AND RURAL ECONOMIST. 129 



owins: to our impropitious storms and bud weather for a 

 wheat crop, the kernel was not so fair as the original. No- 

 thing discouraged, however, I sowed from this product rather 

 than the original ; the product from which more than an- 

 swered my expectation. From this last product I sowed, 

 the 19th of last April, two bushels and a quarter on one atre 

 of land which had potatoes grown on it the previous year, 

 (crop, six hundred and thirteen bushels and a half.) This 

 field, immediately previous to sowing, had been ploughed 

 deej) and fine. After the grain w^as harrowed in across the 

 furrows the field was rolled in, and left from that time to 

 putting in the sickle. 1 would here observe, however, that 

 my usual custom has been to sow on about twenty bushels 

 of good unleached wood ashes to the acre, so soon as the 

 wheat plants are two inches in height, and in a damp morn- 

 ing, if ^uch can be had. The value of such dressing I have 

 considered to consist, 1st, in the caustic quality of the 

 ashes, as it is a preventive to the ravages of the white mag- 

 got which sometimes preys at the roots of the young plants ; 

 2d, considered as a manure rr top-dressing, it no doubt con- 

 tributes to the earlier perfecting the kernel or berry, and at 

 the same time to a more vigorous growth of the straw. 



The seed was prepared as usual, by stirring into the heap 

 thick whitewash made from quicklime, until every kernel 

 received a coat of the same ; say one quart of unslacked 

 lime to each bushel of wheat. I prefer lime to lye made of 

 wood ashes, [only] on account of its whiteness, thereby 

 rendering it easier to throw the seed (broad-cast) more even- 

 ly on the field. 



The character of the soil is a deep loam, intermixed with 

 cobble stones. Its natural forest growth had been oak, (white 

 and red,) beech, rock maple, chestnut, and hemlock. 



The character of the wheat appears to differ from our 

 usual kinds, by the straw being much taller ; (some of which 

 was five feet ten inches in height ;) and although it is w^hat 

 we call bearded, and the heads of two varieties, similar in 

 appearance to our red and white, yet there is a variety, (say 

 a sixth part perhaps,) which, notwithstanding the head is 

 short, yet the kernels are so closely set that I have repeat- 

 edly counted over eighty kernels from one ear or head. 

 This variety I call the pearl, from its clear appearance. The 

 kernel throughout the crop was very plump and large ; the 

 straw stout as w^ell as tall, bearing the beating of our New 

 England storms better than any I have heretofore grown. 1 



