the berry 

 not tpiitc as heavy as the standing grain. The crop was 

 harvested the last of July. 



Had 45| bushels of grain, worth 

 3,400 pounds of straw, 



Profit, 



$68 06 

 17 00 



$54 56 



The cultivation of wheat is considered by some unprofitable 

 or unsafe business. I have been in constant practice of sowing 



