Mr. W. Jones on the Mildew in Wheat. 103 



in a fair, held on the 7th July, from wheat grown in a field (which has been pointed 

 out to mej within seven miles of this place, A reference to my own diary of 

 farming occurrences shows me, that wheat was generally reaped before the end of 

 July in the years 1786 and 1787; since that time it has been later, except the 

 year 1791. Since our harvest must be allowed to be later, and we are thereby 

 more subject to the ill effects of mildew, it therefore surely behoves us to sow all 

 our late wheat lands (after turnips), with such sort of wheat, as is most likely to 

 resist these cold chilling dews, that may happen before it arrives to maturity. 



On making inquiry amongst some intelligent farmers, I was told of a red wheat, 

 almost universally sown in a large extent of cold poor lands in this and in an adjoining 

 county, where they have no chance of a crop from any other sort of wheat, I 

 procured some of it, to sow first with vetches (to be fed with sheep), and found it 

 to bear the winter much belter than the white wheats I had usually sown. 



The beginning of February, 1804, I sowed some of this sort of wheat (after 

 turnips,) and in the same day some of the white Dutch wheat in the same field, and 

 found the latter proved to be much more injured by the mildew, which I imputed to 

 the stalk being so large and porous as to absorb in a greater degree the moisture of 

 the dews; whereas the red wheat, having a smaller and more solid stalk (of course less 

 porous also), received but very little injury. The brown bread made of this wheat is 

 of a darker hue than that made of the white wheats, but has the good property of re- 

 taining its moisture longer than any other, and cannot be too strongly recom- 

 mended for a late crop, as the hardiest wheat yet known (in this neighbourhood) 

 approaching more in similitude to rye (which is not liable to mildev^') as to the 

 colour of the grain, the solidity of the stalk, and the properties of the bread, than 

 any other wheat. 



I have a material observation to make of some facts respecting the effects of 

 mildew in a piece of ground situate rather higher than some of the surrounding 

 lands, part of it sloping towards the east, and having a decent from the north and 

 south, forming a concavity, in which the wheat, when sown after turnips, manured 

 with lime and earth, without any dung, has been always mildewed, as also many 

 other smaller concave spots which are on the summit of tne field, when the surroufid- 

 ing wheat on the higher level ground has not the least appearance 0; it, the straw 

 bemg perfectly bright and yellow, when the other was almost black, m so much that 

 I have separated one from the other (in more instances than one or two) by putting 



Dda 



