756 [Assembly 



Alanson Nash of New Yoik presented a paper on the culture of 

 wheat, by his father in Haiupsh ire county, Massachusetts, from which 

 Ave make the following extracts. 



"The soil on which the wheat was so.vn, a third of an acre, is 

 formed from the decomposition of granite, Mica slate and other prim- 

 itive rocks. Great care was taken in washing the seed wheat in 

 clear water, until nothing but pure seed was left — then about eight 

 quaits of clean slaked lime were put into the hogshead containing the 

 seed wheat, and well mixed and stirred in w ith the seed, and theri 

 the water added and stirred until at length the water ran off clear 

 from the wheat. The wheat then remained in the hogshead over 

 night, and became swelled, almost ready to burst. Tlien ashes of 

 oak, hickory and maple, the woods burned in the house, were well 

 mixed with the wheat, until the seed was dry enough to handle, when 

 it was immediately sown and harrowed in. 



"The seed so heated had been thoroughly tainted with smut, but as 

 appeared by the crop was entirely eradicated. The straw w^as vig- 

 orous — did not lodge. The yield was eighteen bushels of best 

 wheat. The manure applied was from under the stables, where cattle 

 had been housed for several years and was thoroughly impregnated 

 with urine. 



"Another experiment was tried with wheat on one acre sowed with 

 the same wheat, but without manure. Indian corn had been grown 

 on it the year before, manured with hog manure in the hills. The 

 north half of the hill was sown with the washed wheat as hefore,\he 

 south half with the same wheat unwashed, and no lime, ashes or 

 anything else. The result was that the straw and wheat on the 

 north side were clean, fresh, the berry heavy and full. On the south 

 side almost a total failure, not yielding more than ten bushels per 

 acre. 



"Of the prepared wheat my father sowed at about the rate of six 



bushels per acre!" 



Chairman. Barley flour mixed with buckwheat meal makes su- 

 perior cakes! 



Mr. Pike. I have used one third barley in my buckwheat cakes, 

 and find them much the better for it. 



Horace H. Day, of Courtlandt St., presented some specimens of 

 gutta percha for examination. 



