244 STATISTICS OF WHEAT CT I/TUBE. 



Nothing is more needed at this time than a good geological map of the United 

 States, accompanied by an accurate and popularly arranged work on agricultural 

 gi'olouv. The writer had hoped to give such a map in this report; hut it is 

 thought best to devote another year to the collection of geological surveys and 

 facts, and to the making of more critical and extended reseaich.es before 

 publishing. 



In the matter of rotation of crops in connection with wheat culture, clover and 

 corn are generally preferred in all the Northern, and most of the Middle Static. 

 In New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Northern Indiana, and 

 Illinois, so far as the writer is acquainted, a crop of wheat is made in rotation, 

 either every third, fourth, or fifth year. Wherever wool growing is united with 

 wheat culture, clover and wheat are the staple crops of the farm. Wool and 

 superfine flour are exported ; farmers taking nearly all the bran and shorts of 

 the millers who purchase their wheat. 



The offal of wheat makes not a little feed with chaff and cut straw. Many 

 agriculturists grow peas, beans, turnips, beets, and carrots in large quantities, 

 as well as clover, corn, oats, and barley. Peas and beans, both stems and pulse, 

 when well cured, are excellent feed for sheep ; and on good land they are easily 

 grown. They prepare the soil well for wheat. 



All the manure derived from sheep is husbanded with extreme care by the 

 farmers who are gradually enriching their lands. On a deep, rich, arable soil, 

 quite a number of sheep may be kept per acre, if highly cultivated ; and their 

 manure prepares the land for producing generous crops of wheat at a small 

 expense. Of all business men, farmers should be the closest calculators of 

 profit and loss. 



Great care should be taken to sow good and clean seed on clean land. 

 Previous to putting the seed in the ground (drilling is preferable to sowing 

 broad-cast), wheat should be soaked five or six hours not longer in strong 

 brine. After this, add a peck or more of recently slaked lime to each bushel, 

 and shovel it over well, that the lime may cover each seed. It is now ready to 

 commit to the earth. Most good farmers roll the earth after seeding: some 

 before. 



In the Southern States, planters are in the habit of permitting their wheat to 

 remain too long in the field after it is cradled, and in small shocks. Good barns 

 are too scarce in all the planting Spates, and in some others. 



Summer fallowing is generally abandoned, except in cases where old pastures 

 and meadows, new prairie, or bushy bad fields are to be subdued. As a general 

 rule, friable soils need not be ploughed long before the intended crop is expected 

 to begin to grow. Among fertilizers, wood ashes, salt, bones, lime, guanc, and 

 poudrette have been used in wheat culture with decided advantage. In Great 

 Britain, manure derived from the consumption of turnips and other root crops 

 by sheep and neat cattle, is much used in prepaiing land for wheat. Sheep, 

 clover and peas, corn and hogs, rotate well to insure the economical production 

 of this staple. Manure is usually applied to the crop preceding wheat. 



It may be interesting to some readers to see in this place the mean result of 

 several organic analyses of wheat made by M. Boussingault. Wheat, dried at 

 230 deg in racuo, was found to contain : 



Carbon 46'1 



Oxygen 43'4 



Hydrogen 5*8 



Nitrogen 2-3 



Ash . 2-4 



Total 100-0 



Charcoal may be regarded as a fair representative of carbon, and water as 

 the representative of both oxygen and hydrogen. It will be seen by the above 

 figures, that over 95 per cent, of wheat is made up of elements which greatly 

 abound in nature in an available condition ; and the same is true of all other 

 plants. It is doubtless owing to this circumstance, that a comparatively small 

 quantity of guano and other highly concentrated fertilizers are able to produce 

 crops five, ten, and fifty times greater than their own weight. Azote, or 



